An episiotomy is usually a simple procedure carried out in 3 stages:
- pain relief
- the incision (cut)
- repair
Pain relief
Your midwife or obstetrician will give you an injection of local anaesthetic to numb the area around your vagina. This is so you will not feel any pain.
If you have already had an epidural, the dose can be 'topped up' before the episiotomy is done.
The incision (cut)
Your midwife or obstetrician will usually make a small cut. This will be from the back of your vagina. The direction of the cut is usually diagonal, down and out to 1 side.
Repair
After your baby has been born, your midwife or obstetrician will stitch the cut back together using dissolvable stitches.
After an episiotomy
Most episiotomies will be stitched within 1 hour of your baby’s birth. You may have some bleeding at the time of the episiotomy but this should stop once the stitching has been done.
It can take up to a month for the cut to heal and for the stitches to dissolve. During this time, you may feel some pain.