Episiotomy has opened and they wont stitch me back up!!

[Eliza_V]

We ended up going to the hospital in the middle of the night last night as my stitches were leaving me in agony; they'd just been getting worse I was planning on showing them to the MW who was meant to arrive for the 5-day check-up yesterday but she NEVER TURNED UP with not so much as a phonecall.. But that's another story..

So anyway, got looked at up the hospital, and basically the stitches are coming apart and are loose, and I have a nice painful gaping wound down there which is also starting to become infected I have two courses of antibiotics and some painkillers (which aren't that great due to BFing) but they wont stitch me back up!! The area is "too sensitive" or something. What the hell?? So I'm told "just keep it clean" .. What do you think I've been doing?? I clean it every time I go to the toilet, and I bathe twice a day.. If I was doing that and an open wound still became infected what makes them think it wont get worse now?? This is agony!

Ontop of that, BFing is unbelieveably painful, and it was hard enough to try and get comfy to feed with the stitches.. In trying to move around to get comfy to make the feed less painful, I've now ended up pulling my back! So I can't feed properly as it hurts, I cant pick her up if she's down on the changing mat, or if she's in the moses basket and I'm laying down as it's too painful.. Poor DH is having to run around and do everything for me and I can't even do something as simple as getting comfy for a feed so I'm stressing the whole way through

 

[Lui246]

The exact same thing happened to me it was awful to begin with and i had a really bad infection in the gaping bit but after my 2nd week of anti-biotics honestly it felt alot better not completely pain free but better. Mine was so bad i gave up on breastfeeding which i realy regret now i wish id just expressed the milk for a couple of weeks. Nearly all of my stitches came undone about 3 days after having chloe and i was told it could take up to 12 weeks to close naturally but after about 5 weeks minr had completely closed and after about 7 weeks i could do most things again like walking around, sitting down and going up and down stairs painfree. I know its awful and honestly the first week is the worst but it does get better and mine has now healed fine. Hope you heal nice and fast, if you have any.questions feel free to ask. Also if your not already it really helped me using a hair dryer to dry myself after bathing/showering.x

 

[Eliza_V]

Oh honey that sounds awful I'm glad you healed up okay. I haven't used a hairdryer but that's a good idea - what I've been doing is putting those maternity bedmats on the bed and laying there with legs akimbo and the ceiling fan on! Such a pretty sight, lol.

I've only got one weeks worth of antibiotics, I hope that's enough to knock the infection on the head. But I keep getting conflicting advice; the doc last night said to clean the area every time I go to the toilet as well as bathing two times a day in just water, and the midwife today who I was talking to said not to clean it every time as it washes away all of the natural bacteria and to bathe two times a day with whatever I want in my bath (Also a neonatal nurse last night said I should never swaddle my baby to sleep, whereas todays midwife said it's fine.. Ragh!)

Thanks for the advice hun. It just feels like it will never get better We were meant to be taking baby to visit family next week (5 hours to DHs family, then 2-3 hours from there to my family, then 3 hours home) as his Grandad is, unfortauntely, on his last legs so we want to go as soon as we can.. But I'm in far too much pain to travel now

Don't feel guilty about giving up BFing I know, I'm such a hypocrite for saying it as I feel guilty for wanting to give up, but at the end of the day you were suffering and it's better that you were comfy and that your baby is fed x

 

[Nimbus]

I know your pain - my stitches broke down too, following 5 days in hospital where my notes said they checked every day and they didn't once!!! anyway, many people heal beautifully, unfortunately i wasn't one of the lucky ones and had to go in for the refashioning operation. I am better now, and wanted to encourage you to keep badgering the dr's/midwives etc until you get the care that you deserve, and that you are back to as normal as you will get. Things that i found unseful for dealing with the pain... painkillers (!), warm baths, pouring from the back when pee-ing - they say do so from the front, but that just pushes the pee into the wound, ouchy. Use a hair drier to dry down there if you can after a bath.

We too had some problems with bfing - thrust for a couple of months which was not very nice at all... again, there are support organisations out there who can help you to figure out why it's hurting so. If you really want to feed your little one, then seek the help and advice - many of them are lovely.

