Lisa Baker is a childbirth educator and mother of two in
Calgary, Alberta. You can reach her by email at
firstname.lastname@example.org In part one of this series we
defined perineum and perineal trauma and discussed factors that
can help reduce the occurrence or severity of tears during
childbirth. In part two of this series, we look more closely at
the topic of episiotomy. An episiotomy is a surgical cut made at
the vaginal opening in an attempt to widen it. This cut may
extend from the vagina straight down towards the anus (median or
midline incision), or it may extend from the vagina toward one
side or the other (mediolateral incision). In terms of perineal
trauma, an episiotomy is comparable to a second-degree tear in
the fact that it involves perineal muscle and requires stitches
to heal properly. Episiotomies are being done in Canadian
hospitals, but they are not a routine procedure that all
labouring women will experience. In a recent Canadian survey of
maternity care policy, none of the hospitals que