The bleeding after birth? and the stinging after labour? tips and info?

[youngwife20]

I remember my MW putting 2 maternity pads between my legs for going up to the shower after having just given birth, i thought it was a bit extreme but i did bleed quite heavily but then my periods were never really that heavy. I bled heavily for nearly a week then it went lighter like your coming to the end of your period. Think I bled for 2-3weeks
I had a 2nd degree labial tear from top to bottom with a lot of swelling and bruising, it took at least a month to stop hurting all the time. Only thing now is I feel it throbbing when ive got my period but its nothing i cant handle
The MW told me to pee in the shower as that would ease the stinging but i was too scared to..lol. The first time i did go to pee i took a bottle of water and poured it on me whilst peeing. I think as long as you drink plenty fluids you wont tend to sting. Being kept in the hospital for 11days after birth kept me well hydrated with the hospitals being so hot I was drinking litres of water a day.
I have to say your brave wanting to know all this before birth, I was scared as hell of tearing but I never even noticed at the time theres so much else to think about it hasnt put me off having more either

thanks i wouldnt consider it brave lol i think it will help me at the time coz im one of those people if something happens ive not heard will happen il think im dieing or something lol so this is helping me get ready for the propspect of a big blood bath and painfull lady bits lol

 

[youngwife20]

I had a second degree tear and was very swollen and bruised afterwards. This is what I did (pretty much repitition of what others have said):

Baths: Twice a day. 10 drops of tea tree oil in each bath. After each bath, try and lie on your bed with no underwear on to let everything "air".
For the swelling: Arnica tablets and paracetamol. Also used the freezer gel pads in my underwear as well as the maternity pads.
To help with sitting (as I was VERY swollen & tender): OH went out and bought a child's rubber ring from the local swimming pool - was the best thing ever!!
To help with No. 2s: Senokot tablets.
To ease peeing: Drink lots of water to keep the urine diluted - this will reduce stinging. A cold wet flannel to hand is a godsend too!

Remember to keep doing your pelvic floors during this time too, as this also helps with recovery. xxx

hey thanks for the advice ..

this is my thing .. I cant imagine sitting there on my bed dripping with blood to help this heal faster.. the idea grosses me out do you just put like lots of towels on the bed??

and also isnt to early to start perlvic exercises? as im only 14 weeks? what about like those bouncy balls people use in labour would that help?

thank you! oh and were can you get these ice pad things?

 

[youngwife20]

Here they are........ Heaven

https://inhishands.com/Peri-Cold-Pack.92
https://www.birthwithlove.com/categories/itempage.asp?prodid=Perineal+(Peri)+Cold+Pads

hey thanks for this link, im in the uk so im trying to find them here hopefuly theyl have them!

 

[youngwife20]

is arnica tablets okay if your breastfeeding? as il be exclusivly breastfeeding

 

[youngwife20]

Ive seen something called "feme pads" there squishy and you put them in ur underwear.. but im not sure if you put the padd underneath it.. i asume u do , it says its cold and helps relief some pain in the lady bits

 

[FeistyMom]

Pelvic floor exercises are good for women pretty much all the time, whether pregnant or not They can help make pushing easier, and they help prevent/minimize incontinence. I started doing them while pregnant with my first, and I continue to do them periodically (although not as often as I should) between pregnancies, but especially during the postpartum healing period. Plus it helps pass the time!

 

[Sini]

Im not that worried about the bleeding or bruising but stinging and pain when weeing scares me. Ive had UTIs pretty much several times a year for 10 years now. Its the worse pain I know and I cant stand it. I will definately be drinking to dilute my wee and spraying water to take the edge of the sting

 

[youngwife20]

Fiesty- true! I will give it a go! And I'm having lots of time of before babys due so I'll do even more pelvic stuff to pass the time, do u mean incontinence as in peeing myself? Or do ppl actualy poo themselves? I knw ppl poo in labour but do u mean pelvic floor exersices stops u from peeing urself when ur heavily pregnant u mean?

 

[Cocoa]

This is a good thread! What I'm worried about is visitors, obv there will be a lot in the first week and if I'm bleeding really heavy and leaking it will be so embarassing! What about going out and about too!?.. eek!

