Sometimes a doctor or midwife may need to make a cut in the area between the vagina and anus (perineum) during childbirth. This is called an episiotomy. An episiotomy makes the opening of the vagina a bit wider, allowing the baby to come through it more easily.
Routine episiotomies are no longer recommended. Still, the procedure is sometimes needed. An incision might be recommended if a baby needs to be quickly delivered because: The baby's shoulder is stuck behind the pelvic bone.
An episiotomy makes the opening of your vagina wider, which allows your baby to come through more easily. Sometimes your perineum will tear naturally as your baby comes out. This is called perineal tear (or laceration). Healthcare providers don't recommend routine episiotomies and prefer that you tear naturally.
After childbirth, you may have had stitches to repair any perineal tears, or an episiotomy. It is rare for the stitches to simply to come undone. However, occasionally an infection or pressure on the stitches from bleeding underneath can cause the stitches to breakdown, leaving an open or gaping wound.
After your baby is born, the placenta and umbilical cord keep moving blood back and forth for a few minutes while your baby starts to breathe. After a few minutes, your provider will put 2 clamps on the umbilical cord. Then the cord is cut between the 2 clamps.
Delivering the placenta
This helps the placenta to come away. At this stage, you may be able to push the placenta out. But it's more likely your midwife will help deliver it by putting a hand on your tummy to protect your womb and keeping the cord pulled tight. This is called cord traction.
During the healing process, it's typical to see a little blood near the stump. Much like a scab, the cord stump might bleed a little when it falls off. However, contact your baby's health care provider if the umbilical area oozes pus, the surrounding skin becomes red and swollen, or the area develops a pink moist bump.
Caring for your wounds and stitches
Sitting on the toilet backwards can ease stinging caused by urine passing over the injury (it sounds strange but it can really help!)
Wiping can be especially painful, so try to stick to the spray and blot method for at least a week after birth.
Placing a warm cloth on the perineum during the second stage of labor might help. Perineal massage. During the second stage of labor, your health care provider might place two fingers of a lubricated gloved hand just inside your vagina and move them from side to side, exerting mild, downward pressure.
What Happens If You Don't Get Stitches After Birth? If your doctor failed to identify a tear and didn't stitch you, the tear will not heal properly. You could develop an infection and other problems. Failing to identify a tear or to stitch it could be medical malpractice.
Experts and health organizations such as ACOG and the World Health Organization (WHO) only recommend an episiotomy if it is medically necessary. 5 However, if you or your baby are in danger or you're having complications, the doctor may do an episiotomy to make the delivery safer for you and your child.
Does delivering the placenta hurt? Delivering the placenta feels like having a few mild contractions though fortunately, it doesn't usually hurt when it comes out. Your doctor will likely give you some Pitocin (oxytocin) via injection or in your IV if you already have one.
Don't drink alcohol, use street drugs or use harmful drugs. All of these can affect your mood and make you feel worse. And they can make it hard for you to take care of your baby. Ask for help from your partner, family and friends.
You may shower, bathe or wash your hair at any time after the birth of your baby. During your first six weeks, avoid strenuous work. You may choose to limit visits with family and friends during the first two weeks, as it may cause undue fatigue for you and could also be detrimental to your baby's health.
If you've had stitches or a tear, doing a poo won't make the tear any bigger, or make your stitches come away. It's understandable to feel vulnerable about this part of your body. Feeling tense will make it harder for you to do a poo, though.
What makes it difficult to urinate after you give birth? The process of giving birth can alter your body that can lead to difficulty in urinating. Pressure from pushing the baby through the birth canal and anesthesia can decrease sensitivity or cause temporary paralysis that can make urination difficult.
Bladder control problems can happen both during pregnancy and after childbirth. Causes of bladder control issues can include pelvic organ prolapse, weakened pelvic floor muscles and damaged pelvic nerves. Kegel exercises are often recommended to help strengthen you pelvic muscles and regain bladder control.
When the umbilical cord is not cut, it naturally seals off after about an hour after birth. The umbilical cord and attached placenta will fully detach from the baby anywhere from two to 10 days after the birth.
Waiting too long may result in the infant having too many red blood cells. The excess red cells could lead to newborn jaundice, a kind of blood poisoning resulting from the breakdown of the extra red cells.
It's possible some women will experience the popping of their belly button in one pregnancy, and not in the next. Some women's belly buttons don't pop out. They stay the same, or they become flat. This all depends on your weight before pregnancy and how much you have gained or stretched during your pregnancy.
So, why do you start shaking after you deliver your baby? The shaking is a physiologic response to help your uterus clamp down on itself to stop bleeding. This is especially important since after the placenta detaches, it leaves an 8 1/2 in, or dinner plate size, wound on the inside of your uterus.
The first hour after birth when a mother has uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with her newborn is referred to as the “golden hour.” This period of time is critical for a newborn baby who spent the past nine months in a controlled environment.