2nd Degree Tear

[oliviat93]

Hello

I'm 7days pp, I had a 2nd degree tear - had stitches and I am still so sore and they have also become quite itchy. How long did people take to recover from a 2nd degree tear? Any secret tips to make me feel better?

I didn't really get much aftercare instructions apart from take paracetamol and ibuprofen. I saw a midwife a few days ago and she said to take baths to clean/soothe them, she also had a look and said they don't look bad but I can see your stitches.. I've been doing this and it helps when I'm in the bath but as soon as I'm out the pain and itchiness comes straight back! I feel so useless right now because I'm so limited to what I can do! I'm praying it starts to feel better soon 😭

[DryHeave]

Air yourself as much as possible. Use kitchen roll to dry rather than toilet paper - less bits sticking.

Hope you feel better soon.

[EAIOU]

Lavender and tea tree oil for pads. Put drop or each on top middle and bottom of pad.

Place an old towel down an lie for a little while when you have time to let the air at it.

Put maternity pads into sandwich bag then into freezer for an hour. Then use one to sit on.

Do NOT over exert yourself where possible. Accept help if any and dont feel pressure to have visitors over or feel the need to entertain until you are well!

Congrats OP and take lots of self care.

[EAIOU]

I meant with no lower clothing on for the old towel.

[MediaMum1224]

Yes lavender and tea tree oil is amazing!! If you mix about ten drops of each with a little bit of milk it helps it blend with your bath water rather than sitting in top of it. Then a foot of warm water in the bath and sit for a while.
Then air dry while lying on a towel! Regular airing definitely helps!

I had 2nd degree internal and perenial tearing and labial grazing, and it probably took a couple of months to heal fully. There was some scar tissue left which was really uncomfortable during sex, and a midwife recommended massaging the scar tissue with pure vitamin E oil (Amazon has big bottles). She actually recommended massaging the oil in with a vibrator (yes really!!! Should have seen DH’s face when I told him!) and honestly, that made the most enormous difference. It’s not sexy, it’s pretty bloody uncomfortable, but the vibrator can do about twenty times as much to break down the scar tissue as you could do! After my second birth I got straight onto this advice as soon as I could bear, and things healed a lot quicker.

Good luck OP!

[MediaMum1224]

There’s also a spray hilariously called ‘Spritz for Bits” which is an essential oil soothing thing, and was very very nice post-birth!

[HJ82]

About 3 days before pain free and about 2 weeks before 100% normal but mine was a 2nd degree side cut, not tear.

[Sexnotgender]

I never had much issue with my tear. Took paracetamol the first day but that was all.

[ReganSomerset]

Second degree tear here too. Get a plastic bottle, one of the small ones they sell in travel bags, keep it by the sink in the toilet. Fill with lukewarm water every time you use the toilet and use it to rinse yourself off. Dab with a towel or fan with handheld fan to air dry. Do not wipe!

[firstimemamma]

Hi op, I had a 2nd degree tear after having my son nearly 10 months ago.

After about 2 weeks I remember starting to feel better. By 3 weeks we took the baby out to a restaurant so things were clearly moving in the right direction with my recovery. By 6 weeks I felt more or less back to normal (apart from the sleep deprivation!) and by 11 weeks we were having sex again.

Your recovery might be completely different but that was mine in a nutshell. Things down there are the same as before I had my baby now, the human body and the way it heals is amazing!

Tips for recovery:

Take it easy whenever possible.

Boots own maternity pads are nice and thick, like a soft cushion.

Every evening I filled the bath up to about a third full and kind of knelt in it and had a quick all over daily wash. I knew soaking in the bath for ages wasn't an option and there was no way I was feeling up to a blast in the shower! This way of washing seemed like a good middle ground.

Pelvic floor exercises - keeping them up encourages healing.

If weeing stings, pour tepid water over your bits (a sports cap bottle is good for this) as you wee.

If toilet roll hurts, Superdrug sell 'intimate area wipes' (or just use a baby wipe - more or less the same thing imo!)

Good luck and feel better soon

[Appymummy]

I had a terrible time with my recovery from second degree tear...infections and then had to have it debride. I am still under the consultant as I am not fully healed 3 months on. The infection started 10 days pp so please keep an eye on it all. If it doesn't feel right get it checked out.
Air drying is best or even use the cold function on the hairdryer! If still feels sore you can sit on an ice pack, also itching could be the healing process. It's not nice and can really get you down, especially as people are unable to "see" what's going on. Hope you make a speedy recovery!

