Do doctors need to touch your stitches at a 6 week postpartum check?

[Plages]

A gp examined me for my 6 week postpartum check. He physically examined me by touching the area where I had one stitch. He removed his gloves to do this. It struck me as odd but I wasn’t sure. Just been reading another thread and reminded of this.

Potentially yes, removing the gloves seems strange though i wouldn't worry unless there was other weirdness

No, everybody always loved him and he has since retired. But I found it weird and didn’t like it. Didn’t say anything though. I assumed the gloves were for his sake rather than mine, he did wash his hands before and after.

My mom saw him when she was pregnant with me and he confirmed her pregnancy by looking at her breasts. Just asked her to take her top off, looked at them and said “yes, you are pregnant”. She didn’t seem to have an issue with that, just thought he was almost magical in his ability to tell. I guess your areolas or nipples could look different? I don’t know. It was in the eighties so a very long time ago. I found that very odd when she told me.

For contrast, the gp with my second child said there was no need for her to even look at my stitches as long as I felt comfortable and healed, but she was happy to look if I wanted her to.

Removing gloves is completely inappropriate. If you had worries or it’s his practice to check stitches (and you are HAPPY and CONSENT to him checking), fine. But gloves should always be worn.

It was absolutely not acceptable for him to do that. Gloves should always be worn for such examinations. It should only be necessary to look let alone touch your perineum if you’ve said you’re having and pain or other problems relating to the birth. If you only had one stitch that’s not likely.

If you feel comfortable doing so you should report his behaviour to the GMC and the GO practice.

That is assault, I'm sorry.

Although I’m not a GP I do work in the hospital and I don’t know anybody that would remove a glove to do that. Totally inappropriate. Gloves should be worn for any personal care

Yeah, I thought the glove thing was strange He retired a while ago now and I have no idea if he’s even still alive anymore. My eldest is now twelve. Don’t see any point in reporting. I’ll just have to use the experience to make sure I speak up in future. I was only nineteen at the time so way more naive.

Although it was inappropriate, I suspect that maybe there was some redness there and he removed his gloves to see if there was heat which could have suggested infection.

He should have explained this but it sounds like he was old school - and very experienced.

Completely normal to touch stitches - my midwives and GPs have done it. I don't even remember them wearing gloves! Bit strange maybe yes, but I won't call it assault?

I hadn’t had any issues with my stitch but I was examined many times in the hospital as they were concerned about my swelling not going down. I had already been examined by the midwife at home and she was happy. I can’t remember whether he removed his gloves after a visual inspection or removed them before we’d even begun.

Like I said, I won’t take it any further anyway. I’m glad to know that my judgement is correct and other people would find it odd. Just need to make sure I voice my concerns in future.

My oldest is 16. I have 3 and have had stitches. I have never had a GP do an exam of them. If it was felt necessary due to you reporting issues consent still needs to be given by you and gloves should ALWAYS be worn.

I can't believe no one has commented on the thing about the breast examination. If that was genuine and not some weird misremembering it is the most appropriate thing I've heard.

Sorry OP this doctor maybe "much loved" but this behaviour towards you and your
Mother is highly inappropriate and constitutes sexual assault in my eyes.

ever seen 'Hand that Rocks the Cradle?' You've just described some of the opening scenes where an obstetrician assaults one of the characters.

and a pregnancy test does not include looking at breasts.

sorry - your 'much--loved' doctor was not all he seemed. If he isn't dead he can still be charged.

Whether what he did what appropriate or not I'd go further and let yourself trust your own judgement to question anything you're not happy with, even if it's completely normal procedure. As long as you're reasonable about it no healthcare professional should even blink at explaining/discussing something they need to do, however legit or routine it is.

The stitches thing, i can't remember if my doctor wore gloves in all honesty. But your mum and the breasts...wtf. You can't diagnose pregnancy from that!

I've only had my breasts out twice like that, once to check out mastitis and once to check a lump i found. Normal logical reasons for breasts to be out!

Yeah, my mom didn’t seem to question it at all. She thought it was funny and that it showed what a great doctor he was to be able to tell just like that. I think the fact that she really liked him skewed my view because I already assumed he was nice and trustworthy. I didn’t know whether the fact that it was so long ago was relevant and perhaps pregnancy tests weren’t so quick and reliable. I believe he did also confirm in some other way? I think she thought that he was just so experienced he could tell from subtle changes. I don’t really know how that would work because he hadn’t seen her breasts beforehand to compare. She always liked him and he did seem lovely at every other appointment, genuinely caring etc. No idea whether other women have ever had questions about his treatment, I never heard anybody say anything other than good things about him. Definitely not a misremembering! It’s the kind of thing that you’d remember.

The sad thing is I’m not even that shocked. I’d already been sexually assaulted a few times by that point, far more seriously. And I’d seen the way another gp reacted to my breasts. I needed to be examined because I had a lump and was happy for him to do it. He was extremely reluctant and kept suggesting that I would be more comfortable with a female gp at a different appointment. I wanted it sorted ASAP so said that I had specifically come because I was very concerned about the lump I had had for three months and didn’t want to wait any longer, so he got a female nurse in as a chaperone and performed the examination. He couldn’t look me in the eye afterwards. He did nothing untoward whatsoever but his reaction showed me that he considered my breasts to be sexual rather than a completely normal body part like any other which might need looking at. I had assumed that a doctor would be completely unfazed by such a request but apparently not.

I’m not sure - I felt much more comfortable with the nurses/doctors who touched stitches post baby and generally thoroughly checked than the ones who barely bothered looking. I remember that left me quite anxious that it was infected and she would have no idea from that check.