# do they numb you before you have an episiotomy?



## nlz2468

If you have to have an episiotomy for what ever reason e.g foreceps or babys stuck ect.. do they numb the area before they make the cut or if its am emergancy do they just cut you without giving you anything?


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## Celesse

They gave me a block, which was a local anaesthetic. I think it was working very quickly. At the time I was pushing and had ring of fire thing happening at the time. I think that within 2 contractions I couldn't feel the ring of fire anymore and I didn't feel the cut or any pain from forceps when they went in. 

My baby was distressed, but not enough that it was an OMG-emergency. It did seem pretty quick from injection of local to episotomy and insertion of forceps though.


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## mrsbw

Yep, same here, I had what they called a nerve block and didn't feel anything. 
Got second degree episotomy and had to have a ventouse delivery, all happened very quickly and scary as it may sound it was fine. 
The only nasty part for me was the stitches going in, despite not feeling the cut I felt every single stitch go in and be tightened, bit horrid :-(


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## Lui246

Mine was an emergency and no they didnt give me anything they just cut me but i honestly didnt feel it at all, then after they injected me with numbing stuff (cant think of its name,lol) to stitch me up


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## shayandfamily

I'd had an epidural so I was rather numb anyway, although I remember them giving me something to numb it while they stitched me back up x


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## Bats11

Didnt give me anything, was so quick, didnt feel it at all, but once she was out & the stitching started, that was painful as hell even though she gave me anasthetic.


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## tinkerbelle93

They gave me a spinal block and it made everything go completely numb, didn't even feel a thing! xx


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## teal

Mine was an emergency forceps delivery and they couldn't give me anything. I didn't feel the dr giving me the episiotomy and I didn't feel the 3rd degree tear. It wasn't until I had to sit up after delivery that I felt it and thought omg what's happened. I did get a spinal to get stitched up xx


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## Bats11

So if it happens to me again, i'll have to ask for a spinal block when stitching me up cause i felt everything it was very painful for me.

Ladies how long are you numb for when you get the spinal block?


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## teal

I was advised I only had the spinal block because I tore into my back passage. I'm not sure if you could ask for it for a second degree tear but worth finding out :hugs: 

I was in theatre for almost 3 hours, I was definitely still numb when I went up to the post natal ward 6 hours later. Then I was woken up about 2am to see if I could walk so it must have wore off when I fell asleep xx


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## LouLou78

A spinal is only for surgical repair of third/fourth degree tears. Repairs of minor tears such as 1st and 2nds do not require a spinal, only local anaesthetic. :)


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## Bats11

LouLou78 said:


> A spinal is only for surgical repair of third/fourth degree tears. Repairs of minor tears such as 1st and 2nds do not require a spinal, only local anaesthetic. :)

Well i must not have had 3rd degree tears cause all i got was anasthetic & it felt like getting stitched up without anything, so painful.


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## AmandaC

From what ive heard they dont numb you. My Dr told me the whole point of an episiotomy was the prevent worse tears that can extend to the muscles. If they think youre going to tear really badly (3rd degree or worse) they will do it, because its easier to repair and recover from an episiotomy than a natural tear. 

That being said, you can request they dont do it, and they wont. I tore naturally with both of my kids, 2nd degree, and they healed just fine.


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## LouLou78

AmandaC said:


> From what ive heard they dont numb you. My Dr told me the whole point of an episiotomy was the prevent worse tears that can extend to the muscles. If they think youre going to tear really badly (3rd degree or worse) they will do it, because its easier to repair and recover from an episiotomy than a natural tear.
> 
> That being said, you can request they dont do it, and they wont. I tore naturally with both of my kids, 2nd degree, and they healed just fine.

Im glad he isn't my Doctor, he is a happy snipper then. Episiotomies in fact can extend to a third/fourth degree. In my experience, no one, and I mean no one can tell even at the point of crowning whether someone will end up with a third degree tear or not, therefore ending up with potentially an unnessary cut. Certainly, based on up to date research in the UK, following years of elective episiotomies, practice has moved forward and episiotomies are only performed here in instances of fetal distress and instrumental deliveries. Performing a cut on a perineum because a health professional thinks the patient will tear, that is 'old school'. Practices certainly vary in different countries from my experience in both America and the UK alone. :)


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## cherryglitter

i had a forceps delivery so of course had an episiotomy. i had had an epidural beforehand so i didn't feel anything. i didn't even know that i'd been cut until they told me afterwards!

i have heard of ladies who have been cut without any pain relief. i should imagine it's quite rare though..


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## MummyNovember

No i wasnt numbed as it needed to be done quick. But honestly i didnt feel a thing because the labour pains were coming thick and fast at the time. They numbed me afterwards for my stitches, and even then i didnt feel the needle


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## megan.rose

I had an episiotomy because she was a little bit stuck and they had to use the vacume to help deliver her, they never numbed me but I was so focused on the pushing and the pain from contractions that I honestly dont remember feeling it at all!! But like some of the other ladies said the stitching up sucked!! it took my doc 25 minutes of so to stitch me up and he kept sticking me with the numbing stuff but it didnt do anything I felt every stitch...that to me was worse then the whole labour and delivery...lol.


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## tinkerbelle93

I had a spinal injection xx


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## babybabyboy

what is the obsession with internal exams in the first stage of labour? and then being told 24 hours latter that you have got to get the baby out now asap even if by cs because after 24hrs you have a risk of infection because you had an internal that they gave you!! why is the infection risk not explained to those in labour BEFORE it done??? and whats more important. finding out how dilated you are or introducing possible infection!!


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## zennie

I'd had an epidural so didnt feel the episiotomy. Was given local anaesthetic later for the stitches as the epi had worn off. Didnt feel either thankfully but the recovery was very painful :nope:


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## Bats11

I posted in here a little while back and said how it really really hurt when they were stitching me up, anyway I spoke to my midwife the other day and told her my experience and she couldnt believe it, she said if it ever happens again you tell the nurse who is stitching you up to stop and get someone else, because they should numb you enough to not feel a thing.


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## Bats11

zennie said:


> I'd had an epidural so didnt feel the episiotomy. Was given local anaesthetic later for the stitches as the epi had worn off. Didnt feel either thankfully but the recovery was very painful :nope:

I never had the epi with my first two, but really want one this time, if you dont mind me asking how did you go about asking your doc/midwife in the delivery room, was it straight away or did you wait for the contractions to start??


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## lauren28

I must have had quite a good experience of an episiotomy.

They did it because DDs heart rate fell to single figures while pushing her out and they wanted to get her out fast. They told me they were going to do it on the next push, and I was waiting to feel it but didn't feel a thing and had not pain relief for it. I also only had gas and air for the birth so no epi or anything to dull the pain.

Also - I had local anaesthetic injections to be stitched up and felt nothing. It also wasn't very painful afterwards. They gave me a weeks worth of painkillers to take when I got home but I stopped taking them after 2 days because it didn't hurt.


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## Beaney192

They didnt with me. But again it was because I needed emergency forceps but to be honest with everything else going on I dont recall the pain.


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## MiissMuffet

i had the epi already and didnt feel a thing x


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## SouthernC

Yeah they gave me something I didn't feel it when they cut me or when he sewed me back up


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## MummyNovember

I had one & no they didnt. It had to be done quickly as babys head was sideways on! But i didnt feel it at all. The pain of labour was all i could feel tbh and even after i had delivered an they were injecting my floo with local anasthetic (to stitch me up), i still couldnt feel anything! Partly because i was to busy looking at my little man =]


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