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- Newsgroups: misc.kids
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wupost!csus.edu!netcom.com!dsmythe
- From: dsmythe@netcom.com (Dave Smythe)
- Subject: Re: Episotomy...What my doctor said...Is this true? Anyone NOT have one?
- Message-ID: <1992Nov20.050445.22526@netcom.com>
- Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
- References: <BxK9r8.7wr@acsu.buffalo.edu> <1992Nov14.210436.12410@herboid.uucp> <srb-171192124610@tarma.jax.org>
- Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 05:04:45 GMT
- Lines: 33
-
- In article <srb-171192124610@tarma.jax.org> srb@aretha.jax.org (Susan Dewey) writes:
- >"allowed to tear". I told her that a couple of stitches was better than
- >10 or 15. Besides, by the time I did tear, the doctor would have had to
- >take one of Zack's ears off to get the scalpal in. I'd rather have the 2
- >stitches, thanks.
-
- Just another data point in this discussion, FWIW:
-
- The episiotomy is the only surgical procedure I've ever seen in person.
- I had a "front row seat," as it were, for the one my wife got when our
- daughter was born on 11/2/92. As it happened, in her case there were
- extenuating circumstances that recommended a rapid birth, so when the
- OB mentioned (to me) that she was considering it, I discussed it with
- her for another contraction, just to make sure. When it was actually
- done, she used a big scissors and just cut away with both hands. I
- had had this picture of the process as being a tad more "surgical"
- than it ended up being... I've been asking my wife about it every few
- days or so. She used ice in a latex glove and said that it helped a
- lot. She also sat on this inflatable ring, that also helped. Even a
- few (3 or 4) days later, she said it was no big deal. I was with the
- baby while she was being stitched up, so I'm not sure how that went,
- but I've not heard any complaints yet. Oh, I asked her about how much
- it hurt to get the cut, and she said not much (she had a "light" epi-
- dural at the time).
-
- D
-
- p.s. for the record: Lauren Elise Smythe, 5 lb. 11 oz, 19 inches,
- gestational age was 35.5 weeks, apgar was 9.
-
- --
- ========================================================================
- Dave Smythe N6XLP dsmythe@netcom.com (also dsmythe@cs.stanford.edu)
-