what helped when dealing with vaginal stitches and discomfort

[Kristalebear1]

Hey ladies here I am 3 days after having my beautiful baby girl and things have been great. I got a second degree tear and hemorrhaged pretty badly after labor. Thankfully all is good now and I am in the process of healing haha.

I have been home nearly two days and i still use the squirt bottle when I pee, I use witch hazel pads, and make sure I keep it dry down there. I also took a newborn diaper, soaked in water and froze it (folded like a diaper is normally haha) and just placed it down there to help with swelling. Todays been the worst of it as I feel uber swollen down there. Not really near my stitches but more so the inner lips of my vagina.

I also press tp down there on the stitches when I go #2 so I don't feel like I'm ripping to pieces haha. Few questions though, there is a small idk piece of skin like near the bottom of my vaginal opening (I assume near my stitches start) is that normal? They never checked me before I left the hospital.

Also did any of you have trouble holding pee the first day or so? I had trouble the first day and yesterday but today I am getting better at holding it and not weeing myself a tad haha.

What are all you doing to ease the pain?

 

[AK89]

Hey! Congrats on the baby!

I'm quite surprised they didn't check you before you left the hospital. I'm not sure about that to be honest so I'll leave it to someone who knows what they're talking about.

I had a double episiotomy so was very sore and swollen for a couple of weeks. Sounds like you're doing a good job though! I used to use wet wipes or toilet paper with baby lotion to wipe when I'd been to the toilet so it wasn't too rough and then I'd just pat it dry with toilet paper. I made sure I got a shower every day too and just kinda pointed the shower head at my bits!! I didn't do too much feeling about, it kinda weirded me out.. you're brave!

I also used to sit on a big pillow all the time.. I actually couldn't sit directly on something without using a pillow/blanket.

I took regular painkillers too which helped but obviously check what's safe for you to take if you're BFing.

Just take it easy too.. I decided I wanted to go show off my baby at a big shopping centre 6 days pp. Was a bad, bad idea. After 4-5 mins of walking I was in agony and I was in quite a lot of pain just sitting down on the crappy wooden chairs (even with a blanket down) which I had to do almost immediately to feed her. So bear that in mind!

Yeahh if I remember correctly I had trouble holding wee too.. and...err...gas it would just come out! No word of warning! Rather embarrassing!

So I take it you're in the US? How does it work over there in terms of postnatal checkups?

 

[misspriss]

I only had a slight tear, 1st degree but it was vaginal so I got one stitch. I'm also 3 days out, congratulations

I use the peri bottle every time I pee, otherwise it still hurts. I am still on painkillers as I have been having wicked afterpains, mostly just high dose ibuprofen but sometimes percocet as well if the afterpains get really bad.

Have you heard of dermaplast? I read about it online and picked some up, it's great stuff. It's a numbing spray. I also have really rough hemorrhoids, to the point they were the most painful thing I complained about post birth in the hospital. They gave me some Rx cream at the hospital for them, it helps.

I have not looked or felt down there, so I'm not quite sure about any extra flaps of skin, although when I shower I haven't noticed anything.

So I'd recommend the following, it seems to be working well for me:

- anti inflammatory OTC pain meds, unless you are taking something stronger already, helps with the swelling
- dermaplast spray, helps for me with friction feeling on the pad, I use a couple of times a day
- Don't be afraid to ask doctor about hemorrhoid treatment if you need it
- USE THE PERI BOTTLE (so worth the extra few minutes it takes to make it up)
- take stool softeners, especially if you are on pain meds, no reason not to make it a little easier to go for a while

 

[StranjeGirl]

Congrats!
Honestly I think it is just time that really makes things better. With dd1 I only had a first degree tear and 1 stitch. I was in so much pain I couldn't sit for like 3 weeks!! I used the water bottle instead of toilet paper and they gave me some spray to use. A couple weeks in I was burning and itching so badly I thought I had an infection, but I didn't. I think I was just healing. It's a very sensitive area and it just needs time to heal. Take it as easy as possible and lay down as much as possible. It does go away, but sometimes it feels worse before better. I would say at the 3 week mark it started to get a bit better for me, and then by 4 weeks the pain really started to subside. With dd2 I didn't have any stitches and I felt fine right after delivery..it was totally bizarre. Her head was smaller though lol! Good luck!

 

[lisaalove]

The only thing that helped after I had my first and had a double episiotomy was that I filled a condom up like a water balloon and froze it then put it down there. They also gave me a sitz bath which I sligjtly remember helping

 

[george83]

Congratulations on baby!!

