Nishmat's Women’s Health and HalachaIn memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu

Bedikot after tearing with childbirth

3 September, 2014

Question:

I'm six and a half weeks postpartum, and no longer spotting. I had a 3rd degree perineum tear, as well as internal tearing, and I'm still feeling discomfort⁄soreness in those areas. How does one do bedikot for the clean days in a situation like this? Thanks in advance.


Answer:

Mazal tov on the brith of your baby!  

We are sorry to hear of your tearing and the ensuing discomfort.  In this case, you should perform the absolute minimum number of bedikot: a hefsek taharah (omitting the moch dachuk) and one bedikah each on days one and seven of the clean days.  

Perform the bedikot lying down, perhaps using a hand mirror to help ensure that you not aggravate your sore areas. The bedikah should be performed very gently and only to a depth that is comfortable to you. (To about the first knuckle is the bare minimum.)

It is permissible to immerse in the mikveh even if relations will not be immediate.

Refuah sheleimah!  Please write back with any further questions.


This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases. All health and health-related information contained within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for consulting with your health care professional. The advice is intended to offer a basis for individuals to discuss their medical condition with their health care provider but not individual advice. Although every effort is made to ensure that the material within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is accurate and timely, it is provided for the convenience of the Web site user but should not be considered official. Advice for actual medical practice should be obtained from a licensed health care professional.

For further questions or comments: 

The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha Site is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefited from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.


Users of Internet filtering services: This site discusses sensitive subjects that some services filter without visual indication. A page that appears 100% complete might actually be missing critical Jewish-law or medical information. To ensure that you view the pages accurately, ask the filtering service to whitelist all pages under yoatzot.org.


Accessibility Toolbar