# Those who had tears/grazes - advice please!



## Mrsmitch80

Hi,

I gave birth a week ago last fri so 10 days ago. I suffered a second degree tear, torn labia and lacerations. At first I could only wee in the shower! Even pouring water over the area as I wee'd didnt work. It's slightly better but there's one area that still really stings each time I use the toilet, to the point where I dread going.

I still haven't plucked up the courage to get a mirror and look, don't think I'd sit down again if I saw it! I need to wait until it doesn't hurt any more. I dont think it's infected as it's only really painful when I wee on it, not all the time.

How long did your injuries hurt for? X


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## Guppy051708

I only ever had grazes (so not even 1st degree tears). With DS2 it was a labial graze, which wasn't nearly as bad as the periurtherial (sp?) graze i got with DS1. The graze with DS1 was on part of the urine tube, so even though it wasn't even a first degree tear, OUCH!!! every time i went pee. It hurt so bad! Do you have a peri bottle?? For this last birth I actually purchased 3 peri bottles. One for each bathroom and one for my purse/diaperbag, no joke! I ABSOLULTLY HAD to use it when i had my periurethral graze! Urinating was SOOO painful but that helped a little with the sting. You can purchse them for less than $1 online. They are seriously a Godsend. I keep them filled with cool water (though the MW thought that was weird i prefer cool water, bc apparently they recommend warm...but whatever, the cold feels better IMO). Anyways, while i peed i would squirt it at the same time. It still hurt for weeks (longer than what my friends with episiotomys hurt for!) but it REALLY helped. I couldn't go to the bathroom without it.


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## rtracey80

I had a 4 th degree tear and coz of all the pills they gave me I never felt any pain. Plus I was advices to put tea tree oil, lavender oil and milk in my bath water and have a soak twice a day which helped it heal x


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## Cat_pj

Don't get a mirror and have a look. I didn't, and now I feel completely normal. sex is better actually. I wouldn't freak myself out with looking! I had some grazes and internal stitches. I remember sitting in the bath and it deffo felt strange, like some kind of alien tissue on my undercarriage (that sounds so weird but its the only way I can think to describe it!) but its gone and now everything feels normal!


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## Guppy051708

Cat_pj said:


> sex is better actually.

^THIS! It is sOOOOO much better now! With the birth of each child, it feels way better LOL


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## lovelylaura

I had a 2nd degree tear and grazes too I can't quite remember how long it took to heal but it was around 2 weeks, i found if i wee'd into a tissue or a pad it helped also get some badedas it really helped soothe it i got the wash so i could use it too clean down there , and i agree do not look down there i didn't and im glad i didn't i think it would have freaked me out xx


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## dani_tinks

I had a 2nd degree tear and many grazes, it didn't really hurt or sting that much though. I was very swollen down below and was in hospital for a couple of days with a catheter because my pelvis was so inflamed (spd) and I couldnt actually move from the hips down.
But after 3 days when I went to wee it surprisingly was okay. I was quite dosed up though!
Best not to look down there though, I did after 2 weeks and it wasn't pretty!


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## jenniferttc1

I had a first degree tearing and took 2 weeks to feel somewhat better. I finally felt normal (sitting, squatting, peeing etc) by week 3/4 
Sex only hurts at first, kinda feels like he gets caught on something inside :shrug: but after a minute it feels normal and sometimes even better, like more sensation. Just wished the begining pain would go away!


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## CAJ11

I gave birth a few months ago & had an episiotomy & I also tore. I had read on here not too look, but I do regret not looking as a few stiches had fallen out after a few days, and I hadn't realised, I had to take antibiotics & it took a few months to heal completely. So I wished that I wasn't too scared to look & I had looked sooner just to make sure it was healing properly.


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## stardust599

I too would look and make sure everything looks okay! Make sure the labia can be separated and aren't starting to heal/fuse together and check that the stitches seem to be in place.

I had severe grazing and think the worst of the pain was gone by 2 weeks. 

Can you pee in the bath? Or sit in a bowl/basin of warm water and pee in there. It sounds yuck but needs must!

And you can also drink tons of water - a pint an hour! It really dilutes the wee and takes the sting out. Hope you feel better soon xx


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## loverguts

I had quite bad grazing, no stitches thankfully but my god, it hurt to wee!

I literally got DP to buy me a washing up bowl when i got home and filled it with lukewarm water every time i needed a wee to sit in! It was for at least a couple of weeks and then one day it just got better and a couple days later it was fine again. 
I used to practically cry every time i did a wee from the pain if i wasn't in the house and couldn't do it in my bowl, haha, i did try weeing in the shower but it still really hurt for some reason hence the bowl :haha:
My MW did say it was grazing in an awkward place (not entirely sure where though!). 

Hope it gets better for you soon xx


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## Mrsmitch80

Thanks everyone, I'm not too sure I'm going to like what I see when I do look! I already have quite a big episiotomy scar from my first birth. It was quite far back though so if I leant forward to wee it was ok.

This time the midwife who stitched me up got her supervisor to help decide which bits went where as it was apparently complicated! She did warn me that weeing would sting because of where the grazes are I just didn't realise how much and for how long!!

Last time after the episiotomy me and DH dtd after 5 weeks and it was fine so if I'm not healed by then I think I'll get checked out.

Oh the joys of childbirth!! Xx


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## moonitee

I had 4 lots of stiches both internally and for labial tears. Peeing was very painful, stung like mad. The best thing i found is to drink plenty to make sure your wee is as diluted as it can be and when you sit down on the toilet to wee, lean right forward and for some reason this seemed to ease the stinging.After a couple of weeks it all seems ok. I did not look at mine in the mirror for a few days, and when i did i felt it looked like i had been attacked with a lawnmower, but now all the stiches have healed everything looks ok.


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## Guppy051708

it def sounds like your graze was on the perurethral as well. i know ppl who had terrible 3rd degree [vaginal] tears and they had no issues with stinging while urinating. it will take time, peri bottle, and certain positions on the toilet. i think the stinging was gone by 12 weeks...maybe a little before...like 9ish weeks


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## nikkchikk

I had a 2nd degree perinal tear with a few stitches. The first week was sore and uncomfortable, but my hospital nurses gave me the THE BEST ice packs. They filled the inside of a newborn diaper with ice chips and told me to use it like a pad. OMG it felt so nice and it didn't leave you all wet because of the diaper absorbency!! When I got home, I didn't have ice chips, so I just wet a diaper then froze it and it worked the same. I'm no longer using the diaper for my tear, but I do keep a few in the freezer for emergencies.

As for the stinging, you can drink extra water to dilute your urine. that may help.

My tear healed around 4 weeks, but I just noticed a week or so (at 11 weeks) ago that I have no more pain at all. It used to be the just pressing on the healed area hurt a bit, and sex had to go VERRRY slow. 

Just give it some time. It will get better!!


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