do they always numb you before epistomony?

[catftm]

I have been writing my birth plan.and trying to decide whether i put i would prefer to be cut than tear Last birth i had a ventouse delivery so had aneasthetic and cut. I was wondering if you look like your going to tear do they numb you before the cut. If you tear i assume you dont get numnbed so which is better? My epistomony was pretty uncomfortable after the birth after although it healed well.

Any thoughts/knowledge on this ? Thanks

You can't feel it when you tear, they won't numb you for either as there's no time.

the midwife just took the sissors to me but it was urgent, there was no time for aneasthetic, i will never forgot the feeling!

oh my god clayre that sounds horrendous! I dont knwo what to put now!!

I had an epidural so couldn't feel anythin anyway

There you go, ask for an epidural.

I tore, I couldn't feel it though, honest

I didn't feel the episiotomy both times (1st time was also a 3rd degree tear). I did have anaesthetic for the stitching though.

I had an episiotomy with DS and didn't feel it, just had gas and air, the sound will never leave me though! Got numbed for the stitches afterwards

didn't have anaesthetic for epis,didn't notice. they cut during a contraction I think. did have anaesthetic for the sewing up afterwards though! I'm not sure they can tell really if you are going to tear or not, and then do epi? best ask mw I spose. fwiw, I didn't tear with next birth

It is your basic human right (so says Dr Miriam Stoppard) to ask for anesthesia before an episiotomy so don't just write it on the birth plan, make sure your partner tells them too and you also before they do it. Make sure it's on the notes in big red pen so they see it.
Nobody should need to be cut, unless dire emergency, without being numb first.
For DS, they were going to cut me without, saying I would be still numb from epidural. But I screamed , "I can bloody well feel everything so yes, I will be having pain relief thank you very much!!!"

I had a local anaesthetic for epis, but it had worn off by the time I was stitched up - ouch! Think I'd have preferred it the other way round to be honest, since I was a bit pre-occupied at the time they did the epis and probably wouldn't have noticed the extra pain!!!

The surgeon who stiched me up said that the pain I would get from the needle for internal pain relief would be worse than the stitching itself so I only opted for external pain relife for stitches.

I tore with all 3 of mine (one was a 3rd degree tear) and didn't feel any of them. I don't expect an epi would be any different?

With all the other pain that was going on, I honestly don't think I would have noticed a bit extra, and I honestly can't remember at this point whether I was anesthetised each time or not. I had 4 episiotomies (as far as I remember) but for DC5 I had the MW stretch me with warm oil instead and tore a little. You really don't remember much of the pain of childbirth, hence the existence of second and subsequent children.

I had no pain relief for my episiotomy/stitches with DC1 and it was miles worse than the pain of childbirth. Just awful.

for DC2, I tore a bit naturally and didn't feel a thing. Had local anaesthetic for the stitches.

They got the scissors out to do an epis with no LA as wasn't time. I remember screaming and thinking "this is mediaeval"

I tore but didn't feel it with DS. They alledge that they numbed me before the stitches but I could bloody feel everything and I think they lied. Had to go in for repairs after. Next time I'm taking a mirror in because if they leave me like that again I'm going to sue them

I just remember looking down and thinking, God! You're not just going to cut me with those scissors without any kind of numbing are you? ... Oh OK, you are.

I think in reality, there might not be time to give a local anaesthetic despite what's written in birth plans etc. This freaked me out a bit when I attended several births for my med school placement- e.g. where there is shoulder dystocia and everything is so rushed. I remember thinking surely they could inject some local anaesth? am hoping that there absolutely was no time for it, as I found it all a bit shocking.

Also, women with an epidural were not necessarily 'covered' as they tend to reduce it in the final pushing stage so the women can know when to push by feeling the contractions more.
I was shocked the post-birth stitching part seemed as much if not more traumatic as there didn't seem to be enough pain relief- or the doctor/midwife didn't notice the woman was in pain til nearly the end of it. I think the onus is one the person doing the stiches to make sure the woman is in as little pain as possible, they are exhausted by that stage & sometimes literally don't have the strength to ask.

I've written lots, sorry I can't add anything more positive- I did enjoy my obs-gyn placement but came away from it more scared of giving birth one day!

i could actually feel the scissors quite clearly, had had no pain relief, but in the light of the other pain, they didn't feel too bad (and were over a lot quicker)
given that DSs heart rate was so low if they'd said they were going to do a section without anaesthetic i probably wouldn't have cared much
it wasnt' exactly nice but in the whole birth saga it wasn't the worst bit by any means - although i'd got on my birth plan that an episitomy was what frightened me most...