Surveys show that nearly 92% of women have undergone lateral resection during childbirth, while about 90% of first-born births will have some degree of laceration.
So what is the difference between lateral cutting and tearing? Which has the greater impact? Let's talk about these issues in this issue!
Lateral incision vs tear
Lateral incision refers to the fact that when the vaginal birth is not smooth, the doctor will choose to make a diagonal incision in the perineum to reduce the compression of the fetus during childbirth, while reducing the resistance of the soft birth canal, speeding up production, preventing perineum tearing, and protecting the pelvic floor muscles.
Tearing refers to a perineal tear during childbirth due to excessive fetus size or incorrect force of delivery, usually of different grades of laceration, and if it is a minor laceration, it may recover faster than lateral incision.
Laceration grading
Generally, perineal lacerations are divided into I.-IV. degrees, and the specific differences are as follows:
I. the mildest degree, less bleeding;
Second-degree lacerations bleed more, and the wound can reach the muscle layer, but does not affect the sphincter and pelvic floor structure;
Third-degree lacerations can hurt the sphincter and, if not well sutured, can cause fecal incontinence;
Fourth-degree lacerations may affect subsequent quality of life.
Of course, the most common we have during normal labor is the I.-II. degree, if the situation is serious, the doctor will also choose to make a lateral incision to avoid a serious tear, so mothers do not have to worry too much.
When the doctor takes a side resection, the wound will not be very large, and as long as it recovers well, it will not have much impact on the life of the mother.
What are the lateral cuts or tears?
Abnormal fetal position, improper maternal force during excessive delivery of the fetus, and excessive physical conditions of the mother's own physical condition, such as poor perineal elasticity, narrowness, inflammation and other advanced women over 35 years of age or women with cardiovascular diseases
All of these causes can cause lacerations, or require lateral incisions, etc.
How can tearing or lateral cutting be minimized?
Pregnant mothers who do not want to suffer tears or lateral incisions during childbirth can try the following methods
01
Control fetal weight
Regular monitoring of fetal weight and size during pregnancy can reduce tears or lateral incisions during vaginal delivery to a certain extent
02
Stretch the pelvic floor muscles
Pregnant mothers can try to do Kegel exercise, which helps to exercise the pelvic floor and perineum muscles, enhance muscle tension, and prevent hemorrhoids during pregnancy, postpartum leakage, and can also prevent the occurrence of vulvar tears during childbirth.
03
Cooperate with midwives
When giving birth, try to cooperate with the midwife, do not waste physical strength, and correctly exert force according to the guidance of the midwife
Do lateral cuts or tears affect life?
The most concerned question for mothers is whether lateral cutting or tearing affects life, in fact, it mainly depends on the following aspects:
Suture condition
Lacerations due to irregular wounds, suture difficulty will be higher than lateral incision, especially iii or IV lacerations, sutures are not good, will have an impact on later life.
Wound recovery
As mentioned above, minor laceration wound recovery may be faster than lateral incision, but severe tearing can be more troublesome and take longer to recover. If the side incision is as little as ten days, more than a month will gradually recover, and if the wound is healed, it will most likely not affect the subsequent life.
diet
It is recommended that mothers who undergo tearing or lateral cutting eat a lighter postpartum diet to avoid constipation and cause wound infection.
Personal constitution
Every human body is different, some people will recover better on their own, if it is a mother with a scar constitution, the wound healing will be slower.
In short, if the lateral incision and tear recover well, it will not have much impact on life, and the doctor will also choose whether to make a lateral incision according to the specific birth situation, as far as possible to avoid harm to the subsequent life of the mother, the pregnant mother's daily appropriate exercise, and cooperate with the doctor during childbirth.