Linzy I agree on the man thing increasing the size of the whole in his ball bag.

As for how many stitches for an episiotomy that is a difficult one to say. I haven't seen any vaginal suturing done is seperate sutures so to speak (for birth trauma) the dr's were I work all do a continuous suture like a coil if that makes sense. Because they loop from one to the next it would make it difficult to count them and perhaps why you can't find an average amount of sutures in any research you might have looked for. Depending on how deep the laceration depends on if you need more then one row of sutures. Like one for the muscle and then another for the skin on top of the muscle. You can also tear inside and have what is describes as an intact perineum so no tearing from the exit of the vagina to the anus. Thats why after birth the Dr or midwife usually inserts a finger or two and a clean clothe to look for internal trauma that can't be seen from the outside.
I think in comparison to the birth the sutures or trauma usually aren't bad. A bit uncomfortable. I know with mine they were very tender and it really stung to pee but mine were up around the urethra not down the bottom.