To think that maybe having an episiotomy may actually be preferable to being streeeeeeeeeetched beyond all recognition

[CurryMaid]

I had a pretty traumatic forceps delivery of a large, stuck baby with complimentary episiotomy.

I always thought the episiotomy was truly the work of the devil - it made me feel hideously violated.

However, reading another thread has made me think that perhaps it prevented all kinds of other fanjo damage, and that them doing it that way might actually be preferable to having your bits stretched out of all proportion.

I have to say that my pelvic floor remains pretty intact and I'm not sure if the episiotomy may actually have helped with this.

I've got nothing to compare it with but I had a 2nd degree tear and I was really surprised when they told me I needed stitching up afterwards. They did give me a local but I didn't feel it cos my bits were so ruined it was all numb . There was one worrying point, I had a complicated tear and the doc said to the midwife 'where do you think this bit goes?' but since I was completely off my face on gas and air (and all loved up with my new daughter) I just pointed at hubby and said 'ask him, he's seen it' . I think they were glad to see the back of me.

sweetnitanitro

I had a tear, too, and the dr commented his assistant had done a lovely 'bit of embroidery' on me afterwards

It all works just fine, now. She obviously had a talent with the needle!

CurryMaid - Thank you it was a very positive and bizarrely healing experience to be so relaxed and being in the same hospital but not in pain and enjoying first days of baby (which I completely missed with dd).

I can tell that you gals have probbly been birthin' forever,
And the pain in your rears dont mean nothin' to you, they're just piles
I dont want to talk about it, how I tore my vag
But if you read here just a little bit longer,
If you read here I will list them-the deliveries that I've had, whoa, my sore vag

My first babe weighed in at six pounds and nine ounces
The second, 7-11, like the convenience store only-it wasn't
The third, he weighed in, as a whopping ten plus pounder
I dont want to talk about it, how he tore my vag
Seems resonable to me that episiotomy
might just be the way to go
If babes heads are gettin' larger due to increased maternal nutrition
And I'd like to see the stats on that
Just about anything would work for me that turned the convo from how I tore my vag

isenhart, that's like a poem or song.

"The Battered Fanjo Blues"

whoa...my vag
forgot that part {blush]
the ending
probably why
you didn't hear
Rod Stewart

forgot that part s/b
also forgot to sign in as myself
after offering to proof someone's dissertation work
lest anyone suspect that I have more or less facilty with languages than I actually do!

AH, I can see it now!

Actually I thought it All Your Own Work, not a tribute, which is more impressive, I think.

I was in total shock after my imo unnecessary epi. It sounded like poultry shears. (my DH agrees btw.
)I can still hear it now. 10 weeks to heal, the stiches burst

Midwife - "oh no they havent, erm oh well right I see they have actually"

Took me a long time to consider sex and even then 4 months later it hurt like crazy. I now have a squint fanjo too.

dd2 no bloody epi slight graze feeling great after. I would never ever let someone cut me again/.

TBH the piles that resulted from 1.5 hours of fruitless pushing hurt more than my epi stitches.

so no, YANBU.

Did lulumama go off with the Moldies? This is her sort of thread to say something authoritative on.

I thought that I read that routine episiotomy was NOT proven to prevent tearing, except when Forceps/ventouse were involved.

Perhaps lulu is busy atm

I know nothing of Lulamama's personal life, sorry if I'm not in the know about her... whatever distractions!! Just thought it would be nice for her to comment .

WHY did I click on this thread, why? why?

la la la la la

you really should have an episiotomy for an instrumental delivery.. more things need to up there, need to make more room ..

two schools of though re episiotomy

one that it is far better to do a mediolateral episiotomy to keep the danger of tearing through the the anus at a minimum and that an epi is more controlled than tearing

otehr shcool of thought is that tearing is better as once the skin is cut, a bigger tear is more likely.

pelvic floor is not just compromised by delivery but by the pregnancy too

some women are much more affected than oterhs.

lots of MWs i have met adn worked alongside have done tiny numbers of episiotomies, ( not including where there is instrumental delviery.. ) tearing seen as preferable and less deep. and of course , not everyone tears or needs to be cut.

also, a lot can depend on who stitches you and how they stitch you

so many variables that is impoissible to say what is bettr but i do feel that routine episiotomy , 'jsut in case' is a bad thing.

and i;m not an authority, really , i;m not, but thank you x

Whoever did my stitching didn't do a great job. Smear tests were horrible beforehand, but apparently the stitching's made my cervix even more inaccessible and now it's hell on earth.

I must say that the pain following my episiotomy was truly nothing compared with a) early labour and b) breastfeeding.

Lulu - what's with the name!

it is a reference to the lelli kelly thread the shoes look like unicorn vomit or like a unicorn had vomited on them.i forget which

As I understand it Epis are done as a last resort if it looks as though Mum may tear badly. They aim to direct the tear away from the bowel (apologies for TMI). They don't prevent stretching of the perineum & have little or no impact upon the pelvic floor as at the point they're needed the pelvic floor has already done the bulk of it's work. But yes, they do use scissors, and a local anaesthetic should be offered as standard for both epi's and stitching after a tear.

I'm so glad I saw this thread. I have been meaning to start a thread about fanjo scars for a while.

I had an epi with DD, and then tore (on the other side) with DS - now 2. The scar from the tear is bumpy - I think the consultant caught bits in between the stitches (or so mw said). Even now it is painful and itchy on a daily basis.

Like others have said, having read other posts on MN, I know that I am relatively very lucky.

Does anyone know if anything can be done about it? I have been rubbing bio oil on the scar for a while, but it doesn't really make any difference.

Part of me would like to go for a bit of remodelling - get the bumps removed and (tmi) a bit of excess skin removed. But the thought of more pain . . . .[cringe]

I hate the idea of discussing it with my GP.

The Year of the Cat - Don't be embarrassed, do it! Such operations are far more common then you think. They'll put plenty of local in during the op, so you should feel comfortable afterwards.

I totally refused an episiotomy every time - and had dh primed to refuse fo rme if they insisted!

Dd1 (now 9) was a mahoooosive 9lb12, OP, Stargazer (face to pubes) and we did a ventouse delivery with a 2nd degree tear.

Ds (now 7) was smaller - just 9lb3 and I hd a tiny tear down the same line - a couple of stitches was all it took

Dd2 (now 5) was teeny in comparison - just 7lb15, but came out so fast I ended up with a 3rd degree - had to go to theatre for stitching but LOADS of gas adn air meant there was no spinal etc .......

Now, with a load of Pelvic floor exercises (I am really religious about them!!!) I feel like my poor ravaged fanjo is back to as near normal as it will ever get. DH isn't complaining. so I suppose I should count my blessings

yearofthecat.. another MNer with a bumpy scar had cortisone injections which were quite succesful