episiotomy - what does it feel like???? scared!!

[tinnedspaghetti]

the thought of being cut down there terrifies me, more than actually pushing the baby out! can anyone tell me honestly what does it feel like? will I feel anything at all? do they use an anaesthetic or something to numb it?
If they do need to cut me, does that mean I won't need a ventouse or forceps? or might they still need to use these? do they hurt?
Please help as am preparing for worst case scenario and trying to take the devil you know approach!

When i had my first child, it took me 9 hours from when i got my first pain, to when he was delivered.

Quite good going for a first.

I had to be cut, a lot!!!!

Didn't feel the cut.

I had to wait for nearly 90 minutes to be stitched.

None of the midwives were able to do it, as it was so bad.

They had to get a surgeon from theatre to do the stitches.

They took him 50 minutes and i had to have gas/air whilst he was doing it.

Doesn't mean this will happen toyou.

I had another baby and had a slight tear that needed 2 stitches.

And another baby that needed no stitches.

Had gas/air for all deliveries.

Hi Tinnedspag. Really don't worry. I had an episiotomy with my mobile epidural (brilliant btw) and ventouse and it didn't bother me at all.

They put in a pain-killing pessary after stitching me so when the epidural wore off I still didn't have any pain. After a few days the stitches tightened up and were a bit sore, but I didn't need any painkillers or ring shaped cushions.

I had quite a fun birth, with stirrups and episiotomy, induction, ventouse, drips, monitoring etc and really, I didn't give a stuff, nothing that happened bothered me at all (including the whole poo thing that everybody stresses about too!) and at the end I got my beautiful DD. I would do it all again in a second. Nothing at all that happened to me would make me worry about having another.

How many weeks pg are you? I found that worse tbh.

my sister described her delivery as a 'bit nippy'. She had an OP baby plus episiotomy and didn't feel the cut. Bloody earth mother ....

TS - have'nt read whole thread just your initial message - you may not need a cut. I actually tore naturally, and did not feel it happen at all.
However I did feel the stitches and shouted at the midwife, who kept on administering local anasthetic unitl I had received the whole bottle (3-4 doses I think).

Stitches are a bit uncomfortable afterwards - BTBH you don't care other than the odd wince as you have a gorgeous little cherub to stare at for hours on end!

If you are really worried talk to your MW

in the vast majority of cases you will not need to have an epesiotomy.

if you do they will give an injection of local aneasthetic and use a scalpol to make a small incision.
with everything else that will be happening i am sure you will not feel anything more than a scratch or slight stinging.

please don't panic. you will be fine, your baby will be delivered with ease and you will be a fab mum.

hi all - with baby number 1, unfortunately, I ended up being induced, with all the downside that comes with it (laying on your back, epidural, episiotomy and ventouse). Sounds cliche, but after seeing baby everything was well worth it!

I would say that if you have an epidural its likely you are going to have an episiotomy, but I did not feel a thing, not even when beeing stitched (which took an hour for me!). Obviously I felt it afterwards, but nothing too unbereable. My great advice would be to have warm baths (sitting down in bath tube I mean) with some drops of TEA TREE OIL in the water. It worked miracles for me, and I did have these "baths" at least 3 times per day.

I am due in one week for number 2, and I already have my TEA TREE OIL.... just in case

No anaesthetic for the cutting- didn't feel a thing.
Local anaesthetic for the stitching - didn't feel a thing.
The recovery afterwards is a bit sore.

Sorry haven't read others' replies, but having had episiotomy first time and tear second time, I didn't feel either, promise. I was also scared about that above all else, and it was completely unnecessary. Good luck! (PS, ventouse first time but couldn't have cared less, as long as they got it out)

Lavendar oil is good to put in the bath to help heal stitches.

Also tried sea salt.

hi tinned spaghetti, missybabee here. please do not worry about this. i can empathise as it was a MAJOR worry of mine. i remember bringing this up at the antenatal classes. they recommended doing perennial stretching. personally, i found that a bit too much, made me feel sick! a friend of mine swore by it though so perhaps it works.

during delivery i was panicking and saying to the midwives - i know you're going to end up cutting me! and they said, no, we don't need to. well, i tore anyway but can't say i knew i was tearing. obviously there is pain when you push out and this is part of it; a burning sensation i guess. as for the stitching up, the lady was fantastic. took about 10 mins, under local anaesthetic. didn't feel a thing.

so, please please don't lose sleep over this. they don't go into it much in books perhaps because it's not worth worrying about.

when are you due?

