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Original poster

Vaginal stitches cleaning advice

25 replies

LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 19:34

Would you hold your open (sorry) and spray water on the actual stitches or would you just run the water over the outside not actually hitting the stitches but keeping the outside clean? I have my period so want to keep clean but don’t want to do the wrong thing. I will ring gp tomorrow to check but wanted opinions for now. I think after episiotomy I just did the outside. I was advised not to bath until after a week. Thanks!

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 04/12/2018 19:38

All you need to do is run clear water on the outside. Your period will not affect the stitches. DO NOT expose the stitches and hit them with water.

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 19:41

Eek ok I did sort of just hit them with a bit of water but am now lying on a towel air drying. DH told me to do what you said hence me asking. I’ll do that from now on!!!

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Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 19:42

Air drying with legs slightly apart is good right?

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auberbene · 04/12/2018 19:43

You don't have to touch them in order to clean them. I just waved a shower head over my bits daily Smile

Keep extra hydrated as well, it'll hurt a lot less when you wee.

Get lots of air to it. I just spent a lot of the early days laying in bed on top of a couple of towels.

Oh and I got told the same about not having a bath for a week too Smile

auberbene · 04/12/2018 19:46

Just have your knees slightly up, you don't have to do any more than that. Don't go doing any acrobatics or anything Grin

You just have to let them heal. I know it's tough, though!

madmum5811 · 04/12/2018 19:47

Salt water in the bath I was told speeded up healing so I would put a little water in the bottom of the bath when showering and sit in it for a bit.

bellsbuss · 04/12/2018 20:15

My MW told me to wash my foo as I normally would when I asked her. I put a capful of dettol in the bath every night ( my mum told me to do this ) and I healed very quickly after a 2nd degree tear.

Nothisispatrick · 04/12/2018 20:17

Just water over the outside!

Sorry to be dense but how can you already have your period if you still have stitches? Do you mean lochia?

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 20:27

auberbene that made me laugh!

Oh this isn’t from childbirth! This is from a fix from childbirth several years ago when I had the episiotomy. And lucky me got my period a few hours before surgery...!

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Nothisispatrick · 04/12/2018 20:28

Ah I see! Sorry!

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 20:30

No worries! I wasn’t clear - I would assume the same as you.

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KMoKMo · 04/12/2018 20:31

I bathed with a couple of drops of tea tree and lavender oil. And put tea tree drops on my maternity pad. Healed really well with no issues at all. Also used a hairdryer (on a low setting!!) to dry them.

auberbene · 04/12/2018 20:34

@LuckyAmy1986 really?! Oh God. You poor thing! Hope it heals quickly for you Thanks

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 20:40

Ah thank you! Hope this is the final time of having vaginal stitches!!!

KMoKMo genius tip about the hairdryer!

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Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 20:42

Although I’ll wait a week for a bath as consultant says then start putting something in it to help with healing.

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Threeboysandus · 04/12/2018 20:55

Just plain water, sprayed around vagina in general, pat dry after. No salt baths or any baths actually except plain water! I'm a midwife, the salt can dissolve the stitches.

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 04/12/2018 21:24

I'm a midwife, the salt can dissolve the stitches Shock did not know that! From memory I used some lavender oil after I had dc.

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madmum5811 · 04/12/2018 21:29

It was the midwives who told me to put a bit of salt in the water. Maybe the thread is made of something else now.

Eggscellent · 04/12/2018 21:40

Be careful with the hairdryer as there are bits of fluff that they suck in and push out, my Dr recommended that I didn't use the hairdryer on myers wounds in case it introduced infection (I do find it can give my son an eye infection if I use the cool setting on his face!).

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 06/12/2018 20:46

I have just had a look down there, bearing in mind I had this done two days ago now. My vagina looks grey where the stitches are. Someone please tell me this can happen from bruising?! I’m not in pain and no smell etc so really hoping it’s not an infection. But yeah,... grey?!

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McWilde · 06/12/2018 20:53

I had the same op OP.
Consultant told me to wash in the shower normally and after a week put dettol in the bath. I healed up very quickly after having the dettol baths.

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 06/12/2018 20:56

Thanks- don’t suppose you ever had a look down there and saw about grey tissue round your stitches?!

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McWilde · 06/12/2018 21:04

I spent an inordinate amount of time staring at my underneath after the op Grin
Can't remember seeing any grey, mine was a more purpley colour.
Go and have it looked at if you're a bit worried to settle your mind. I checked with my surgeries nurse a couple of times.

HoppingPavlova · 06/12/2018 21:08

The hospital I gave birth in had hairdryers in the bathrooms and they weren’t for drying your hair. They were attached to the wall on long cords and didn’t have heat settings you could choose so no one could burn themselvesGrin.

I also had Sitz baths with a physiotherapist for a few days after giving birth as I had bad tearing that had been repaired. Basically just tubs of water big enough to sit your backside and nether regions in. One was quite warm, the other cold and I think they had salts in them. You kept swapping between the two. Meant to reduce swelling and promote healing supposedly.

Original poster
LuckyAmy1986 · 06/12/2018 21:10

Oh I will, freaking out now!

Love the idea of hairdryers provided for drying vaginas!

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