Yesterday’s guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cardi B, revealed some painful truths regarding the birth of her first daughter, Kulture. “Why nobody tells you about those things? Nobody told me they were gonna stitch my vagina,” she said. “People just be like, ‘Oh, you know, when you give birth, it’s gonna hurt.’ But nobody tells you [that].”
It’s unclear whether or not Cardi’s referring to an episiotomy, which is often performed as a preventative measure against vaginal tearing during childbirth, or a spontaneous tear. Last year, an article detailing the prevalence of vaginal tears during childbirth and resultant complications like incontinence and prolapse began circulating amongst my female Twitter followers. Women who had not given birth, and a few who had, all expressed a similar sentiment: why doesn’t anyone talk about this? Let’s start. Cardi, lead the charge.