The recovery process of maternal laceration

My wife gave birth naturally, but because her vagina was too small and the fetus was too large to be distinguished, she needed to have an episiotomy. Although the episiotomy was sutured, the area was still very painful because it takes a long time to recover. In order to prevent local tearing and a slow recovery, we need to understand something about the local recovery process.

How to recover as quickly as possible after episiotomy

Generally speaking, the 1-2 weeks after surgery are the most difficult. Before removing the stitches, the wound should be rinsed twice a day and once after defecation to avoid contamination of the wound by excrement. After the stitches are removed, if the lochia has not yet cleared, you should still insist on washing the vulva with warm water twice a day. At the same time, keep your bowels open to prevent the wound from splitting. When defecating, it is best to sit down and try to shorten the time. In addition, the inside of the wound is not yet firm after the stitches are removed, so it is best not to exercise too much or make large movements.

Taking painkillers is the most direct way to relieve pain. You can also take some physical therapy to make the wound recover as soon as possible:

1. Apply ice compress within 24 hours after surgery: Ice compress can numb pain and relieve swelling. Since the first two days after surgery are usually more uncomfortable, ice compress can be used to reduce pain and swelling.

2. Take a warm bath 24 hours after surgery: The perineal wound has good blood circulation and little chance of infection. After applying ice packs to reduce swelling within 24 hours after surgery, it is recommended to take a tub bath with warm water (boiled water that has been cooled) and iodine, and soak in the tub for 10 to 15 minutes every morning and evening.

Precautions for episiotomy

1. Wound hematoma: It manifests as severe pain at the incision site 1-2 hours after suturing, and the pain becomes increasingly severe, and even a feeling of heaviness and distension in the anus may occur. At this time, you should tell the medical staff immediately and have them check promptly. It may be that the doctor did not stop the bleeding enough when suturing. In this case, as long as the stitches are removed in time, the hematoma is cleared, the bleeding points are sutured, and the wound is re-sutured, the pain will disappear quickly and most of the time the wound can heal normally.

2. Wound infection: 2-3 days after delivery, the episiotomy wound will have local inflammation symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat, pain, and may have nodules and purulent secretions when squeezed. In such cases, appropriate antibiotics should be administered and the stitches removed to allow the pus to drain. At the same time, physical therapy can be used to help reduce inflammation, or a sitz bath can be taken with a 1:5000 potassium permanganate warm water solution. After taking these measures, the perineum will generally improve or heal after 1-2 weeks because it has rich blood supply and strong healing ability.

3. The wound splits after the stitches are removed: Some women may experience episiotomy wound splitting after the stitches are removed. If they have been discharged from the hospital, they should go to the hospital immediately for examination and treatment. If the wound tissue is fresh and has been split for a short time, you can immediately perform a second suture after proper disinfection. The stitches can be removed after 5 days and the wound can mostly heal again. If the wound tissue is not fresh and there is secretion, you cannot suture it. You can take a potassium permanganate solution sitz bath and take antibiotics to prevent infection. Wait for a local scar to form before it heals. Although the episiotomy is a very small operation, because the wound is located at the intersection of the urethra, vaginal opening and anus, and because of some special circumstances after delivery, it is very easy for the wound to not heal, so you must pay attention to daily care.