After I had ds2 I was in so much pain it was unbelievable, so much worse than when I had ds1. I took a bath everyday using lavender oil which I think helped

 

[Kristalebear1]

Thanks ladies!! One more question... I am not feeling any after contractions. I breastfeed and pump daily at least every 2 hours and have no contraction pains really at all. My bleeding is very minimal, should I be worried? I was on a pitocin drip for 24 hrs after delivery and never felt any contracting the whole time. (they did keep asking how my pain was, and I was fine, lever needed any pain meds the whole time in the hospital, and still have only taken Tylenol since then.)

 

[Kristalebear1]

Hey! Congrats on the baby!

I'm quite surprised they didn't check you before you left the hospital. I'm not sure about that to be honest so I'll leave it to someone who knows what they're talking about.

I had a double episiotomy so was very sore and swollen for a couple of weeks. Sounds like you're doing a good job though! I used to use wet wipes or toilet paper with baby lotion to wipe when I'd been to the toilet so it wasn't too rough and then I'd just pat it dry with toilet paper. I made sure I got a shower every day too and just kinda pointed the shower head at my bits!! I didn't do too much feeling about, it kinda weirded me out.. you're brave!

I also used to sit on a big pillow all the time.. I actually couldn't sit directly on something without using a pillow/blanket.

I took regular painkillers too which helped but obviously check what's safe for you to take if you're BFing.

Just take it easy too.. I decided I wanted to go show off my baby at a big shopping centre 6 days pp. Was a bad, bad idea. After 4-5 mins of walking I was in agony and I was in quite a lot of pain just sitting down on the crappy wooden chairs (even with a blanket down) which I had to do almost immediately to feed her. So bear that in mind!

Yeahh if I remember correctly I had trouble holding wee too.. and...err...gas it would just come out! No word of warning! Rather embarrassing!

So I take it you're in the US? How does it work over there in terms of postnatal checkups?

I wasn't checked once down there after everything was done. They did check my pad/bleeding, and pushed on my stomach alot haha. Post natal wise I have an appt at 6wks post and then another a few weeks after that. At the 6 wk post appt they will clear me (hopefully) for all the fun activities, if not then they will at the one after that. That's pretty much it unless there's cause for them to worry.

I have to sit on a pillow to, I can't sit straight on any semi hard surface. Ugh I just can't wait to be able to cough without feeling like my vagina is going to pop off

 

[MindUtopia]

I found that taking baths with lavender oil, twice a day, really helped. I was pretty resistant at first because I wasn't even sure I could get in and out of the bathtub! I had a 2nd degree tear. Actually, it helped so much. Some people recommend making padsicles with aloe and witch hazel, which is similar to what you're already doing, but the added aloe and witch hazel on the frozen pads might help (there are lots of recipes online for making them). I didn't do those, but the baths really helped. Also just resting and taking it easy as much as possible. It does get better in time. My bleeding lasted for about a month, though only really red for about a week. My guess is that yours might come back in time because I felt mine came and went a bit. I didn't have any after pains at all, even when breastfeeding or expressing. I didn't even really have any when I delivered the placenta either.

 

[LoveCakes]

I had a second degree tear and a few first degree ones. It was 2 weeks before I felt I could walk and stand comfortably. Standing up straight (for example at the changing table) felt like it was pulling the stitches but the midwife said that was normal. She checked every few days to see if they were healing. Sit on a big pillow and take it easy if possible. I decided to go for a walk in the park 1 week pp and turned back 10 min later and waddled back to the car.

A bath every day even for 10 min with witch hazel or lavendar was recommended by the midwife and really helped even short term.

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[LoveCakes]

Oh and if you are cleared for fun activities be gentle! I had sex at 5.5 weeks. It was fine at the time but stung afterwards and when the dr looked at my 6 week check I had slightly tore again.

We tried again at 7 weeks and everything has been normal and good since.

P.s. I didn't have after pains too even with the placenta.

 

[Srrme]

I had multiple tears down there the last time. I took Ibuprofen occasionally and used the squirt bottle every time I peed. The witch hazel burned so I ended up not using those very much. Sitting in the bath helped A LOT! If I stood up for long periods it would feel very swollen down there and uncomfortable so I sat as much as possible the first week.

They also didn't check me down there at all after sewing me up, but it all healed properly. 😊

Oh and I also didn't feel contractions after I was discharged and I breastfed exclusively.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I had a 3rd degree tear, so my relief cocktail consisted of Percocet, numbing spray the hospital gave me, water squeeze bottle, witch hazel pads, stool softeners, and lots of baths. The first week was the roughest, and then it got more comfortable. My husband was given two weeks off for parental leave, so he did a lot with DD and the house so I could recover, which made things easier. The OB checked me at 1 week and 4 weeks postpartum. I didn't have any after-contractions after the first day.

I started getting out and about the day we came home from the hospital, which helped oddly enough. Sitting hurt, so I did a lot of walking/standing.

 

[misspriss]

I am so jealous of you that feel no after pains / contractions... They kill me! I get them much less now though.