I meant to mention, I thought that it was a really common part of childbirth but the midwife taking our antenatal class said that only about 15%of there first time mums had to have a episiotomy - I thought it was much higher, this put my mind at rest a bit. My sister has had three children the largest of which was nearly 9.5lbs and she has never even torn, some people have all the luck, maybe you'll be one of them. xx

I was scared to death of the idea as well. I think it may have been my brain trying to divert me from the fears of the actual childbirth, when I now look back on it.
I didn't feel it at all. The feel of the stitches was perculiar rather than painfull. Someone said when they saw my face and the way I carefully tried to lower myself onto a chair "feels like you're sitting on a pin cushion". But really it was more of a pulling sensation and the feeling that something was different than any real pain.
The joy of motherhood tends to glaze over those first few days anyway and not much matters except when you are next going to cuddle that little bundle (and in the back of your mind, when you are going to get to catch up on all that sleep).

I was scared to death of the idea as well. I think it may have been my brain trying to divert me from the fears of the actual childbirth, when I now look back on it.
I didn't feel it at all. The feel of the stitches was perculiar rather than painfull. Someone said when they saw my face and the way I carefully tried to lower myself onto a chair "feels like you're sitting on a pin cushion". But really it was more of a pulling sensation and the feeling that something was different than any real pain.
The joy of motherhood tends to glaze over those first few days anyway and not much matters except when you are next going to cuddle that little bundle (and in the back of your mind, when you are going to get to catch up on all that sleep).

I had an epi with my second baby as he got a bit stuck and had to be delivered by ventouse. I'd already had an epidural so the consultant wasn't going to give me any local but my husband and I both demanded that he gave me a local! He did and I didn't feel the cut at all - the only thing I felt was the local injection he gave me internally for stitching me up afterwards (I had lesions inside too)but that was only a bit like a bee sting for a few secs. There was a lot of bruising for a couple of weeks afterwards but that was because of the ventouse. After I gave birth, and once I finished my relaxing warm bath, I peed in it and it was fine. No pain at all. The thought of an epi is always worse I think.

You will not feel it. Don't forget that the area is naturally built to tear and then heal as quickly as possible. I had a 2nd degree and did not feel a thing. You do not need any of the fancy mixes or frozen vegetables in most cases. Just drink LOTS OF WATER. While helping constipation, it also helps reduce the urea % in your pee. Mine did not burn or hurt and healed before I knew it. Do not focus on things that you have no control over, think about your baby and those tiny hands and feet

really good point eiza - it's designed to tear and heal. i had never thought of it that way before.

I didn't feel it, but then I had had an epidural. Everyone told me it would sting when I went to the loo, but it didn't.

by the time they needed to cut i really didn,t give a stuff

If you go for a home birth you're much less likely to be given an episiotomy. They used to be routine but research has shown that in most cases they're not necessary as even if you tear it usually heals better than a straight cut (a bit like a paper cut I suppose). You should tell your midwife and make sure it says in your notes if you don't want one. It's also worth doing perineal massage in the weeks leading up to the delivery.

I had 3 and never felt a one

Hi, I've not read all the entries but I think everyone is saying the same thing. If you need an episiotomy at that point you don't care about it. I had to have one as my son got stuck I'd had an epidural but it had worn off. The aneathetist topped it up but they said there wouldn't be time for that to work so they gave me a local. I didn't feel the cut, although I did feel my son come out. I was stitched up straight away which again I couldn't feel. I didn't have very much discomfort afterwards at all. It stung the first time I went for a wee but that was more from where they'd removed the catheter than the episiotomy. I was worried the first time I had to do a poo but I was advised to hold a sanitary towel against the wound when going and again I had no problems. Just wanted to tell you this so that you knew that even if you do have to have one you might not be in as much discomfort afterwards as you think.

I had to have one as baby came out rather like superman with one hand over her head! I had a third degree tear as well and has to have my stitches in theatre. Epi didn't hurt as they gave me a local and neither did the stitching as I had a spinal block in theatre which was fantastic! Once you've got the baby in your arms you don't really care about anything else.

just to add my two pennorth: I gave birth 10 days ago for the first time, didn't tear, and I really do put it down to perineal massage (you basically spend 10-15 minutes a day stretching your bits as if practising for the baby's head to go through, using oil). It felt HORRIBLE doing it, and I felt really grumpy doing it (apart from the issues of trying to reach while preg), but it does seem to have worked! During the delivery I also shouted to DH to get my clarins oil and ask the doctor to smear it on the perineum, and that might have helped too .

so give p massage a try and it might just keep things intact, although to be honest I think the position of the baby is more important, and that really is the luck of the draw.... I'm sure you'll be fine!

I was induced and so needed an epidural, episiotomy then ventouse with my DS. I dont remember anything about the cut.....really didnt give a stuff by that point......but i was numb anyway from the epi. The stitching bit didn't hurt either....just felt a bit of pulling. Afterwards the soreness was quite bad, and the fear of opening your bowels for the first time!! Definately try to eat a lot of fruit to make the first few poos easier (sorry...gross)! and the salt water thing good too. You can try sitting on the loo and pouring a a jug of warm saltwater over the area. A rubber ring would be worth a go....I wish I'd had one!!