Wishing you both all the best

 

[cyanidepill]

Not sure what to say but i know if a wound in general opens and shows signs of infection, that to close it up again would not allow the infection to drain, and therefore would harbour any infection or bacteria for longer.

I can imagine you're in a lot of discomfort with it. I had my daughter by section, and i know the wound from that was painful. The consultant i had left the wound slightly open at one end just to drain anything that may collect.....which make me feel yuck!

I hope it clears up and starts to heal soon for you hun xx

 

[K123]

My stitches completely dissolved and my episiotimy opened up after about 5days. It was agony for a while, and I had 2 courses of antibiotics. I was told at the hospital that it should not be restitched though, as the risk of trapping infection inside was too great and that I was better to wait for granulated healing to take place - basically it healing by itself from the inside out. 11 weeks on and I'm pain free, although things feel a bit bumpy down there - getting checked again next week to decide whether it can be left or whether I need to be recut and restitched. My best recommendation is feme pads from Mothercare - basically ice packs with hygenic disposable gauze covers to put in your knickers - they were my lifesavers!

 

[jackiea85]

I had this with my first son too, it was awful. Totally agree about the femepads, they were so soothing!x

 

[emiliasmummy]

hi id had 3rd degree tear and my stitches opened up on day 3 it was awful but best thing i did was get in the bath with badidas its in green bottle and about £12 from boots its a healing bubble bath and honestly is amazing ,i wasnt restitched due to infection but did need 3 courses of anti-biotics so keep on at the doc if you dont feel well ,oh and i used sounds daft but i put water on some sanitry pads and put them in freezer then warmed a wet muslim cloth and put that down below for when i was sat feeding its heaven .

hopes that helps hun and its does get better after about 3weeks xx

 

[Eliza_V]

Thanks for the advice everyone Sorry to hear you've all had tough times of it I'm not sure whether I can use ice/cooling pads down there though as the community MW who came over yesterday said to do the opposite of what the doc said She said a definite no-no to keeping it cold down there as I want to increase bloodflow, and not to have plain baths (doc told me not to put anything in bathwater, not even tea tree oil or lavender), and not to wash/clean every time I go to the loo as I'll wash the good bacteria away I can't believe the amount of conflicting advice I've got about pretty much everything since the baby has been born, all from the people who are supposed to be working together! I thought it was feeling better but over the last hour it feels like it's all tugging/pulling again, and if anything touches it in the slightest it REALLY hurts to the point where I could cry, whereas earlier I could sit/stand a lot easier.. How weird xx

 

[CeriB]

Mine came open at one end but wasn't too bad and they have left me to it. It still looks a bit gross, but doesn't hurt anymore.

As for the BFing, lying down can be a lifesaver for sore foo-foos! I BFed Erin lying in bed for the first 2w as it was the only way I could do it for that long and feel reletively confortable! The pain in your boobs and nipples will get better as LO gets bigger and learns how to feed more efficently. Stick with it huni - your doing great!!

 

[squeal]

Hi,

Sorry to hear you're having a rubbish time, I can completely sympathise with you as I had the same problem, you're not alone.

My stitches came undone after three days and became infected. I had to have two courses of anti-biotics. I was finally infection free after about three weeks.

I bought a she wee which was a god send to keep the area dry when going to the toilet and for direction the urine away from the wound, I could pee without it hurting. I also bathed in Badedas which the doctor recommended which didn't make much of a difference, however, bathing in tea tree oil really did help it heal.

I had an appointment at the hospital the other week and am told that my episiotomy has now fully healed, it doesn't look nice mind, but I am more or less pain free. The only issuse is that it's new skin which is red and sensitive so I found that having sex even for a couple of minutes made the area sore, so I think it will be a while before we can enjoy sex properly again!

I know it feels like forever and that you will never heal, I felt like that and it got me down a lot, especially not being able to be intimate with my OH. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

x

 

[K123]

Regarding the conflicting advice I would listen more to the Dr than your MW. I was told to keep the area clean, rinse after going to the loo, bath (but without any bubbles). It will get better, but unfortunately it will take a bit of time.