2006-11-06 08:32:36 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
OMG! No! NO! NO WAY! I don't know how many ways I can say this.
An episiotomy is very rarely needed. It may be needed if they use forceps or a vacuum extractor. I have also heard professional horse back riders sometimes need one. Other than that NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WAY! There is only one reasonable response to someone getting near your vagina with a knife or a pair of scissors: Beat the snot out of them!
Tears heal better than cuts. Cuts just lead to more and deeper tears. Take a piece of cloth and stretch it really hard, try to tear it. See how much force it takes. Make a 1" cut in the cloth then try to tear it, see how much easier it is. That is what your vagina is like (sorta).
(Baby is up, will try to find some links later)
2006-11-06 08:37:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
No- most people don't need them. When you interview a doctor ask for his/her episiotomy rate in first-time moms. It should be lower than 10% (preferably much lower). Tearing is actually better than an episiotomy, though plenty of first time moms don't tear even without an episiotomy.
I recommend reading the Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth.
2006-11-06 08:53:34 · answer #2 · answered by AerynneC 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have had four children and only one episiotomy, which was because of fetal distress. I was not even sore after the last one. You need to do prenatal pereneal massage which will stretch the pereneum and help prevent tears. Also you need to choose a doctor which does not do routine episiotomies. A lot of doctors here in Indiana do them routinely.
2006-11-06 08:40:41 · answer #3 · answered by pennypincher 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, I had a child 20 months ago and because there was no tearing I did not require an episiotomy!!
2006-11-06 08:36:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Oh good God no! And I would *RUN* from any doctor who told you otherwise!!!!!
Actually, it's better to tear than be cut. A tear is likely to be less severe (skin only) while a cut is certain to involve both skin and muscle. A tear is only a possibility, while a cut is a certainty. A tear will heal better and, although it takes longer to sew up, it will end up closer to how things were to begin with. (Think of putting a puzzle with straight sides together vrs. putting together unique puzzle pieces.) A cut may extend farther into a tear since you have weakened the perineum. (Think of trying to tear a piece of fabric. Difficult if it is intact. If you cut a small slit in the fabric and try to tear it, then it will rip easily.)
Talk to your caregiver about how to avoid a tear or a cut. Use warm compresses on your perineum in labor or labor in warm water. Have your caregiver support your perineum during pushing. Do perineal massage in your final weeks of PG. DO NOT push flat on your back. Squatting is a good pushing position as it opens you up wider.
Do not consent to an episiotomy unless there is fetal/maternal distress.
I've had three babies -
tore with my first - healed well
birthed baby #2 and baby #3 over an intact perineum
baby #3 was the biggest at 8 lbs even
(and I weigh less than 100 lbs when not PG)
2006-11-06 09:02:21 · answer #5 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
not everyone...i have had some friends who doctors would let them tear instead of the episiotomy...tearing hurts worse and heals not as well as a cut performed by the doctor...my OB cut me from the vagina all the way to my butt....this is because i was having a horrible time getting my son out...i think my bottom hurt badly for about 2 weeks, but thats what the make those SITZ buckets for....
2006-11-06 08:36:38 · answer #6 · answered by sherichance79 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋
No, not everyone does. Hope these help to further answer your question.
http://www.birthpsychology.com/messages/episiotomy/episiotomy.html
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/childbirth/165.html
http://www.childbirth.org/articles/epis.html
2006-11-06 08:36:02 · answer #7 · answered by parsonsel 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No... if u deliver by C-section of course u dont need an episiotomy... if u deliver by normal spontaneous vaginal delivery it still depends on how big the baby will be...
2006-11-06 08:34:56 · answer #8 · answered by seXy 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
No, only if the doctor thinks you are going to tear. A surgical cut is easier to heal than a tear. If you have an epidural, you won't really feel it when the doctor does it.
2006-11-06 08:41:45 · answer #9 · answered by SNT76 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
nope, a lot of women don't. it's kind of an archaic procedure since so many women are doing natural and home births now, too.
2006-11-06 08:34:23 · answer #10 · answered by Luvitall 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