Labial tear - future implications

[Moulesfrites]

I had ds1 two weeks ago, and had a 2nd degree tear to my perineum and also a labial tear which was apparently very complicated to stitch - at one point there was a dr and 2 midwives staring at my fanjo discussing where a particular bit should 'go'! I have had antibiotics for it as it was infected and now I have thrush, but apart from that the drs and midwives who have seen it have all said it is healing well.

However, yesterday I saw a different midwife and she started talking about whether or not I would like to talk to an obstetrician about the implications for future intimacy and pregnancies?! This has upset me and freaked me out a bit - I have not given much though to either of this things yet, but am now worried that this tear is going to have serious implications for the future. My friend reckons the midwife was just being extra thorough as she had a student with her, but I found the whole thing quite disconcerting. Does anyone have any advice or experience of labial tears?

I had one with DC2, 11 months ago. Apart from the fact that the stitches dropped out after only a few days, rather than dissolving, it has healed OK. Didn't look too pretty for a while but, hey, I don't have to look at it if I don't want to.

I also had a vaginal wall tear, which was a bit more problematic but it too has healed OK. My GP checked the healing process at my 6 week check up and said it all looked fine and I'd have no problems for any future vaginal birth.

Maybe you could ask your own GP about your tear. Try not to worry until you know if there's a potential future problem.

I also had a second degree tear and labial tear with dd 18 months ago. It healed up fine, although probably took 2 weeks for pain to go and I could feel a ridge there for quite a while. Never looked!!

I'm not planning any more dc, but it has never caused me any problems and I can't feel it at all now. No one ever mentioned it as a potential problem when checking stitches etc. Did you say yes to the obstetrician?

No, I have not decided anything about the obstetrician yet, apparently I should go through my gp for a referral if I want to go ahead, but I think I will just wait and see how it heals. Thanks for the advice