Hello Everyone!
I hope you are having an amazing day!

When I heard about the Husband Stitch – I was left in shock. A couple of days ago I received a message on Instagram with an article about the Husband Stitch and I could not believe what I read.

According to Healthline, a husband stitch (also known as a daddy stitch) is given to a woman during the repair process after she has given birth. The purpose of the husband stitch is to “tighten the vagina for increased please of a male sexual partner.”

There aren’t concrete numbers to prove that this, in fact, is faced by many women today, but there are many women that have shared their experiences.

One such example is that of 36-year-old Angela Sanford who had given birth to her first child in 2008. 5 years later was the first time she had actually even heard of the term Husband Stitch and then understood why she was facing so much pain during sex:

“Sanford’s midwife felt that she’d been stitched “too tight” by the hospitalist who had managed her first delivery, an unmedicated birth with two hours of doctor-coached pushing and a fourth-degree tear.

“He gave you what some people call a husband stitch,” Sanford recalled the midwife telling her. “I couldn’t connect in my mind why it would be called that. My midwife said, ‘They think that some men find it more pleasurable,’” she recalled. “My husband has been worried about me and fearful of hurting me. He would never have asked for this.” – HealthLine

Although the numbers are not there to prove the prevalence of the Husband Stitch, Angela’s story is a strong example in depicting how society continues to try to control women.

Stephanie Tillman, a professional in the medical field summarized the lasting impact of this horrible practice:

“The fact that there is even a practice called the husband stitch is a perfect example of the intersection of the objectification of women’s bodies and healthcare. As much as we try to remove the sexualization of women from appropriate obstetric care, of course the patriarchy is going to find its way in there,” Tillman told Healthline.

You can read more about this practice here.

Let’s raise even more awareness about this issue to make sure another Angela is not put in such circumstances.

Sending a lot of positive vibes your way,

Manisha Sareen