2nd degree tears

[Mena1]

Advice needed asap!
I gave birth exactly a month ago and still having problems with my 2nd degree stitches.DS was 6lb 9oz , My midwife stitched me ( I have zero confidence in her work) and said the tear was not too big. I've been to the local maternity triage, where i was checked and given pain killers. I find that the pain killers does not help much. The pain is mostly in my bottom. sometimes I find what looks like fresh blood on my sanitary towel, especially after having a bowel movement. Sorry for being so graphic.

Is this normal? Please advise

Is there anyone that can shed some light on my situation, i'm very close to tears.

[EdgarAirbombPoe]

a 2nd degree tear can take 6 weeks to heal (mine did, and it didn't feel quite 'right' for some time after) so it isn't unusual for it still to hurt (though definitely undesirable!)

what did they say when they checked you?

[Mena1]

Thanks so much,
They said it seemed like a stitch came out early but there is no infection. They said it should right itself. The pain is the worse thing for me. nothing helps.

[EdgarAirbombPoe]

i suppose if pooing is hurting, try upping orange juice/ fluids/ fibre (eg All-bran) to soften your poo.

other than that, take it easy - stand and sit gently, bathe in hot water (no bath products) with a little salt added to heal the skin.

if it is still really bad do go and get another check.

[Mena1]

I will do thanks. Will make an appointment with gp in the morning. absolutely desperate for pain relief.

Will try fluid up take, been on the all bran cereals.

Thanks for advice, much appreciated.x

[Mena1]

How long did it take for your stitches to heal in the end? How long did it take for you to be back to normal?

[BollocksToThis]

I had an unstitched 2nd degree tear and 8 weeks later it's almost healed. I'd see my GP if I was still in so much pain at that stage, especially if you were stitched as really it should be well on the way to healing I'd have thought.

[Pannacotta]

Poor you.
I had quite a bad 2nd degree tear with DS1 - it took the midwife well over an hour to do the stithces but they stitches themselves healed after about a week or so.
But it did take at least 2-3 months before I felt properly healed.
I did take strong Arnica after giving birth, which I think helped a lot. Also I had baths using Neals Yard arnica bath foam which is designed to help healing after birth.
HTH.

[EdgarAirbombPoe]

it didn't feel back to 'normal' until I'd had another child...but it was ok after a couple of months.

[susie100]

Cld it be that the pain and blood is actually cause by piles? You mention pain in the bum and blood after a BM?

[PrettyCandles]

I have had experiences at opposite ends of the spectrum.

My first 2nd degree tear did not heal. It did not get infected, but it did not heal either, despite various treatments, until I had it repaired under GA when dc1 was 8m.

OTOH I had another 2nd degree tear with dc2, which was completely healed by 5w.

The difference between the two experiences was staggering. Even only 10 days after dc2's birth I felt vastly better 'down there' than I had after dc1's birth. But of course after dc1's birth I did not know what to ex pect, so accepted my discomfort as normal recovery.

Your discomfort should be progressively improving. So if you are still uncomfortable, go to your GP. Itsabout time for your pn check, so make sure your stitches are examined. Some GPs don't bother.

Your bowel movements may not need bulking out, but softening. Drink plenty of fluids, and try porridge instead of bran.

BTW with dc3 I didn't tear, and recovery from that birth was so easy that finally understood how it was possible for a woman to be pregnant again by her 6w checkup.

[Sabineba]

I could sit down again without a cushion after 4-5 weeks. But 5 months on things are still not quite right down there... waiting for a referral to a gynaecologist at the moment.

[muslimah28]

go and see your gp, and insist they take you seriously if you hve to, and get a referral to a gynaecologist, as they (and not gps) are specialists in this area and will know what to do.

i had lots of problems with my stitches, all mine came out. mine was 2nd degree also, but the degree just relates to how deep internally the tear is, it was still a pretty long tear!

the things that made the most difference for me were a) airing the wound- sit without undies, on old towel if necessary and just let air get to it and b) salt water baths as suggested above. i bought a whole load of jars of coarse sea salt and put in a handful each bath, and did this at least once a day. also get plenty of rest.

the pain you describe is very similar to the pain i had, it wasn't in the wound itself but felt like it was almost 'displaced pain'. i had to have my wound cauterised- which is less scary than it sounds, over in less than a couple of minutes if that, and this made it fully heal eventually without restitching, which would have been the next step had this intervention failed.

you should definitely be on strong pain killers, co codamol and diclofenac are what they usually give if you're BF. also you can try instillagel or lidocain, these are topical ointments for symptomatic relief, available over the counter. its worth saying though, that even being this drugged up, i was still in excrutiating pain in my whole bottom area until i had the wound cauterised.and i had to have it cauterised 4 times in the end.

i spent many days crying so don't worry about that, just let it out... it was great for me to hear stories like those of PrettyCandles at the time I was suffering, as it helped me have hope that i would get better, which i did.

[Lorelai]

The pain/bleeding may not be your stitches - I developed an anal fissure after childbirth and had very similar symptoms - pain and blood when doing a bowel movement. GP prescribed laxatives and something to soften my stools so that it could heal (every bowel movement was re-opening the wound IYSWIM).

[Mena1]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll be trying everything suggested.

I have been on co codamol and diclofenac but no change. Having the constant pain is really making me miserable, but its good to know i;m not the only one.

Thanks so much.

I love mumsnet, threads are the best.

[stoatie]

Hope you are feeling better soon. If you have been on co-codamol - has this given you constipation (common side effect) and therefore it might be piles/straining during bowel movement causing bleeding rather than you stitches?

[Mena1]

I have been on co codomol but not had constipation - Fortunately. I know everyone says not to look but i had a look and I can see where the stitch came loose. I have an appointment with my gp tomorrow so i hope this will get sorted soon. I feel like the pain and feeling of constantly being uncomfortable is taking my time away from DS. I just want to enjoy him without all the pain from down stairs. Its so frustrating. Fingers crossed tomorrow goes well. xx

[karyncake]

I had a 2nd degree tear after dd1 and it took quite a long time to heal, it always felt a tiny bit sore until I had another 2nd (almost 3rd) degree tear when having dd2 but for some reason like a couple of other mums here this one healed much quicker and now 9 months on it doesnt feel sore at all.
I had it done by a doctor this time rather than the midwife as my mw was honest in saying that she did not feel confident in doing it herself. Saying that, I wouldnt call her my midwife she missed the birth by 30 minutes!

[Elsa123]

Sounds like you've had a stitch pop. I had the same symptoms, had a look and found one of the external stitches had gone. I then made sure that I supported my perineum when I went to the loo and that stopped the bleeding. It healed up on its own and the scar line is neat. It was 10 days before no agonising pain and 5 weeks later it aches a little, but I'm more concerned now over my pelvic floor! Ice compresses helped a lot. Good luck