How do I care for myself after a lateral episiotomy?

  The anatomical position of the perineum leads to wounds that are not easily covered with dressings, so the wounds are exposed, and the large amount of postpartum malodour draining from the vagina and the large number of conditionally pathogenic bacteria parasitized in the vagina itself make the perineal wounds prone to abnormalities. It is necessary to carry out proper care and observation, to avoid and identify and treat possible complications as early as possible, and not to be careless.  1. First of all, we should keep the perineum clean and hygienic to prevent infection. Wash your vulva with water after urinating and defecating. Clean your vulva with cotton balls dipped in sterile water or saline, in the order of top down and inside out, i.e. first wipe the mons pubis and both labia, and finally wipe the anus, not from the anus forward. And do not add cleaning solution or lotion in water, because it will make the skin more dry, more painful wounds, remember to use water can be.  2, secondly, to keep the vulva clean and dry, change sanitary napkins, available hair dryer, underwear should also be diligently changed and washed, underwear can be exposed to sunlight to achieve sterilization purposes.  3, also pay attention to take the wound to the side of lying, is lying to the opposite side of the wound, such as perineal wounds on the left, should lie to the right, to prevent the inflow of malodorous fluid into the wound, increasing the chances of infection.  4, lateral wound bruising edema, early with ice packs cold, later you can use 50% magnesium sulfate wet hot compress, and daily observation of wound healing.  5, in addition, under normal circumstances, perineal wounds before the removal of stitches will have discomfort, sitting may also be painful, after the removal of stitches will generally reduce, but it takes 2 to 3 weeks to fully return to normal feeling. Remember that when the wound is painful, you can take painkillers, which do not affect breastfeeding, and when the wound is not healing well, you can take a sitz bath with potassium permanganate water.  6.If you have the intention to urinate, you should urinate immediately, holding urine is not good for your body to recover, and it is also easy for infection to occur.  7, in addition to pay attention to defecation before the removal of the line, postpartum due to various reasons may lead to constipation, making the stool hard and dry, if after the removal of the line and then defecate, it may lead to the incision just removed crack, so pay attention to the diet to eat more high-fiber foods, drink more water to avoid constipation, keep the stool open, if there are still defecation difficulties can be used to stimulate the local excrement. It is best to use sitting stools and avoid squatting for too long. In addition, after the removal of the wound is still not solid inside, so it is not advisable to walk too much, and should not be too much movement exercise.  8, but also pay attention to the vigilance and identification of perineal incision infection, two weeks after delivery, educate the mother to develop the habit of checking the wound every day. If redness, swelling, cracking, bleeding water, pus, fever and other phenomena appear, seek medical attention as soon as possible. If the wound has more and more painful phenomenon to timely medical examination, but also to check whether the occurrence of infection.  9. Some mothers find knotted intestinal threads falling out of the vagina about 10 days after delivery, and they are told that there is no need to panic because they are intestinal threads shed from the vaginal opening. If there are silk threads in the perineum, they should be removed by the doctor in time to avoid infection.  10. Finally, remember to perform pelvic floor muscle contraction exercises, which will help the contraction of perineal body muscles to recover and facilitate a harmonious sexual life in the future.