Anyone that had a second degree cut from an episiotomy?

[xJessie91x]

I had to have emergency forceps for my little man to be born, I needed to be cut and the doc said it was a second degree cut. He was only born friday at 2.42am but I was just wondering how long did it take for you to stop being so tender down there, I struggle to sit down and just generally feel uncomfortable. Also (TMI) dread needing to poop as its so uncomfortable to wipe! Any experiences?! x

 

[Sparrow85]

Congratulations on your LO!

I had the same, episiotomy and forceps. I was really sore for the first 2 weeks. I would say I felt about 90% around 4 weeks and 100% at 6 weeks. Just make sure you look after yourself properly and don't do too much. I didn't and I ended up with an infection, which slowed my healing. I had a bath every day and that really helped. Make sure you keep the wound dry.

I also worried about going to the toilet but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as what I thought. I did hold myself with toilet paper over my stitches though for a few days and that helped with the pressure. I got given lactulose to soften stools and that eased it a bit.

I don't feel any different to what I did before giving birth and my scar is barely visible now. Hope that helps.

 

[MindUtopia]

I didn't have an episiotomy, but I did have a natural 2nd degree tear. I had an otherwise easy birth, but it was definitely sore to sit for probably about 2 weeks and then tender on and off to the touch sometimes for about 3 months (not unbearbly so, but just more sore than before birth). After that I felt fine.

Soaking in a warm bath with lavender oil helped a lot in those early days though. It helped with the discomfort and will also speed up your healing. I was taking 1-2 baths every day.

 

[jd83]

I had an episiotomy with my 1st son. It was tender for a few weeks. I used stool softeners so that it didn't hurt so bad to go to the bathroom while it was healing, and that helped. Also, the Sitz bath with warm water really helped it feel better, as well as using a topical freeze spray they gave me. You can also make pad-sicles by pouring some water on some pads and freezing them. Then just put them down there for a little while to help with cool relief for healing.

I will say though, DTD was painful for months for me. We didn't DTD until 8 weeks post partum, and it hurt for several months for me because of the healing. But I know that's different for everyone, and depends on how rapidly you heal.

 

[Sparrow85]

I agree that it can be painful to DTD afterwards. We did it about 5 weeks PP and it was agony, everything felt so tight! Even now, it can be a little painful right away, but it soon goes away. Honestly think I was stitched up to within an inch of my life lol.

 

[xJessie91x]

Thank you ladies for your replies xx

 

[wantingno.2]

Congratulations xxxxx

I had an episiotomy and forceps with my first and it was very tender for a while, I do remember not being able to sit down at one point. But after the first week I felt so much better. It's so different for everyone. It was actually the birth I recovered from the quickest compared to my others and we dtd after 4 weeks, i was very nervous but actually we went really slow and gentle and it was fine.

I think the pooping is always an issue ive dreaded the first 1 all 3 times even after my csection! but in my experiance it's never as bad as you imagine.

Baths help soothe the pain abit I thought x

 

[Kazzini]

I had an episiotomy/second degree tear due to needing forceps as LO's heartbeat was dipping and my contractions started easing off. It was very painful to sit down but as others have said it does get better. It was probably painful to sit down for 4 weeks after giving birth and eased off after that but was still a bit painful and I cannot remember when the pain went now but it went gradually. My stitches actually split so I would say take it as easy as possible to avoid that happening! Also have baths as often as possible (difficult when tending to a LO I know), dry the area with a hairdryer (on a cool setting) and lie down when you can so you are not sat on the area so much. We tried to DTD last week but it was just too painful but we managed it yesterday which was a relief and it was painful at first but completely fine after a bit!! As far as going to the toilet is concerned I just made sure I ate lots of vegetables/fruit and had some prunes so that it would make things easier and actually I never found it painful at all. Hope you manage to recover soon.

 

[fairydust87]

I had an episiotomy and forceps not sure what degree tear it was but the stitching came out so it was open for a good while It was a nightmare going for a wee. No-one tells you about after the birth do they lol. I felt better around 6-10 weeks after giving birth and a year and 3 weeks on Im absolutely fine down there haha

Good luck and congrats xx

 

[Taurus8484]

Midwives told me to use baby wipes with number 2's....not as rough as toilet paper until it healed.....

 

[Kirsty1003]

Congrats on your lo!
I used to take a jug of cold water with me to the toilet for a wee, dont worry about the other, it hurts less than you imagine!
Also for sitting down do you have an inflatable ring? Like the swimming kind, I swore by mine for a couple of weeks, completely took the pressure off

 

[TigerGalLE]

Yes I sat on my boppy pillow for a while. Used a peribottle often to rinse the stitches and then wiped gently with baby wipes. Also sitz baths help. Try not to sit on your bottom if you don’t have to. Lie on your side to help the swelling go down. I also took stool softeners.