The episiotomy wound still hurts after half a month

The episiotomy operation is mainly performed on women who give birth naturally, because some women's vagina is too narrow and they need an episiotomy. After an episiotomy, mothers should pay attention to the recovery and maintenance of their wounds, because some mothers fail to pay attention, which causes inflammation of the wound and leads to serious consequences. Generally, the pain will stop within a week after the episiotomy, but some women still feel pain after half a month. Is this normal?

Why does it still hurt half a month after giving birth?

The perineum will only be cut during normal delivery, leaving a wound. The vulva will be slightly edematous after delivery, which will gradually subside within 2-3 days after delivery. Because the perineum has rich circulation, any slight tear in the perineum or the perineal incision can heal within 3-5 days after suture. After healing, there may be local pain in the perineal wound. As the incision healing time increases, the pain of the postpartum episiotomy wound will gradually improve.

Does a normal birth require an episiotomy?

Episiotomy during normal delivery is not a routine procedure for vaginal delivery, and not every woman needs an episiotomy. It is only performed when necessary. The indications for episiotomy are mainly determined by obstetricians, who must fully consider the health of the mother and baby. Generally speaking, episiotomy is only required for normal delivery when the following situations occur:

1. The perineum requires episiotomy. The most common situations for episiotomy during normal delivery are mainly for situations where the perineum has poor elasticity, narrow vaginal opening, or inflammation or edema of the perineum. It is estimated that the fetus is very likely to have severe perineal tearing during delivery, so episiotomy is performed to protect the safety of the mother.

2. Consider episiotomy based on the condition of the fetus. If the fetus is large and in an abnormal position, and the fetal head is blocked in the perineum when the labor force is weak, consider doing an episiotomy for normal delivery.

3. Consider episiotomy based on the condition of the mother. Episiotomy can be considered if the mother has the following conditions: elderly mother over 35 years old, mother with heart disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome and other high-risk pregnancies. The main purpose of episiotomy for this type of mother is to reduce physical exertion, shorten the labor process, and reduce the threat of delivery to mother and baby.

4. Fetal abnormalities occur during delivery. If the cervix is ​​fully dilated, the fetal head is in a low position, the fetus shows obvious signs of hypoxia, there are abnormal changes in the fetal heart rate, or the heartbeat rhythm is uneven, and the amniotic fluid is turbid or mixed with meconium, episiotomy should be performed promptly to assist in delivery.

5. When using forceps to assist delivery.

The pain from stitches after a normal delivery is still there for half a month mainly because although the stitches appear to have healed on the surface, the inside has not healed well yet, so there will be some pain, but the pain will become less and less severe, so there is no need to worry too much. Most normal births nowadays are done through episiotomy, otherwise the fetus may not be able to be delivered from the body.