Is episiotomy necessary for childbirth?

Giving birth is a very painful thing. Most women need an episiotomy during childbirth. However, not every woman needs an episiotomy during childbirth. It depends on the specific situation. If the baby is too large and the delivery process is relatively long, it is generally not good for both the adult and the child. In this case, an episiotomy is required in time to deliver the baby as much as possible, otherwise the baby will suffer from hypoxia.

The use of episiotomy is generally affected by the following two factors:

1. Fetal factors: If the fetus is too large, the labor process will be prolonged, which is very unfavorable to the adult. In addition, the fetus's head is relatively low, there is obvious hypoxia, the fetal heart rate is unstable, and the amniotic fluid is turbid, so it needs to be delivered as soon as possible.

2. Maternal factors: Episiotomy is usually performed when the perineum is too tight, has poor elasticity, or has a narrow vaginal opening, or when there is inflammation and edema in the perineum.

It should be mentioned that older mothers generally choose episiotomy due to physical and health reasons, which can reduce risks.

A large amount of clinical research data shows that nearly 92% of birth surgeries involve episiotomy. This is because most first-time pregnant women will suffer varying degrees of tearing injuries during delivery due to lack of experience in childbirth. Doctors do this to prevent women from having difficult-to-heal tears during childbirth. An episiotomy will be performed to help the mother give birth. But it should be noted that episiotomy is not a routine operation during normal delivery, nor is it required for every delivery. It is only performed when necessary.

When a woman undergoes an episiotomy during childbirth, we need to pay attention to her postoperative recovery. After episiotomy, the mother should consume more high-fiber foods, develop regular bowel habits, and drink more water in daily life to avoid constipation. At the same time, the mother should keep the vulva clean to prevent episiotomy infection, change sanitary pads frequently, and avoid the wound being soaked by lochia, which increases the difficulty of healing.

In daily life, mothers should get out of bed and move around as soon as possible after giving birth to help themselves restore their body's self-healing ability. If you find that the episiotomy wound of a mother is severely swollen, painful, and red after giving birth, you should consult a doctor immediately and take timely treatment to promote wound healing, avoid infection, and prevent scars from forming on the wound. In addition, mothers must know that after an episiotomy during the delivery process, sexual intercourse should be prohibited within six weeks to prevent lacerations on the episiotomy wound.