What to do if the wound is swollen and painful after episiotomy

A side incision may be required during a normal birth, which can cause pain to the mother. If not properly cared for, it may even cause wound infection. If swelling and pain occur, it must be treated in time, especially if the wound is still painful after a week. At this time, you should seek help from a doctor to avoid wound infection and poor healing. Let us now learn about this aspect.

What to do if the wound is swollen and painful after episiotomy

Generally speaking, the wound will still be painful within 1 week after delivery, and the pain will be relieved and disappear after 1 week. The wound healing time is about 2 weeks. During this period, the care work that needs to be done is:

1. Physical therapy: As the edema of the perineal wound disappears, the pain will be significantly relieved. If the new mother has a significant reaction to the stitches, physical therapy can also be performed to promote local blood circulation and help intestinal absorption, which will also reduce wound pain.

2. Observe whether there is hematoma: It should be noted that if there is severe pain in the wound within 24 hours after delivery, accompanied by a feeling of anal swelling, you should immediately ask a doctor to check the wound to see if there is hematoma around the wound.

3. Clean the wound: Clean the wound sutures with clean warm water (or the medicated wash provided by the hospital) 2 to 3 times a day; after cleaning, gently dry the vulva with disinfectant paper or cotton wool; wash the vulva with clean water after urination and defecation to keep the wound clean and dry to prevent infection.

4. Avoid pressing the wound side when sleeping: If the wound is on the left side, you should sleep on the right side, and vice versa.

5. Practice pelvic floor muscle exercises: If your physical condition allows, you can perform pelvic floor muscle exercises to stimulate blood circulation in the vagina and promote wound healing.

Causes of swelling and pain after episiotomy

1. This is because during the delivery process, the pelvic floor muscles will be strained to a certain extent, some muscle fibers will be broken, or because the fetus is large and the perineum is tense, perineal tearing may occur.

2. In some cases, in order to avoid severe perineal tearing, the midwife will perform an episiotomy, which will cause pain in the perineal wound after delivery.

3. As the sutures used to suture the perineal wound dry, pulling pain will occur in the perineal wound. The pain will be significantly relieved when the sutures are removed or absorbed.