Episiotomy is an incision made in the muscle area between the vagina and anus during a normal delivery to facilitate the baby’s departure. In general, a woman does not feel pain at the time of the episiotomy because she is anesthetized, but it is normal to feel pain and discomfort around the episiotomy within the first 2 to 3 weeks after delivery. Understand when an episiotomy is needed and what the risks are.
- The stitches used in the episiotomy are usually absorbed by the body or fall naturally.
- It is not necessary to return to the hospital to remove them and the area returns to normal once healing is completed.
To avoid infection in the episiotomy region, you should
It is very important that the woman is alert to signs of episiotomy infection, such as redness, swelling, release of pus or fluid from the wound, and in these cases, consult the obstetrician who gave birth to the child or immediately goes to the emergency room.
To relieve pain and discomfort caused by episiotomy, you should:
If the pain in the area of the episiotomy is very severe, your doctor may prescribe pain relievers such as acetaminophen or anesthetic ointments to relieve pain and discomfort, which should only be used on medical advice.
Intimate contact can usually resume about 4 to 6 weeks after delivery, however, it is normal for the woman to experience pain or discomfort, however, if the pain is very severe, the woman should interrupt intimate contact and consult a gynecologist.
To speed healing of the area that has undergone the episiotomy, it should be avoided to wear tight clothing, so that the skin can breathe around the episiotomy and accelerate healing and exercise Kegel, as they increase blood flow in the area, helping to accelerate healing. Learn how to do these exercises.
In addition, your doctor may also recommend the application of specific ointments that help healing, which may have hormones in the composition, antibiotics or enzymes that promote healing, for example.