Episiotomy Aftercare and Exercise Advice

I am a first time mom-to-be (being induced Monday night)and my mom got me a book called "Great Expectations" (not the Charles Dickens book)and it has sooo much wonderful info!!!I don't know if it would help you at all to get ready for your delivery, I can only hope it helps you as much as it has helped me!!! I think in the book it says they tell you about the sitz bath in the hospital, and I want to say they give you other postpardum exercise routines. You might want to subscribe to some magazines like Baby Talk, ar see if there are others in your doc's waiting room. Good Luck, and Congratulations!!

i used derma something and i had a child 10 yrs apart you will be fine

You can do perineal massage prior to labor to help avoid tearing and episiotomy. During labor, warm compresses and support will not only help prevent tears/cuts but will also help bring your baby down. Natural tears heal better than episiotomies. Even ACOG discourages episiotomies. A doula can help you learn about labor positions that enable a large baby's birth to remain natural.

I'm with Jeni. I tore down and inside a little. The nurses also gave me the water bottle and antiseptic spray. I used two different kinds. One was foamy stuff, the other was aerosol spray that numbed. Both worked really great. The warm water bottle really helped soothed after going to the potty. I, too, used a pillow to sit on and also used a pillow between my legs at night. That help a lot.
As for the exercising, my dad griped at me for getting up to do anything just about. He said a mommy in his day stayed in bed for almost a month after the baby was born. When I went back for my MD visit, I was 5 weeks out and he said I was fine to exercise light (walking or light aerobics with no steps).
Good luck with this baby. Congrats on the 12 year old helper you will have! LOL

I am a big fan of the sitz baths. I never used epson salt, but just the moisture then drying. In the hospital they have a kinda funky dryer thing to use, but when you get home you can just use a hairdryer. Also, using the little squirt bottle for a few weeks is very important. They'll tell you all this in the hospital,though.
As for exercise, I think you are your best judge. I exercised through my 3 pregnancies and was able to resume walking and light jogging about 2-3 weeks after delivery with each one. If you have been exercising throughout your pregnancy, you may be able to start back with a light version of what you were doing within a couple of weeks. The main thing is not to do anything that makes you feel too much pressure from you still retracting uterus. I was told that the notion of getting a "saggy uterus" from exercise after birth is a myth. But your body IS healing, and it can only heal during rest. So, keep that in mind.
Good luck and God bless you with the exciting (and exhausting) weeks ahead!

Sitz baths are wonderful...my doctor gave me a special liquid to put into the sitz bath, but I can't remember what it was called (it's been over nine years since I had an episiotomy). As for exercise, don't overdo it, but I don't see why moderate walking will hurt. It is actually good to get out instead of sitting around doing nothing, because you certainly don't want post-partum depression to kick in. Exercise and fresh air will help alleviate the baby blues.

Hope this helps!

L.

I kept my stitches clean with salt water and the hospital gave me a aerosol pain reliever (can't remember the name) to spray on afterwards for the pain. My doctors cleared me for exersice at four weeks. It really depends on when your post-natal checkup is. Until you're cleared you should really just take it easy so your body can start healing.

Hi C.. Congrats on your upcoming delivery! I gave birth to a 10 pound 1 ounce baby boy. I had him completely natural, since the epideral ran out an hour before he was delivered. I had to have a really huge episiotomy, too. Strangely enough, it honestly didn't ever hurt. Maybe I was just lucky. In the mist of the delivery, I had so much other pain that I didn't even feel the doctor cut me or stitch me up. I guess I was in a zone. Afterwards, it healed fine. I honestly didn't even really notice it. I didn't do anything special for it because I really didn't have any discomfort. I hope that it is the same way for you. And don't worry, you won't be able to tell that anything happened down there once it heals. It will be like new. Take care!

Check out the What To Expect While Expecting Book. They've updated it recently. There is a page about massage that your partner or you can do to help stretch out the area to hopefully prevent a tear or need for episiotomy. Try an internet search for Perineal Massage or click here: http://www.childbirth.org/articles/massage.html. Good luck!

I had my third baby when my oldest was 12, and the middle was 8, so I felt like I forgot everything too!! It comes back to you. I tore with all of mine, even after the episiotomy, and sitz baths were awesome. Just don't do it so much you disolve your stitches. This does happen! As for exercise, you are your best judge, as most have written. Rest is essential, however. Hope everything goes wonderfully!!
PS: The lights at the hospital made my pain worse, and I did use witch hazel as well.

I am a mother to a 4 year old daughter and a 6 month old daugther. With my 4 yr old I had an episiotomy, it wasn't too bad and healed pretty well. But, with my newest daugther I tore, BAD. I tore up, yes, I said up. Up my vaginal opening around my clitoris all the way to the top. It was hell on earth. The best thing for me was rinsing with a water bottle of warm water after everytime I urinated and sometimes in between if it seemed itchy or sore. I couldn't sit on any hard surface so I used a pillow when I sat at the kitchen table for dinner. But better than the water bottle was antiseptic spray. My nurse gave it to me after the delivery. It numbed the area and kept it from itching. It took my stitches almost 10 weeks to fully disolve. It was rough but so worth it for my sweet angel. I hope this helps.

