I'm not sure I've been 'put back together' quite right..!!

[bigredtractor]

Hmmm - where to start... I had a straightforward labour & delivery - no intervention, but stitches afterwards, which healed fine.

It's now 7 weeks afterwards and suddenly going to the toilet (no. 2) is a nightmare - extremely painful with bleeding. It's been like that for about 10 days - I'm too embarassed to go to the docs, although I haven't had my postnatal check-up yet.

I've plucked up the courage to have a look and my fanjo seems fine - it's my bottom that's the worry.

ANyone had anything similar & what did you do?

Go to the docs - no need to be embarrassed, they've seen it all before. Whatever the problem is, you'll feel better once it's being treated.

sounds like could be an anal fissure - very common after childbirth and total agony. Everyone seems to know about the risk of piles after childbirth but anal fissure (apparently equally common) gets less of a mention in the books. Tends to happen after you have been constipated and is basically a small tear in the skin of the anus, which hurts like hell because it is such a sensitive area.

I had this after my third, I think it happened after about ten days, I used germoloids to sort it out - is a mixture of local anaesthetic and soothing agent. Comes in a pack with a nozzle which you put just into your bottom. Couldn't quite believe I was buying this product but it did work, I found that if I put the cream on the outside of my bumhole first then it was more comfortable to slide nozzle in. Kept re-applying it every few hours. Also important to try to avoid getting constipated, as much more painful to pass hard poo.

On subject of all things bottom related, also got something called 'proctalgia fugax' - fleeting bum-ache that just happens randomly and feels like toothache of the bottom, turns out that it happened to all the women in my family after first baby born.

Hope I don't sound obsessed with bottoms but hhad no idea they were affected too!

Does your bottom actually hurt at other times not just going to the loo? You may have piles or an anal fissure (I have one, hurts like hell!) particularly if you are having fresh blood. If it is one of those, your GP can prescribe suppositories and ointment (Scheriproct and Proctesedyl are both very effective). Goes without saying don't let yourself get even a little bit constipated - pooing rocks will only make it much worse! Wipe with baby wipes and apply sudocrem at night. If it turns out it's not piles or a fissure, ignore all the above!