REPLAY: EBB 206 - Evidence on Perineal Tears and the Importance of Avoiding Episiotomy with EBB Founder, Dr. Rebecca Dekker

Evidence Based Birth®

Rebecca Dekker

Pregnancy, Health & Fitness, Childbirth, Parenting, Birth, Medicine, Kids & Family, Doula, Obstetrician, Midwife

4.6 • 978 Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today’s episode, we’re diving into the evidence on perineal tears and the importance of avoiding episiotomies during childbirth. We’ll talk about what perineal tears are, the different types that can occur, and the potential health consequences that can follow. You’ll also hear about the various factors that may increase or decrease the risk of tearing during birth. Finally, we’ll cover why it’s so important to avoid an episiotomy during childbirth.

Content warning: Discussion of perineal tears during childbirth, severe tears, episiotomy, and obstetric violence related to cutting episiotomies without consent.

(05:58) Understanding Perineal Tears

(09:15 Midwife Care Reduces Birth Tears

(13:06) Risk Factors for Severe Birth Tears

(16:08) Postpartum Tear Impact Study Findings

(21:59) Episiotomy History and Controversy

(24:02) Episiotomy Study on Routine vs. Restricted Use

(28:02) Episiotomy Risks vs. Natural Tears

(31:39) Episiotomy Awareness and Informed Consent

Resources

For the full list of references, visit the EBB website here.
To watch the EBB YouTube video with visual props, visit here.
View graphics from the Mayo Clinic that show the different types of tears here.
Read Dr. Klein’s story here.

For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone. On today's podcast, we're going to talk about the evidence on perineal tears and the
0:05.3	importance of preventing episiotomies during birth.
0:11.5	Welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. My name is Rebecca Decker, and I'm a nurse with my PhD
0:17.1	and the founder of evidence-based birth. Join me each week as we work together to get
0:22.5	evidence-based information into the hands of families and professionals around the world.
0:28.0	As a reminder, this information is not medical advice. See eBbirth.com slash disclaimer for more details.
0:36.9	Hi, everyone, and welcome to today's episode of the evidence-based birth podcast.
0:41.9	My name is Dr. Rebecca Decker and I will be your teacher for today's episode.
0:46.3	Today I'm so excited to bring you a replay of one of our most important evidence-based episodes,
0:52.1	all about perineal tears and the importance of preventing
0:55.5	episiotomies in birth. Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that yesterday, April 29
1:01.0	of 2025, we hosted a live 90-minute signature training and Q&A where the EBB research team and I
1:07.9	tackled one of the most controversial yet critical topics in newborn
1:11.9	care, and that is vitamin K. If you miss this training, you still have time to watch the replay
1:16.8	by going to eBbirth.com slash membership. To help make this training as accessible as possible,
1:22.7	we're providing an introductory rate to the EBB Pro membership for just $29 for your first month, along with a
1:28.8	discounted rate after that. And you can get this special rate through tomorrow, May 1st.
1:33.8	Again, just go to eBbirth.com slash membership to become a pro member today and get access to
1:39.0	all of EBB's best resources. As a content note for today's podcast episode, I wanted to let you know that we
1:45.2	will be talking about some sensitive topics, including tears, severe tears from the vagina to the
1:51.3	rectum and episiotomies, which is an incision or cut of the tissue next to the vagina. We'll also be
1:57.6	talking about severe health consequences of those severe tears and episiotomies.
	...

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