Episiotomy: what it is and main care to take

Episiotomy is a relatively common medical-surgical procedure in hospital births and in Portugal the number of these interventions is above the European average.

The World Health Organization, however, does not advocate the practice of this technique as routine and has been warning of its inappropriate use.

What is

Episiotomy is an incision made in the perineum (muscle area between the vagina and anus), with the objective of widening the vaginal canal.

After expulsion of the baby, the cut is sutured with stitches that fall on their own.

The decision to have an episiotomy is made by the medical team accompanying the labor, but it is important that the future mom discuss this with the accompanying doctor to discuss whether or not she needs it and what to do at the time of delivery. childbirth. Even defining a birth plan with your attending physician can prevent communication failures at the time of delivery.

Caring

There are some precautions you should take postpartum to facilitate suture healing and prevent possible infections:

– avoid making efforts;

– not having sex until the evaluation consultation, to ensure that your body has recovered from the intervention;

– maintain good genital hygiene by washing and drying the suture area well and changing the sanitary towels frequently;

– Do not wear tight clothing and prefer cotton underwear.

Although, when performing the episiotomy, the woman may not feel pain, since it is performed under local anesthesia, postpartum the genital region is very sensitive, which can create some pain and discomfort in this area.

To alleviate this discomfort, you may have to use cold compresses or ice, wrapped in a cloth, every 8 hours or taking paracetamol with proper medical authorization.

When you are comfortable it is also important to do some exercises that contribute to strengthening the perineum. Have you heard of Kegel exercises?

Soon we will give you more information about these exercises.

With love, BBme by Joana Teles