During childbirth, a doctor may make a small incision to increase the width of the opening. Sometimes, this is medically necessary due to the size of the baby or difficulties during pregnancy.
An episiotomy is a fairly straightforward and simple procedure that can significantly decrease the complications that can occur during pregnancy. No one can predict how smoothly or how complex a pregnancy will be, so while doctors may advise patients that an episiotomy is possible, they won’t know until childbirth whether it will be necessary.
Sometimes, a tear happens naturally because the baby is positioned poorly or is a little too large for the opening. This doesn’t happen often, and typically a doctor will advise having an episiotomy when a tear is expected. If there is a risk that tearing will occur, then an episiotomy may be performed strategically to get out ahead of the tearing and control the damage done. Let’s look at a few benefits of the episiotomy so that you can decide if it might be a good choice when you are presented with the option.
Prevents Unnecessary Tearing
An episiotomy is a cut or incision. It will do damage, but it is a surgical cut that causes minimal pain and disruption. It can be sewn back up much easier than a natural tear would be. The incision can be kept straight so as to ensure a quick and easy fix later on.
On pkwomensclinic.com, you can schedule an appointment to talk to a gynaecologist about your options during childbirth and discuss what an episiotomy will entail.
The incision is the way to go if you want to avoid any unnecessary tearing. The incision can be made just long enough to allow the baby out, unlike tearing which could make a much larger rip. The incision is easier to repair, easier to control and often results in less pain and less blood loss. Compared to the natural method and the risks involved, it seems a much safer bet.
Of course, that all depends on the risk of a tear actually occurring. Some mothers won’t go for the episiotomy because they think there is a chance they will not tear during childbirth.
Heals Faster
If the incision is less painful and straighter and often smaller than a natural tear, then it will be easier to repair. That also means that it will heal much quicker than a tear would. Many women prefer the episiotomy to a natural, unassisted birth because they don’t want to deal with a such along recovery time.
The episiotomy will give them a chance to recover faster, so they will not have to spend so long living in fear of the next time they have to urinate following the birth. Either way, the cut will be painful while it is healing, but at least with the incision it will be less so.
Controlled Cut
An incision can be controlled, as we already mentioned, and part of the benefit of that is that the direction of the cut can be controlled. The incision can be made in such a way as to prevent unnecessary damage to sensitive nerves and other tissue that might not heal very well.
That’s important, since a natural tear can cause damage that could have been prevented. Some kinds of tears can be more severe than others in this sensitive area because of the angle of the tear. It’s better to control the direction and angle of the tear so at to keep the damage to a minimum, and this is one of the key benefits that you get with an episiotomy.
Eases the Pushing Phase
One of the hardest things a woman will ever do is push a baby out of her womb. This process could go for a long time. Some women spend an entire day in labor, and none of that time is pleasant. It’s reasonable then to look for a way to cut down that pushing time and simply make space for the baby to come out.
Rather than wait for the opening to dilate enough, the doctor can make a small incision and let the baby out faster. It’s easy to see how appealing and how beneficial that can be for the mother during childbirth.
