Health Blurbs

Your perineum is that space between your vagina and anus.  During childbirth, it stretches to make room for the delivery of your child’s head and shoulders.

Sometimes, the perineum will tear during the birthing process. Perineal tears enlarge your opening for an easier parturition.

In the event that perineum tears are likely to be extensive or your baby is positioned abnormally or delivery needs to happen quickly, then an episiotomy can be anticipated. An episiotomy is simply cutting two surgical incisions into your perineum to enlarge your vaginal opening.

After your baby and its placenta have totally emerged into the world, then your episiotomy or any substantial perineal tears are stitched up.

Irrespective of whether you come away from your birthing episode with an episiotomy or perineum tear, any wound to this area is painful and a healing challenge.  Some health issues you may encounter during your recovery include:

• swelling
• bruising
• bleeding
• infection
• hematoma
• intercourse pain
• urination difficulty
• urination causes pain

Small hematomas typically resolve without treatment. Painfully large ones may need to be drained.

An episiotomy or perineal tear wound may hurt for a couple of weeks, especially with walking or sitting. Tenderness may last longer under serious tearing circumstances.

These perineal tears and episiotomies home care recommendations might help ease your healing pain:

• take warm bath for pain
• Kegel exercises lessen perineal pain
• sitz bath after every bowel movement
• gently pat perineum dry after urination
• take acetaminophen, ibuprofen for pain
• use a doughnut cushion when sitting or lying down
• never use tampons until after wound healing is complete
• squirt warm water over open wound perineum during urination

Sitz bath care means sitting in shallow water.

For a couple of days following childbirth, care recommendation is for a cool sitz bath to stem swelling. Afterwards, switch bath care to warm water because it aides in inflammation reduction.

Contact your health care person ASAP if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• high fever
• burning urination
• frequent urination
• nausea & vomiting
• heavy vaginal bleeding
• blistering, herpes outbreak
• foul smelling vaginal discharge
• urination urge with little outcome
• passing gas, stool through vagina
• severe pain in perineum, pelvis, lower abdomen

Slight episiotomy or perineum tear bleeding can be expected.

An episiotomy was once routine, but no longer.  Some physicians continue to advise the procedure because its believed to heal with less problems, easier to repair than multiple perineal tears and tightens your vagina. However, the downside to health is that some report prolonged pain with intercourse due to the incision.

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