 

[nov_mum]

My MW gave me paracetamol suppositories after my first labour, I think it helped. Also, I drank ural three times a day which I think helped neutralise the wee. I had used them in previous UTI's and my MW gave me a pile and told me to drink drink drink.

The clots - no one talked about it! I thought I was dying - anything over the size of a plum is bad. They are not clots like a bleeding nose clot - they can be hard and look like blackcurrant jelly. I thought it was bits of retained placenta and saved it to show the MW. If only I knew beforehand, so embarrasing

 

[alisha_t]

Don't worry about stinging when you pee. If it's too bad, run some cool water in the bath and sit in it to pee. Then, shower off. I know it sounds bad, but there will be no burning/stinging and trust me, it will not be the last time you are peed on. Nor will it be the last time someone pees in the tub. LO will do plenty of both. Plus, you can wash right off after.

 

[youngwife20]

This is a good thread! What I'm worried about is visitors, obv there will be a lot in the first week and if I'm bleeding really heavy and leaking it will be so embarassing! What about going out and about too!?.. eek!

oh goodness for sure something valid to worry about. i dont know how people do it my friend had her baby and 5 days after we were out shopping and she did say she was bleeding non stop but id feel so gross going out all day! lol it may be akward to start with , with visitors. im gonna try and avoid them for the first week while i figure out how to deal with it first then when im used to it visitors would be ok. just lots of douberling up on pads lol and wearing black and thick trousers!

 

[youngwife20]

My MW gave me paracetamol suppositories after my first labour, I think it helped. Also, I drank ural three times a day which I think helped neutralise the wee. I had used them in previous UTI's and my MW gave me a pile and told me to drink drink drink.

The clots - no one talked about it! I thought I was dying - anything over the size of a plum is bad. They are not clots like a bleeding nose clot - they can be hard and look like blackcurrant jelly. I thought it was bits of retained placenta and saved it to show the MW. If only I knew beforehand, so embarrasing

aww atleast you didnt worry after she told you it was normal! im so glad im aware of all this now! hopefuly i wont have any embarrasing momments lol x

 

[JenStar1976]

You can get the gel pads from Mothercare. Yes, you can take Arnica tablets whilst breastfeeding. x

 

[youngwife20]

Thanks alot

 

[k84]

I'm a little late on this thread and this is my first baby so I don't really have first hand experience, but I did read about making perineal ice packs which sound like they'd be very soothing.

Take a condom and put in 1 inch of rubbing alcohol and then put in around 3 or 4 inches of water and tie it off. Then double bag it with a second condom. Freeze them in a toilet paper roll to keep shape. Because of the rubbing alcohol, they don't freeze solid, but stay slushy/moldable. Then wrap in thin washcloth or thick paper towel for use. Apparently these work wonders and are a great shape for our bodies

Thanks for starting (and to others for contributing to) this thread - all these tips are so useful I've written them all down lol.

 

[babyhopesxx]

Drink plenty of water to dilute urine or squirt some warm water down there the same time your weeing to help with the sting. Also when your wiping, just pat dry, do not wipe as it catches on your stitches if you wipe. Also, i bled loads for the first few weeks, in hospital i was too scared to go to the loo but my mw said that a full bladder makes the bleeding worse so make sure you wee regularly. Doing a no 2 is an even scarier thought but it wasn't as bad as i expected and maybe take some laxatives to help.

I bled on and off for 6 weeks, the first couple of weeks really heavy and yes i did have several leaks then it tailed off but kept comming back. I found that too much activity would start the bleeding back up again.

Take plenty of baths to keep clean down below and it helps with the stinging a bit. Also arnica tablets are good for bruising and are available at boots and most chemists. I've packed some in my hospital bag, so start taking them immediately after birth.

And paracetamol helps with the pain a bit too. HTH.

 

[youngwife20]

K84- not to late at all! thanks very much tht is a very good idea
Babyhopei- thank u very much for the tips! What sort of activity made it worse? I'll stay home for the first few weeks of bleeding I dread lleaking! Lol xx

 

[babyhopesxx]

Things like shopping and housework for hours seemed to start the bleeding off again.

 

[youngwife20]

I'll stay clear of house work for a long time after babys here! Lol my hubby will have a lot to do!! Lol