Bilingualism and the Academic Achievement of First- and Second-Generation Asian Americans: Accommodation with or without Assimilation?

Episiotomy is a small surgical cut made between the vagina and the anus during childbirth. It is done in order to help the baby pass through more easily. It was once done routinely for almost all women giving birth for the first time, but health organizations now recommend using it only when truly necessary.This study looked at how often episiotomy was performed at Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) in Beirut, Lebanon. The hospital has both a midwife-led birth center and a standard delivery suite. We included 333 women with low-risk pregnancies who delivered vaginally between January 2024 and September 2025.We found that about 1 in about 3 women received an episiotomy. Women giving birth for the first time were much more likely to have one. There was no notable difference in the rates of episiotomy between the birth center and the delivery suite.Women who had an episiotomy were less likely to experience perineal tearing or injury around the urethra, particularly among first-time mothers.The study also found that younger age, being a first-time mother, having less cervical dilation on arrival, and being a private patient were the strongest predictors of receiving an episiotomy.Overall, the episiotomy rate at RHUH is lower than older Lebanese data and lower than most neighboring countries, which can suggest progress toward evidence-based practice. However, the rate remains above the World Health Organization’s recommended level of 10%.All in all, this study is one of the few to examine episiotomy in Lebanon, which has a large refugee population. The findings of this study can help inform better and more individualized obstetric care.