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The event of childbirth in the life of women is one of the most beautiful experiences of personal feelings. Being considered a transition to motherhood, childbirth for a woman is both challenging and lovely. For some women, the process is blissful, exciting, and personal, whereas for others it is stressful, exhausting, and unpredictable.
Driven by both positive and negative experiences, there are several ways to deliver a baby. The most prominent ones are vaginal or normal birth, and the second is caesarian birth, or C-section childbirth. As the experience of childbirth is driven by its process, it includes several Early Pregnancy Complications followed by some birth delivery complications like a vaginal tear or perineal tear. As a vaginal delivery requires your vagina to stretch to an extent that it can accommodate the arrival of the baby from the uterus to the outside world, almost half of all women get a vaginal or perineal tear (the area located between the vaginal and anal opening).
The vaginal or perineal tear is a rip in the skin and sometimes in the tissue or muscle around the area of the vagina and perineum. Even though your body is designed for childbirth and much more, sometimes babies are difficult to exit during labor and delivery because the vaginal skin thins out. The thinning of the vaginal skin thereby helps in stretching and more stretching and allows the head, body, and limbs to slide out, but sometimes the tear happens.
Based on the severity, there are different types of vaginal tears that can occur during labor and delivery.
First-degree tear: It is the least severe tear as it includes a small tear of the perineal skin.
Second-degree tear: It is the most common degree of the tear as it is a slightly deeper cut that extends to the skin and muscle and sometimes to the vagina.
Third-degree tear: It includes a tear in the muscles from the vagina to the anus.
Fourth-degree tear: Considered as the most severe degree of perineal tear, it extends from the vagina to the anal sphincter muscles to the rectum.
First birth: The first time of push in first childbirth can lead to a tear.
Fast birth: Quick labor followed by quick birth can lead to a tear because the skin might not get enough time to get thin and stretch.
Big baby: More weight or the big body of the infant can more likely lead to a tear.
Baby with face-up: Generally referred to as sunny-side-up, is a situation when the infant has its face up which can lead to a tear.
Depending on the severity of the tear, stitches are required to treat it. If the tear is to the first degree, it might heal on its own. But, if the tear is 2 centimeters, or about an inch in length, then it includes the second and third degrees of the tear, which needs proper treatment. Under the second and third degree, the tear is stitched under anesthesia by a medical professional in the delivery room. In the case of the fourth degree of the tear, immediate medical care is provided to control the pain, avoid postpartum constipation, and evaluate the urinary retention.
Whether it is a vaginal tear or an incision, a new wound takes around 7 to 10 days to heal. The stitches are said to dissolve within six weeks, but the site of the tear tends to hurt for the next several weeks.
Even though the stitches will dissolve over time, with the help of the tips shared under the guidance of Dr. Elsa, one of the Top Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Dubai you can easily overcome vaginal tears post childbirth.
Spritz your perineum with warm water during and after urinating.
With general patting, try to keep the area dry as much as possible.
Eat all your required grains, fresh fruits, nutrients, and others.
Keep your hands at home and do not touch the area constantly to check the status.
Even if you can not keep up with your Kegels, always try to perform them in different sets.
As mentioned above, the vaginal or perineal tear is common in birth-giving women, but if your perineum becomes red, painful, and swollen with an unpleasant odor, it is time to book an appointment with New Concept Clinic, a Gynecology Clinic in Dubai offering gynecological and obstetrics related services.
