I have heard now that they say tearing is better than an episiotomy. My doc told me you heal better with a natual tear. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours with Noah and I think she was just about to cut me. Instead she used baby shampoo to grease his head to make him slide out easier. The thing that was horrible about the pushing was not my tear but my hemmaroids! They took forever to heal and it was painful to poo! If you are having those kinds of contractions i would see your doc ASAP!!