[Spam88]

No ones mentioned witch hazel! My midwives told me to put it on my maternity pads to aid healing. Impossible to say whether it was the witch hazel of course, but I didn't have any issues with my tear/stitches (not even the stinging first wee which I was dreading!).

[WonkyDonk87]

I did the lavender baths twice daily. Also told by midwives to keep my knees together as much as possible, especially when getting in and out of bed/the car etc.

[didireallysaythat]

I had a third degree tear and had one or two baths a day with lavender oil. Maybe I was just lucky but didn't have any problems. Still love a lavender bath!

[pipanchew2]

Had episiotomy for DC1 doc said it was equivalent to second degree tear. At 6week check still not fully healed and felt very tender. Similar to you OP felt itchy and really sore for a while really limited what I could do for first couple of months. midwives couldn’t see any infection but in the end GP said probably was a low level infection that just wasn’t obvious so put me on antibiotics which helped. Agree with PP that witch hazel was great - I bought the pads and kept them in the fridge.
DC2 and I had a second degree tear - totally different, am three weeks post partum now and feel almost back to normal - didn’t need witch hazel, warm baths etc was able to shower and ‘wipe’ pretty much straight away without too much discomfort so I think it might depend on how tricky the birth was as well as the degree of the tear.

Maybe get GP to have a look as well as midwife for second opinion...

Good luck!

[oliviat93]

Thanks for all your responses and advice! Will definitely have to get some tea tree oil/lavender oil! I haven't rested as well as I should have done really my baby ended up being admitted to the hospital when she was 3 days old so my focus has been on her - luckily she's happy and healthy so just need to rest more and let DP do more things for me!

Just had a wash and been air drying and some stitches have fallen out.. I'm seeing my midwife tomorrow so she'll be able to have a look. I hope the tear hasn't opened back up

[EAIOU]

Mines came apart after a few days and it was agony. Took me til about 8 weeks PP to not wince when moving. Of they're starting to come away rest, rest, rest! Are you due a home visit to get someone to have a look? If not can you book into the GP

[Baloonphobia]

Sleep on a towel too. I got terrible itching. It drove me mad but this really helped. Any time away from the maternity pads helps.

[novasglowx]

Pads soaked in witchhazel = so much relief.

[Lwmommy]

Echoing witch hazel on pads as being the most blissful relief. For an extra bit of relief freeze the witch hazel soaked pad for an hour.

Also no sanitary pads, just plain cheap maternity pads. They need to be thick, cushiony and Non-scented/chemical.

I made the mistake of using some of the always pads and they were so chemically induced absorbent that the stitches stuck to the pad. Only made that mistake once!

[whitehalleve]

I went to Gp and got stronger painkillers about a week pp. made a whole world of difference.

[jollyohh]

Get the midwife to have a look at it. 7 days pp is still really early days. My episiotomy was agony for the first two weeks then felt much better and never gave me any trouble. I probably didn't rest enough in the beginning tbh.

My 2nd degree tear was much less painful but took forever to heal, got infected, stitches fell out.

Top tips would be keep it clean and dry. Air it as much as possible. Do your pelvic floors. Try not to sit on it - applying pressure for long periods effects blood flow and healing. Get it checked regularly if you don't feel it's healing.

[Wingingthis]

I swear by arnica. Reccomended to me by my midwife

[TastingTheRainbow]

If she could see your stitches it sounds like a bad job has been done sadly as they shouldn’t be visible at all following the correct suturing technique. The reason why we suture this way is to prevent excessive discomfort. If you’re struggling ask for stronger painkillers from your GP, there is more you can take even if breastfeeding and it’s not acceptable to leave you in this much pain. Hope it improves soon.

[loudnoises1]

Hey OP,

I'm currently in the middle of a messy and long recovery from a third degree episiotomy.
I really feel for you, it's horrible.

Shower as often as you can to prevent infection and air dry instead of towel dry the area.
Clean and dry is key.
Sprits for bits was good until the wound reopened and then it caused all kinds of hell.

My stitches came out, got redone and came out again due to infection, sometimes there's not a lot you can do if the infection is bad.

In terms of comfort, I found being naked and airing it as often as possible helped. Also peeing in the shower if it stings on the loo!

Ask your GP if you can get something stronger than paracetamol/ibuprofen. Dihydracodeine worked a treat for me.

[kidsmakesomuchwashing]

Lavender oil and sit in salt water bath.