![]() ![]() I GIVE ALL MY PATIENTS EPISIOTOMIES HOW TO“Often, patients do better whether they take a class or look at online videos- where they can learn and later incorporate breathing techniques, along with how to push.” She also recommends doing squats and other low impact exercises to strengthen those perineal muscles. ![]() Segura suggests getting acquainted with Lamaze or other birth education resources. Don’t hesitate to change providers if you feel like you can’t do that or that something isn’t right. Remember that your birth plan is a guide for your labor and delivery, not a guarantee of how things will go, but can be a valuable way to openly communicate with your partner and health care provider about your concerns in regard to labor and delivery. If you’re currently pregnant and thinking about your birth plan, consider factoring in your wishes to avoid episiotomy and/or receive perineal support. How to avoid an episiotomyĬommunication, between you and your provider, can go a long way. It’s no wonder ACOG recommends against it’s routine use. Today, episiotomies are not recommended as the first resort for a normal vaginal birth.Īn episiotomy can have intense complications: bleeding, infection, painful sex, and tearing in the rectal tissue and in the anal sphincter that can impact your ability to pass stool. “I was really hoping to avoid tearing, let alone an episiotomy.” Emily’s recovery was tough – sitting was painful, she couldn’t walk normally for about 2 weeks after giving birth, and she was slightly incontinent of both urine and gas – “the latter of which was possibly the worst part.” “They wanted to get her out quickly,” Emily said. While in labor with her daughter, Emily had an episiotomy when the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby’s head and her heart rate began dropping. There are reasons your doctor might decide an episiotomy is necessary - if your baby’s shoulder is stuck behind your pelvic bone (known as shoulder dystocia), your baby’s heartbeat is abnormal (or other situations of fetal distress when the baby isn’t getting enough oxygen), or you need to have a quick surgical delivery, involving suction or forceps. ![]() “Routine use of episiotomy is not beneficial and should be avoided, based on evidence of increased complications with use. They were also believed to prevent dramatic vaginal tearing during birth, as well as preserve the pelvic floor muscles, which can be compromised during labor and delivery.īut, today, they are not recommended as the first resort for a normal vaginal birth: Episiotomies were thought to facilitate an easier labor in cases when the vaginal opening didn’t stretch enough for the baby’s head and body to emerge. Is tearing inevitable? Why are episiotomies still practiced today and how can you avoid one? We talked to experts to get the information you need to make the best decision for you and your baby.ĭuring an episiotomy, an incision is made in the perineum, the tissue between the vagina and the anus. Perhaps more important, the number can vary widely depending on the hospital where you give birth-from under 3% to over 35%! Less common, but still in practice, episiotomy (also called perineotomy) used to be done on the regular.Įven though the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended doing away with the routine practice of episiotomies in 2006, the rate in the US in 2014 was still 12%. Tearing naturally during labor is super common (over 80% of women will experience tearing to some degree). Perhaps you’ve heard about tearing during delivery or even heard the term episiotomy. If you’re pregnant or planning to be pregnant, chances are you’ve heard stories about what might happen to your nether regions during a vaginal birth. ![]()
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