If the woman's progress is slow, your baby is distressed and / or there are complications such as heavy bleeding, your baby may need medical assistance with their journey, to allow them to be born sooner, rather than later. The type of intervention used will usually depend on the position of the baby, how low they have come down the birth canal, your caregiver's preference and the likely success of the a method chosen.
If you wish to find out more about when and how assisted deliveries are performed, you can click onto
assisted delivery with forceps or ventouse.
Episiotomy or tearing
There are not many women who approach their labour without the thought of tearing, or having to be cut (an
episiotomy) crossing their minds (or preoccupying it in some cases!) The preference to avoid having stitches if possible is no doubt universal. The use of an episiotomy in the 2nd stage of the labour is generally dependent on your individual caregiver, whether you need to have
forceps or a
ventouse delivery, or if the baby becomes distressed in the final stages of the birth.
There are some caregivers who do episiotomies routinely on every normal first time mother. This can be due to their personal belief that it is better, or the hospital policy or culture encouraging it's use more routinely. You may wish to find out what your caregiver's views are on this during the pregnancy, or address this in your
birth plan.
If you wish to read more on perineal tears and episiotomy, how episiotomies are performed and the use of local anaesthetic for them, you can click onto
episiotomy and tearing.