To ask ladies to help me figure out this pain?!? (birth related, may be tmi for some)

[TheHermitCrab]

Hello all!

I gave birth vaginally 4 weeks ago, was traumatic and tore a lot and had internal 3rd degree tears and external tears. Had to be stitched in theater.

We were both in hospital for a week as baby was on antibiotics. Once my catheter was out I was terrified of using the toilet but had no pain, by day 4 I was walking around felt fine!

10 day after birth I went for a walk with the pram. Was wandering around for about 3 hours, but wasn't strenuous, no lifting and just strolling around shops. Anyway, my lochia came back with avengence and I was told to rest.

Since then, 4 weeks later. lochia has stopped and for the last 2 days I've had yellow discharge (not sure if this is part of the lochia) My Pelvis really aches and hurts. Lying down I feel fine, but sitting up/turning in bed really hurts, and walking around feels like I'm carrying a bowling bowl in my pelvis. Could this be SPD? I never had it in pregnancy so not sure how it feels. Or worse, could I have prolapsed?

Also my external stitches really itch, like mad so now I'm unsure if the pain is an infection in my internal stitches.... I haven't looked down there since birth, and don't plan to.Midwives always checked me whilst in the hospital and said it looked fine, so now I won't look incase what they deem is fine, looks like a mutant to me! (daft I know) I was itching when the nurses discharged me and they said the stitches just looked like they were rubbing/irritated.

Did anyone else have more pain and complications longer after the birth than immediately after?

(also - 6 weeks check I've never been told about, but read about online, do I book this myself?)

Obvs I'll be ringing a doc but wondered what your experiences are :)

Sounds like an infection, you need antibiotics. I had similar and it was retained placenta, but much sooner after giving birth, I was in agony.

Hope you feel better soon.

Sounds very much like an internal infection (yellow dishcharge). Get yourself seen ASAP and get some antibiotics.
Please don't ignore as un checked infections can turn nasty.

If the discharge is smelly then it sounds like it could be an infection, if not then I think its part of lochia.

"By about ten days after the birth, you should have only a small amount of white or yellow-white discharge, mostly made up of white blood cells and cells from the lining of the uterus"

www.babycenter.com/0_postpartum-normal-bleeding-and-discharge-lochia_11722.bc

Ahhh bugger :( OK I'll ring the docs tomorrow!

Ah, just realised your are 4 weeks post-partum - Id definitely get it checked out especially with the pain.

FightorFlight 10 days after birth the blood was still red. Was in hospital and they didn't seem concerned.

Discharge doesn't smell. And although it's very yellow, It's the same discharge I get whenever I have thrush (And I had thrush throughout pregnancy) So there's every chance it was there all along.

I thought it may have been spd or prolapse because my vagina/pelvis doesn't hurt or ache when I'm lying down. Only when I'm sitting/turning over or standing. If I lie down the pain goes.

sorry 7 days not 10 days. 10 days was when my lochia started all over again.

My prolapse didn't hurt at all, but it did feel odd and heavy in my pelvis for a while beforehand. It didn't happen until DD was 6 weeks old - there was a definite feeling of something falling out but no pain. No yellow discharge either. I'd definitely get that checked out ASAP.

I'll ring the docs tomorrow when theyre open. Will probably take me about 3 hours to get through to them but hopefully they'll book me in for Tuesday (doc is on holiday monday).

My little one has an appointment with him Tuesday first thing. So I may just gate crash that appointment so they can't fob me off!!

I've checked my temp and I don't have a fever or anything, and it hasn't got worse over the last few days. Just consistent/same pain.. so I doubt urgent care would be appropriate.. not sure!

Hi all just wanted to update you. Went to the docs today and he sent me to the nurse to have a look.

She got the speculum out, took a swab and I screamed! It was worse than the day I gave birth. 3 hours later and my vag is still burning in agony from the swab. So she decided against the speculum. I asked her how the external stitch that was itching looked and she said "I don't know I didn't look" hmmmm

They said they will send the swab off and ring me to let me know if I need antibiotics, so more waiting around now!

Took my temp and its slightly low but I don't have a fever so at least so that's a positive.

So I guess I've either got a very aggressive bacterial infection or my stitches are infected. They seemed to be under the impression nothing more could be done except anti biotics.

Glad I didn't investigate with a finger now... the swab was agony, and they are so small! :(:(

Ouch, that sounds horrible. I hope you get results soon. Chase them if you don't hear back though. Fingers crossed you feel better soon.

Could you give your midwife a call? I really think they should have given you antibiotics to start you off on. Please don't leave this!

The lochia and discharge can be normal (I bled for 5weeks and 7 weeks and all was fine, it certainly didn't stop after ten days!), walking and lifting can make it heavier or start it off again.
The pain however doesn't sound normal! I think you should ask for a second opinion.

You talked about thrush. Could you have thrush (did they swab for that too)? I suffered with this a lot during pregnancy and after birth and quite a bit of what you are describing sounds familiar (except the pelvic symptoms).

I bled for about 5 weeks after giving birth btw and that in itself wasn't a problem.

If its any consolation I was still in pieces 4 weeks pp. The doctor who did my 6 week check just gave a small ironic smile when I said that I was still in a lot of discomfort and pain and said it was perfectly normal and to come back if things hadn't improved by 16 weeks [back at work for 4 weeks by then]

I was 12 weeks before I could walk normally and that was only with "a few small internal tears" [marked as second degree on my notes] so no-where near the damage you have described. The internal bruising was horrendous but I bruise easily anyway. Yellow discharge def should be checked out though. I'd keep making a fuss and get all the support you can. There are threads on here all the time with people who have had miserable maternity leaves because they've had issues which were not addressed as early as possible.

Hi OP.

First of all congratulations glad you went to doctors. May I ask which antibiotics you've been given?
I ask because my DS is 9 months now, I had third degree tear and very similar problem starting 2 weeks PP. I too was swabbed and fainted ;-) hideous. Lots of sympathy coming from me. I had a bacterial infection and unfortunately it too...10 courses of antibiotics to clear it. These are the things that I found that helped: witch hazel on pads popped in the freezer to cool then put them in for an hour or so-very soothing. Sea salt in a lukewarm bath to keep the area clean, stings like a bitch to start with but really did help. Squirting water bottle during and after peeing again to keep the area clean.

Hope your doctor gets back to you soon and that things start clearing up