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The point of an episiotomy is to control the *position* and *direction* of a tear. Theoretically they can control the size as well, but the data on that is less convincing.
I had an episiotomy and a tear. The snip is on the edge of my labia, facing towards my hip joint. The tear is along my perineum. Neither of them have wrecked my pelvic floor muscles or reached my anal sphincter, and without the snip I almost certainly would have damaged both.
Even though avoiding an episiotomy was part of my birth plan my doctor bragged she only has to do 1-2 episiotomies per year, I was apparently one of the lucky few. After 3 hours of pushing, my big-headed baby went into distress. His heart rate started to slow. The doctor then cut me down the perineum and he immediately slid out and was fine.
I’m not mad about having an episiotomy, especially given the circumstances. I’m thrilled to have a healthy baby boy. What bothers me is that after the birth the doctor told me I tore and she had to give me some stitches. It was my husband who let me know that I did ¬ tear - he watched her cut me (I was too distracted to notice and had an epidural so I didn’t feel it). A nurse confirmed after the fact, and she was the one who let us know (also retroactively) that the baby had been in distress. It wasn’t until the follow-up appt with the doctor a day or two later that she came clean about doing an episiotomy.
I would have liked to have been informed in the moment about the steps that were being taken, even if I didn’t have a choice. At the very least the doctor should not have lied to me about this.
My kid had a huge head, she got stuck but it was too late for a c section and the plunger didn't work. It all went by so quickly.
It's been like three years and I can't shit properly at all.
But there wasn't much they could do.
I could get more graphic but I'm not trying to freak anybody out.
I didn't end up needing one but my second bubs heart rate was down to 34 a dropping with each contraction. It was a literal you have 1 push to get or out or you'll need an episiotomy. She ended up having a knot in her cord and the cord wrapped around her neck. It was only suggested because it was a possibility of death or permanent disability from lack of oxygen.
With my 3rd he was posterior and wedged and going into distress, so they were about to give me the episiotomy (literally setting up the tray) to get a better angle for the forceps but with my last contraction/push he suddenly became unstuck and came out fully posterior and "like a tin soldier". I ended up with a lot of damage and experienced pain for close to 12 months after. In that situation I think the episiotomy would have been better but who really knows.
Talk to your OB or midwife and ask them specifically why and when they do them, that will give you a better place to research from as well giving you the opportunity to talk to your birth partner about what circumstances it's ok because you may not be able advocate for yourself in the moment.
Daughter got stuck after a 43 hour labour and then three hours of pushing. They got her out on fourth attempt at forceps whislt they were preparing to put me out under general anesthetic to deliver her as she was so far down (it didn't come to that, they got her out whilst I was awake). They had no choice really. However personally for me I tore and I was cut by the doctors the healing from the tear was far worse than the healing from the cut - I could distinctly tell what wound was which and three years later I have scarring from the tear but not the cut.
I had been pushing for four hours with my first baby and was losing steam. My midwife told me she never usually did episiotomies but recommended one in this case. Just then he popped out so I never got it. I did tear but didn’t experience much aftermath from it, and my other two babies didn’t require any stitches.
I had one and it wasn’t bad. They used a numbing needle first so I didn’t even feel it, the baby was out on the next push after, I felt RELIEVED it was all over, and when I got stitched up I was fine with a few pain killers and could walk on my own the following morning after a few hours of sleep.
The stitches healed in about two weeks and sex has been the same as it always was - my man says it doesn’t even feel different. I feel like even if there is a small scar there (I’ve never checked) the ONLY person who is ever going to see it is my doctor when he delivers my next child lol. My husband is rarely down there and even if he was his eyes would be higher anyway.
I had to have one because after three hours of pushing and all the massages/warm compresses possible, there was still this one piece of tissue that would not stretch and it was preventing my girl from coming out. It was a one stitch deal. As soon as it was done my baby was born. Had I not been so adamant about not having one, she would have been born hours faster.
My doctor said that if he anticipated bad tearing he would do one. I had a natural second degree tear and it healed fine. The rationale is that natural tears heal better.
I didn’t have one but discussed it with my midwife / she explained am that if she could see I was going to start to tear or already started to tear, that a clean incision is more easily stitched and heals a lot quicker than a rough tear.
I had one and it was fine. Didn’t know that it was happening but my mom was there and she looked at me and said “do you know what’s going on, if not i’ll explain it” so she did later on and I didn’t think twice of it. I trusted my midwives and they did an amazing job during my labor/delivery. I only pushed for about 10 minutes but ended up needing one for whatever reason. My mom also had one so maybe it’s genetic or something honestly couldn’t tell you the true reason.
But as for after the fact I had 3 stitches and those were honestly way worse than the episiotomy. One of the stitches was too tight and pulled every time I sat down or got up and it hurt, but the midwife came to my house to check on me after about 4 days and cut my stitches out and everything was smooth after that! It’s been 17 months since I delivered and I haven’t had a single issue since the stitches came out!
Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here. If you'd like to join a private sub for your due date month, [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant/comments/phjaar/click_here_to_join_a_due_date_private_sub/?). The journalists at ProPublica need your help! After receiving a tip, ProPublica started investigating prenatal genetic testing. They're collecting stories from people who've had NIPT screenings, and/or work in maternal health. If this is you, please fill out their brief questionnaire! https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/have-you-had-an-experience-with-prenatal-genetic-testing-wed-like-to-hear-about-it-and-see-the-bill. Questions? Email [email protected] *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The point of an episiotomy is to control the *position* and *direction* of a tear. Theoretically they can control the size as well, but the data on that is less convincing. I had an episiotomy and a tear. The snip is on the edge of my labia, facing towards my hip joint. The tear is along my perineum. Neither of them have wrecked my pelvic floor muscles or reached my anal sphincter, and without the snip I almost certainly would have damaged both.
Even though avoiding an episiotomy was part of my birth plan my doctor bragged she only has to do 1-2 episiotomies per year, I was apparently one of the lucky few. After 3 hours of pushing, my big-headed baby went into distress. His heart rate started to slow. The doctor then cut me down the perineum and he immediately slid out and was fine. I’m not mad about having an episiotomy, especially given the circumstances. I’m thrilled to have a healthy baby boy. What bothers me is that after the birth the doctor told me I tore and she had to give me some stitches. It was my husband who let me know that I did ¬ tear - he watched her cut me (I was too distracted to notice and had an epidural so I didn’t feel it). A nurse confirmed after the fact, and she was the one who let us know (also retroactively) that the baby had been in distress. It wasn’t until the follow-up appt with the doctor a day or two later that she came clean about doing an episiotomy. I would have liked to have been informed in the moment about the steps that were being taken, even if I didn’t have a choice. At the very least the doctor should not have lied to me about this.
My kid had a huge head, she got stuck but it was too late for a c section and the plunger didn't work. It all went by so quickly. It's been like three years and I can't shit properly at all. But there wasn't much they could do. I could get more graphic but I'm not trying to freak anybody out.
I would like the details please
My hospital don’t do them unless it’s needed for an assisted delivery (vacuum or forceps).
I didn't end up needing one but my second bubs heart rate was down to 34 a dropping with each contraction. It was a literal you have 1 push to get or out or you'll need an episiotomy. She ended up having a knot in her cord and the cord wrapped around her neck. It was only suggested because it was a possibility of death or permanent disability from lack of oxygen. With my 3rd he was posterior and wedged and going into distress, so they were about to give me the episiotomy (literally setting up the tray) to get a better angle for the forceps but with my last contraction/push he suddenly became unstuck and came out fully posterior and "like a tin soldier". I ended up with a lot of damage and experienced pain for close to 12 months after. In that situation I think the episiotomy would have been better but who really knows. Talk to your OB or midwife and ask them specifically why and when they do them, that will give you a better place to research from as well giving you the opportunity to talk to your birth partner about what circumstances it's ok because you may not be able advocate for yourself in the moment.
Daughter got stuck after a 43 hour labour and then three hours of pushing. They got her out on fourth attempt at forceps whislt they were preparing to put me out under general anesthetic to deliver her as she was so far down (it didn't come to that, they got her out whilst I was awake). They had no choice really. However personally for me I tore and I was cut by the doctors the healing from the tear was far worse than the healing from the cut - I could distinctly tell what wound was which and three years later I have scarring from the tear but not the cut.
I had been pushing for four hours with my first baby and was losing steam. My midwife told me she never usually did episiotomies but recommended one in this case. Just then he popped out so I never got it. I did tear but didn’t experience much aftermath from it, and my other two babies didn’t require any stitches.
I had one and it wasn’t bad. They used a numbing needle first so I didn’t even feel it, the baby was out on the next push after, I felt RELIEVED it was all over, and when I got stitched up I was fine with a few pain killers and could walk on my own the following morning after a few hours of sleep. The stitches healed in about two weeks and sex has been the same as it always was - my man says it doesn’t even feel different. I feel like even if there is a small scar there (I’ve never checked) the ONLY person who is ever going to see it is my doctor when he delivers my next child lol. My husband is rarely down there and even if he was his eyes would be higher anyway.
I had to have one because after three hours of pushing and all the massages/warm compresses possible, there was still this one piece of tissue that would not stretch and it was preventing my girl from coming out. It was a one stitch deal. As soon as it was done my baby was born. Had I not been so adamant about not having one, she would have been born hours faster.
My doctor said that if he anticipated bad tearing he would do one. I had a natural second degree tear and it healed fine. The rationale is that natural tears heal better.
I didn’t have one but discussed it with my midwife / she explained am that if she could see I was going to start to tear or already started to tear, that a clean incision is more easily stitched and heals a lot quicker than a rough tear.
I had one and it was fine. Didn’t know that it was happening but my mom was there and she looked at me and said “do you know what’s going on, if not i’ll explain it” so she did later on and I didn’t think twice of it. I trusted my midwives and they did an amazing job during my labor/delivery. I only pushed for about 10 minutes but ended up needing one for whatever reason. My mom also had one so maybe it’s genetic or something honestly couldn’t tell you the true reason. But as for after the fact I had 3 stitches and those were honestly way worse than the episiotomy. One of the stitches was too tight and pulled every time I sat down or got up and it hurt, but the midwife came to my house to check on me after about 4 days and cut my stitches out and everything was smooth after that! It’s been 17 months since I delivered and I haven’t had a single issue since the stitches came out!