Most women go into the delivery room with a plan for their birth, but sometimes it is impossible to follow that plan due to complications. One of the procedures that some women do not do enough research on is the episiotomy. This is an incision made to the muscle between the vagina and rectum in order to speed up delivery due to fetal distress or other complications that necessitate a quicker delivery. There are pros and cons of all procedures in any situation, so it is very important to speak with your doctor about possible plan deviations prior to delivery.

Key Takeaways:

• No matter how thoughtfully planned out your birth plan may be, there are bound to be a few surprises once you hit home base, aka, the delivery room.
• We only do them when they are medically indicated, such as when the baby’s heartbeat is very low and the baby needs to come out immediately and we cannot wait for the natural process to occur.
• I always reassure my patients the decision of cutting the vagina or letting the tissue tear naturally is determined at the time of the delivery.

“No matter how thoughtfully planned out your birth plan may be, there are bound to be a few surprises once you hit home base, aka, the delivery room.”

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1129275/the-pros-and-cons-of-episiotomies-versus-tearing-naturally-during-birth