Episiotomy

May I ask you, please, why you’re against episiotomies? Especially for the first delivery, the vagina is commonly not stretched out enough for baby to come through, no matter how much your gynae/midwife tries to stretch it for you. So when there’s not enough space for baby to come out, an episiotomy is a controlled opening that they make to give baby space to come out. By controlled, I mean that they will cut it away from your anus and urethral opening (where your urine comes out from) and by extension, your clitoris. Without that cut, if baby can’t fit through naturally, the force is enough to rip the bottom open anyway. And when that happens, you can have multiple tears, or severe tears. You can read up about 3rd degree tears that some mummies have gone through.. they can get severe bleeding requiring blood transfusions, or tears through the anus that requires emergency surgery right away. I had a tear that extended upwards towards the urethra and clitoris, and that caused me so much pain for weeks after delivery... pain while trying to pee (not to mention, incontinence), pain while trying to sit down and breastfeed, etc. The decision for episiotomy shouldn’t be based on whether you’re a private or subsidised patient. It should be a medical decision, made for the well-being of the patient. At the end of the day, have a safe delivery for both mummy and baby, then you can focus on cuddling your little one after that 😊 Hope this helps explain it a little:)