Follow your doctor's advice on this one. I am an aerobic instructor and I waited 5 - 6 weeks before I started just walking. I think my daughter was about 8 - 9 weeks before I began lifting weights or doing any abs. As you know your body goes through some pretty big changes during pregnancy and I wouldn't rush things.

I just had a baby a month ago and still have the stitches to prove it! A few years ago they came out with this stuff called epifoam. The nurse in the hospital gave it to me after my first child. The idea is to take a pad and line it with 3 tucks pads that the hospital should give you and then put a blob of this epifoam on top of that. The witch hazel or tucks pads help with the swelling and the epifoam is like a topical that helps reduce the pain etc. Every time there was a shift change I would say to the nurse "I need more epifoam and tucks pleas" I would then stick it in my suit case for when I got home...I wen home with a stock of this stuff and let me tell you the second tear or episiotomy is more painful than the first (it has to do with scar tissue). The sitz bath was great for me..I did it twice a day. Have your tub really clean and do not allow anyone else to use it. My doctor was adamant about NOT exercising at all until after my 6 week check up.

Hi C.,

I would find a doctor (or better yet a midwife) who only does episiotomy's as the very last resort. I had a 9 lb 8 oz baby and did not need an episiotomy... although I had a midwife at the hospital.. and midwifes will massage you down there and open you up naturally to help the baby come through.

I do not know where you live, but many states have midwife programs at local hospitals or the university hospitals. We are in Oklahoma and I was 7 months along and seeing an OBGYN and she told me there was no way to avoid an episiotomy.. Well she was wrong, and I did avoid an episiotomy thanks to a midwife! I was also able to have my baby without an epidural (by choice) which is another thing my doctor told me I would not be able to do. Bottom line here if a doctor is already telling you you'll have to have an episiotomy than it tells me he is not willing to massage you and wants to take the easy way out for himself and give an episiotomy. By the way, on my second baby the midwife told me to stop pushing so she could massage me and I thought she said push... and I pushed hard and the baby came flying out so I did get a small tear, but I had no pain with it like you would an episiotomy.

I really hope this helps! Good luck!

Sitting on hard chairs was best for me. It hurt but not as much as soft chairs. Also, the hospital gave me a light to shine down there and that was great. I kept the light in my room so I could use it when it was convenient. Good luck!

I started walking within days of my delivery. It caused some more bleeding. I think I was too active. My epis. did not heal well. I had too much scar tissue. Sex was impossible. When baby was 3 months old, I had to go in for surgery to remove the scar tissue and restitch. Like delivering all over again! Take it easy with the epis. until it is well healed.

My son was 8 lbs 15 oz and I wasn't lucky enough to have an episiotomy.....I had a huge tear! I never really had any trouble with my stitches. I didn't even do the sitz baths. The hospital gave me some spray pain medicine; I think it was called Dermaplast. I used that for about a week, every time after I used the bathroom. Other than that, I just used the hand held shower nozzle when taking a shower and I healed up pretty fast.

As far as exercising, I was back doing light to moderate walking in about 4 days, right after I got out of the hospital. I was also back at work after 4 weeks and I was fine. Just listen to your body and if something feels wrong, slow down or stop. Just build yourself up to it and you should be fine. Congratulations on the new baby!

I have had three children all within 6 years and three epesiotomies. Witch hazel pads help. I would line my pad with them and it seemed to calm the area and help it heal. The only problem I have is about one year later I have problems with the scars but that is a whole nother story. LOL hope that helps. My babies were all 9 pounders and I think that it makes for an easier delivery because they are so big that you womb does not have to push as hard to get them out. I have several friends who have had 9 pounders too and we all have had rather short labors about 6 hours from start to finish. Hope this helps.

My daughters were born 10 years apart and I had a 3rd degree tear with my first child(maybe that's why I waited so long!) I found that during my last 4 weeks of pregnancy I used a natural oil like almond oil to soften and stretch the perineal area. My doctor reccomened it and it worked! Along with a normal paced delivery and no one was in a hurry. I had a very small tear that did not require a stitch!

I've never had an episiotomy but this was probably because of some really great nurses. I did kegels throughout my pregnancy but during the actual labor the nurse would barely insert two fingers on each side and push downward stretching those muscles for hours at a time (my labors ranged from 9hrs-23 1/2 hrs). It wasn't painful but was a little uncomfortable. (no worse than a pelvic exam) I'm not sure of the name of the procedure but it kept me from having an episiotomy with any of my pregnancies. You can also have your husband do it if the nurse doesn't stay with you during labor. I have 3 children and they ranged from 7lbs 14oz to 10lbs 8.6 oz