refusing episiotomy

[violet59]

Unless the baby is in distress, can you refuse an episiotomy to 'prevent tearing' I'd rather take my chances as I've read they cause more pain when healing, increase risk of extending and causing 3rd/4th degree tears. Plus its a guaranteed injury needing stitches whereas you might get lucky and tear much less or not at all. Makes me think 'I'll push you down the stairs myself, to prevent you to falling on your own' is silly logic. Plus, psychologically, having my vagina cut is pretty harrowing! Baby causing tearing is somehow more acceptable

Do they ask/tell you before doing it? Maybe they do only do it when baby is distress (in which case its OK!)? I don't want to be cut just so its over quicker so the staff can go on their merry way! Tell me they don't do that!

Cote - you just making it up as you go along & have no idea what you're talking about. Zombie is right about the legal position. A medical procedure, performed without informed consent, is assault.

Perhaps someone performed a lobotomy on you without your consent...that's the only explanation I can give for weird posts. Good luck to you.

I take it Cote and Zombie* have never heard the term birth rape I personally as A survivor of rape and a procedure that many women describe as birth rape (performed while I begged for it tobe stopped) find the term insulting and upsetting if you google the term you will find many women who call forced medical procedure Rape infact there have even been discussions on here in which people saying the term was wrong have been called heartless bitches.

How has a thread about episiotomy come to being about rape and assault?!

Reikizen - I'm really interested in your post. I'm surprised that what happened in my labour is so rare i.e. having an epis but not an instrumental delivery. I just assumed being cut was quite common practice if the lady was having difficulty pushing the baby out.