# skidmarks



## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

What is the official definition of a skidmark? Just curious. I had a very small tear during childbirth but it was not big enough to stitch and healed fine within a week. Would this be considered a skidmark?

Darshani


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## Spark (Nov 21, 2001)

I don't know for sure, but I've always heard that a skidmark is like a scrape and a tear is a tear is a tear. HTH!

Congrats on letting your body heal naturally! Sounds like it knows what to do!


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## Monkey (Jun 21, 2003)

umm
i thought a skidmark was a strip of umm poop..left in the undies after a long day










I also had a tear were they put the cathader. ugh. but it healed alone as well..


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## shelbean91 (May 11, 2002)

I had what I called a skidmark w/ds. It wasn't in the perineal area, but on the inside of the labia. It was like if you stretched your mouth really wide and the sore that would result in the corners of your mouth as a result of that stretching. I hadn't heard of skidmarks until after ds was born, but it was the perfect description of what i had. They didn't hurt except for when I went to the bathroom- then they stung really bad until I rinsed off.


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## tinyshoes (Mar 6, 2002)

As the proud recipient of a variety of perineal injuries, I would be delighted to share my understanding of skid mark vs. tear.

I had 2 skid marks and a tear at my homebirth, and had a lengthy discussion w/ visual aids w/ my midwife as she explained the differences.

She used the knitted blanker on my bed as a visual aid--imagine for yourself something like a crocheted afgan, with nice open stiches and a little bit of stretch.

The afgan, not stretched, is your skin. When you pull on it, you'll see the threads and stiches begin to separate...that's a skid mark; the skin is compromized & under stress. If you pulled it even harder--ouch--it might not stretch out and be compromized, it might just give way, and that's a tear. No muscle is involved in either scenario.

With a skid mark, most of the tissue is stretching: the underlying muscle, fat 'n' tissue on top of that, and most of the layers of skin (but not the most superficial layer, hence, the injury.)

With a tear, the muscle stretches, but there's not enough oppertunity for the skin to also stretch, so it gives way.

My skid marks looked like a skinned knee, an abrasion. The thing that caused the abrasion was the pulling of tissues, versus the scraping of tissue on a hard surface like a skinned knee.

And of course, my friends, when the underlying muscle _is_ involved in the tear, it's a 2nd degree tear. Episiotomies are _always 2nd degree injuries_, because they cut through skin and muscle by definition.

My experience with healing times:
skid marks = 24 hours
tear w/ no stitches at homebirth = 1-2 weeks
episiotomy = over a year

This is why I'm a cheerleader for natural injuries--if indeed an injury is going to happen, which it often won't with mom-directed pushing and any position other lithotomy with a doc between your legs!









_edited to add: yes, my skid marks were on the labia, way anterior, and the small tear was into the perineum. And holy smokes Darshani, you just got 3 mamas replying about skid marks within 2 minutes of each other!_


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## Monkey (Jun 21, 2003)

thank u for clarification!


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## doulamomvicki (Nov 4, 2003)

Just a cute story about skid marks/tears. At the birth center I work as a nurse at we had a lady who had to be transported for postpartum complications. The attending OB who treated her was an older doc but was really great. After he got her stable the midwife pointed out that the mom had a little tear and asked if he wanted to repair it. He said "Naw, the new way is to let them heal on their own" HeHe - new way:LOL


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Thanks for all the interesting answers! lol about skidmarks on undies!

So I had a tear then. I could feel a V-like tear on one side and it bled a lot and stung when I went to the bathroom, but healed in about a week. WAY better than the episiotomy I had with first dd!! The cool thing was that when I went back to look at my very graphic birth photos I could see exactly where I was going to tear. Baby's head was tilted slightly to one side during the pushing stage and sure enough I tore there.

I'm glad my OB let it heal by itself.

Darshani


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## EmmaJean (Sep 26, 2002)

hbak....

I just wanted to say that my skid mark was from ds head scraping my pubic bone, and it hurt much more, esp when I peed, than my teensy tear. Can't remember when it stopped hurting, though. I got a 2nd dregree tear w/ dd, and barely hurt at all. Her head was born fast w/ no perineal support--did not want to be touched there. BUT she was born in water, so I know it could've been worse.

So how are you healing, Darshani? I hope FAST!

OK, so what did they call skidmarks before tires were invented?? I just HATE that term for such a tender topic.

Actually, whenever I hear "skidmark" I remember that Friends episode where Chandler's nickname used to be Skidmark. That was a funny one! :LOL


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

It took 1.5 weeks to totally heal! SO much different than my 2nd degree epi with first dd. With that one it took at least 6 mos. to feel myself again.

Darshani


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## EmmaJean (Sep 26, 2002)

wow, then congrats on the fast healing!


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## Quirky (Jun 18, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by EmmaJean_
*hbak....*








T Just had to ask what hbak means.... homebirth at keyboard??








:

And I definitely second the emotion to go for a tear or a skidmark over an episiotomy any day...I can still feel a sore spot where my episiotomy was cut 18 months later.







at my medwife still.


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by Quirky_
*







T Just had to ask what hbak means.... homebirth at keyboard??








:

And I definitely second the emotion to go for a tear or a skidmark over an episiotomy any day...I can still feel a sore spot where my episiotomy was cut 18 months later.







at my medwife still.*
hbak is holding baby at keyboard! I have lots of posts, but even I was offline for 12 hours for my 4 hr labor and a nap afterwards. hb at keyboard!







:

My skidmark (home waterbirth) didn't hurt at all after about 24 hours (and we had sex at 3 or 4 weeks pp). Tiny's descriptions were great, thanks for posting that. Makes total sense.

On the other hand, the 2nd degree episiotomy I received at my dd's hospital birth took months to feel better and still felt "weird" during sex for months after that.

The kicker? My episiotomy scar ACHED my whole pregnancy with ds. I'm hoping since it's been stretched out that when I have another pregnancy it won't ache this time.


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