I recently delivered at a major London hospital. Induction, long labour, baby's heart rate dipped, wound up in theatre for forceps delivery. I'm grateful that I was delivered of a healthy baby. However the episiotomy performed started at the three o'clock position, rather than the six o'clock position (if that makes sense) and the cut sheared through my right labia, stopping just short of severing it completely and then turned out away from the vaginal opening at the six o'clock position. This didn't become obvious until days after delivery when the hematoma that had formed under the stitches caused them to burst and the labia detached and was left hanging off by a thread of skin. I have just undergone revision surgery to put it all back together and am far from thrilled with the results though I was warned that they might just have to cut it off rather than reattach it so I suppose I should be grateful. I get that childbirth is not for the fainthearted and I didn't expect to come through it completely unscathed but I am angry and do not believe that this is normal - for a start the internet (which knows everything) seems to say nothing of having your labia detached during childbirth. I would like the doctor to stop offering what I feel are arse covering platitudes and admit that she made a simple mistake. She said in my follow up meeting that 'no one has complained about me before' and 'this is how I perform all episiotomies'. I'd like a sanity check, am I overreacting in making a complaint to the GMC - I'm not into bashing the medical profession for no reason. I doubt very much it is her usual practice but in that case I'd like her to admit that and just say sorry - I was rushing to get your baby out - or I just plain started the cut too high, don't know why but oops I'll try not to do that to anyone else - or if she really does do this routinely then to be retrained?