And is it worth agreeing to an operation during childbirth.
The fact that natural childbirth is not a pleasant process, I, of course, suspected. But now that they can end with stitches on the crotch, I learned already, being pregnant. The terrible word “episiotomy” was first heard in courses for expectant mothers.
The obstetrician-gynecologist explained: if during the attempts the doctor sees that the baby’s head is too big for the birth canal, he suggests making an incision in the perineum. Keyword: offers. The doctor should do an episiotomy only with the consent of the woman. So if you don’t want to be cut, tell me about it.
Another thing is that doctors are convincing. The paints will write about the terrible perineal tears that can happen if you do not make an episiotomy. It may or may not happen, but doctors often cut just to be on the safe side. And their argument is this: incisions heal better than tears, and the stitches, thanks to the smooth edges of the wound, are much more accurate.
Pregnant women are impressionable. Hearing at the lecture about stitches, everyone began to lament about the appearance of their “flower” (yes, and among expectant mothers there are those who blush to call organs by their proper names). Say, sex is under threat, and how do you show your husband later.
– Do not want tears, do a perineal massage, – advised the gynecologist during the course. – It is better to start from the 34th week of pregnancy. Massage with oil for 5-10 minutes. The fabrics will become softer and more elastic.
I wrote down all these tips in detail in a notebook and … immediately forgot. Looks like she put too much hope in her crotch. Like, come on, dear, we can handle it without massages.
And when the “X” moment came, the doctor announced: it is necessary to cut.
– Just a little bit, – the gynecologist assured.
And so you know, during labor, the last thing I thought about was what my crotch would look like with stitches. I wanted to finish the process of childbirth as soon as possible, and if the episiotomy helps with this, go ahead, doc! I agree!
They cut without anesthesia, but I did not feel pain. Rather, I felt, but not from the cuts, but from the fact that there was a person inside me who was making his way out. Then they explained to me that during the pushing, the muscles in that area are so stretched that the blood flow stops in them, and there is no pain.
But they sewed up with anesthesia – the days when women were “darn” profit are gone. The doctor gave a couple of injections with painkillers – a mere trifle against the background of the fact that a man got out of me a couple of minutes ago.
By the way, this man – my tiny son – was lying on my chest at that moment, but because it was happening there below the waist, I was no longer interested. The stitches were reminded already in the postpartum ward, when the nurse handed over a bottle of icy water.
“Hold it between your legs,” she said. – After using the toilet, wash yourself and don’t try to sit.
But I could not hold the ice bottle between my legs for a long time – I fell asleep after a hard night of work. The next day I risked touching the seam with my hand, and it was really scary. Everything was swollen and somewhat lumpy. I was afraid to look in the mirror. She ventured only on the third day and almost burst into tears. It was some kind of mess …
In general, the stitches did not hurt, but when I got up or lay down, they made themselves felt. I had to squirm on my outer thigh to lie on the bed. It seemed that even mothers after cesarean felt more cheerful.
From the hospital I rode in the back seat reclining. It hurt for another week and a half. After a month and a half, the wound healed, the stitches resolved and, of course, everything looked much more aesthetically pleasing than in the first days after childbirth. Still, the appearance left much to be desired. It seemed that they made a too large incision, forgetting to sew it up properly, and now it was as if all the organs were out.
– Normally you were sewn up. Give the body time to recover, – the gynecologist soothed at the reception when I started talking about intimate plastic surgery.
The doctor did not deceive. Time passed, and everything became as before. Not that I had before and after photos, so take my word for it. And by the way, for those who are worried, the incision scar will disappear without a trace.
By the way
Episiotomy isn’t just done to avoid tearing. There are other indications for surgery, such as premature birth, breech presentation and fetal hypoxia.