Abstract

Perineal trauma during childbirth is mainly connected with pain and complications. Episiotomy is a surgical incision of the perineum and the posterior vaginal wall. Before setting up motherfriendly care in Iran, mediolateral episiotomy was a traditional and routine component of vaginal childbirth. The aim was to keep away from damage to the anal sphincter and to limit the risk of traumatic birth for the fetus. In Iran, mother-friendly hospitals started their activity in 2008. A mother-friendly hospital must to promote and support normal physiologic birth that is the vaginal delivery with minimal interventions including routine episiotomies [1]. Evidences comparing routine and restrictive use of episiotomy during spontaneous vaginal birth propose that there are significant advantages in adopting a restrictive approach, particularly a reduction in posterior perineal lacerations [2-4].