How long do stitches take to heal?

[teacher1984]

Just wondering how long after birth I should expect stitches to hurt...its been almost a week now.

Any suggestions on how to speed up healing?

[CinnamonBunYou]

Mine hurt and felt uncomfortable for a few weeks and then felt tight, like they were pulling when I sat down too quick for about 6 months. I tore upwards though.

My midwide suggested a few drops of lavender oil in the bath. Never tried it though, can't stand the smell

[CinnamonBunYou]

Midwife*

[Junosmum]

Mine felt bad for about 10 days then slowly got better. I still felt them when walking too fast or far and when sat on the loo until week 4. I'm now 5.5weeks from giving birth and they are almost healed but the scar tissue is tender. I'm expecting it to be months and months until I feel normal again.

[teacher1984]

God I didn't realise recovery was so long. Over a week in and still painful

[lynholmerpark]

Get your community midwife to check healing to make sure all is well. In meantime regular pain relief and don't soak too long if you have a bath. Short baths or showers are best. Cooled (in fridge) witch hazel on a maternity pad may provide a little relief and make sure you use thick pads, nothing like Always Ultra which can affect the healing process.

[KatyN]

I sat on a cushion for a fortnight. Then could sit in anything. I probably stopped taking painkillers or them after a week but then I was taking stuff for my sore boobs so was probably still taking some pain relief for another week or so.
I'm now 6 weeks and can feel them if I sit in a certain position. I've had them checked by the gp and they are fine but the scar is a bit tight.

So... Totally normal I'm afraid, give yourself another couple of weeks!!
Kx

[Imnotaslimjim]

Obviously it does depend on the extent and position of the damage. For me, I had 32 stitches, some inside some out. The internal ones healed quicker. The outside ones took about 3 weeks.

One tip the MW gave me - once it isn't so sore to touch, massage around them gently. It increases blood supply and aids healing. If your loss has slowed, try going bare for a couple of hours a day, sitting on a towel to catch any loss. I found it felt better to not have them rubbed at constantly.

[Junosmum]

I second the going bare! And dry your foof with a hairdryer after a bath or shower to ensure the area is dry.

[teacher1984]

They have started to itch today! Literally feel like I have creepy crawlies crawling all over me - it's horrible! Have started taking ibuprofen again and took a bath with lavender oil earlier.

Still have blood loss - hope it stops as wearing pads isn't helping. Absolute nightmare.

[Frazzled2207]

Mine were at their worst at about 6/7 days. Better at 10 and a lot better at 2 weeks. Recommend daily bath with tea tree oil.
I bled for over a month both times
but the bleeding subsided quite a bit after the first 10 days.
Congratulations!

[Imnotaslimjim]

Itching is good, it means scar tissue is forming and they're healing

If you're loss isn't too heavy, try sitting on a couple of thick towels. A cold water rinse will get rid of any stains