What is an Episiotomy?
Episiotomy is a surgical cut made in the perineal area during birth. The purpose is to expand the area of the vaginal opening so your baby can easily pass through it without causing further damage in the region.
The idea behind episiotomy is to give a controlled incision in the perineum to prevent larger tears that may occur during natural birth. However, it is not always necessary.
When Is An Episiotomy Required?
While routine episiotomies are no longer done, they may still be needed in some cases. These include:
- First pregnancy
- The baby’s head is large
- An instrument or vacuum needs to be used
- The baby shows signs of distress on monitoring and needs to be delivered quickly
- Mother is exhausted and can’t push effectively
How Is It Done?
Your health provider will instill a local anesthetic where the cut will be made. Then once your baby’s head is at the vaginal opening (crowning), your health provider makes the incision using episiotomy scissors. Once your baby and the placenta are delivered, the cut is stitched back using absorbable sutures.
What Are The Risks?
Like any tear in your body, an episiotomy carries risks as well. These include:
- Excess bleeding
- Infection
- Pain afterwards
- Scarring
- Unintended injury to surrounding tissue
We normally don’t perform episiotomies at the birth center unless it’s a needed emergency. According to the latest research, naturally tearing might just be better for the mother since episiotomy doesn’t help control side effects like urinary incontinence and may cause the cut to extend further than it would have naturally.
Interested in learning more about your options for natural birth? Give us a call or stop by for a tour!