How to Care For Your Veejay after an Episiotomy (Part One)

Mark Wealth

An Episiotomy is a small incision made on the Vagina opening so that a baby can conveniently pass through during delivery. Convenient for the baby at the mother’s expense though, the incision is stitched right after the baby is born. This has got to be a bother for the new mother.

Here are some helpful tips on what to do to help you fast and nicely so.

The Immediate Aftermath
While your baby is getting cleaned up, you might be getting stitched up. After getting stitched and cleaned up, your nurse should apply some ice packs to numb the pain. If she doesn’t, make a request for some; it will ease the pain considerably. Some mid wives suggest using chilled hazel pads, placing them on sanitary pads before putting them on.

Baths
Basically, a sitz bath is a small shallow bath that can be placed on over the toilet so that you can sit comfortably on it. When filled with warm water, and you sit over it, it can help to heal and soothe the pain from the incision.

Do this at least two to three times daily. Pat the vagina dry with a warm towel. Do not wipe and do not use toilet paper. Especially do not wipe from back to front with a toilet paper or anything hard/rough.

Stitches
The incision would be stitched with a tip of thread that dissolves as time goes on. This should be before six weeks as this is how long it usually takes to be completely healed. You may notice some of the stitching on your lad when you take it off. As long as you’re not bleeding, there’s nothing to panic about.

Be mindful to keep the stitch dry and clean at all times. Remember the idea is to pat and not to wipe. Also, you need to let some fresh air into your vagina so try to sleep on a dry towel, without underwear at night. The fresh air helps it heal faster.

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Leaks And Bleeding
First, always check if your stitches have come off or if it’s bleeding. If it’s bleeding, or you feel moist down there (the vagina goes through a natural process of self lubrication), go wash up, preferably with warm water and pat dry. If the bleeding is heavy though, call the doctor.

Urinating
When urinating, it is better done standing astride or squatting over the urinal (toilet). This is so to avoid urine getting into the vagina. Experts advise to rinse the outer part of vagina after urinating with warm water.