Day 5 - stitches so painful

[NichyNoo]

Hi all

I gave birth on Wednesday so am now on day 5. I had an episiotomy and ventouse. Gynae said she just did one long zig zag stitch but she was down there for a while. Also one stitch fell out already (not sure how that is possible?)

I left hospital yesterday (am in Belgium so they keep you in for much longer) and my stitches were checked yesterday morning and declared 'all fine'. However since leaving hospital the pain has got much worse......really painful to sit down and occasional shooting pains when I walk. I'm not sure if this is down to the fact that I have walked so much more now that I've left hospital (where I barely left my bed) or if something has gone wrong in the past 24 hours. Am also losing more blood than at hospital (again could be due to more walking?).

Can anyone advise if stitches pain can indeed get worse or are they meant to improve every day??? I can phone the hospital and go back in but don't want to make the long journey if I'm just being silly. Thank you!

Walking will make your lochia heavier, the more you rest the lighter it will be. All of my stitches came apart and i was very sore for two weeks (episiotomy/ventouse/forceps)I couldn't sit or stand or anything! Obviously it is different for everyone, if you are worried then give the dr/midwife a ring, but if it was me then I would leave it a day or two to see if it gets a bit better. You could always have a look?If it is itchy or there is a nasty smell then that could be a sign of infection so you would need to be seen straight away. hth xx

I'm not sure how it works in Belgium, do you get home visits there? If so it might be worth getting a mw to check to put your mind at rest more than anything. I think day 5 is about normal for the kind of pain you describe, the skins started knitting together and the stitches may be starting to dissolve in the next few days. I used to take a few warm baths a day with a few drops of tea tree oil which helped a lot. How are you feeling in yourself? If you're feeling unwell or have a temperature that can be a sign that theres an infection there which will need checking asap. Also check for any bad smell coming from the area. Congratulations on the baby xx