Post childbirth: stitches and bruising... What to expect?

[glitternanny]

my baby boy (first child) is now 4 days old.

I had a normal delivery with just gas and air and was only pushing for 13 minutes!

I have a few 'internal' stitches and am very bruised and battered down there. It's still sore although my bleeding is minimal tho last night was v v heavy when I had my first bowel movement post baby eak v scary

So my question-

How long should I expect to be bruised/sore/uncomfortable for?
What's 'nornal'

I think she said my stitches would dissolve within a week or so.

Does the mw coming to ur house normally check on them? Or look down there?

Thanks!!

Congratulations! It took me probably about 2 weeks to feel healed after stitches. I was surprised how bruised I felt, I guess I just hadn't thought about it before. My mw did check my stitches but I did ask just cos I didn't want to look myself. Hope you feel less uncomfortable soon. I knew childbirth would be hard going but I didn't realise I'd feel like every muscle had been pulled

Congratulations! My advice would be have a look yourself Mw didn't spot my infection looking from behind as they do and a top tip would be to put a few drops of tea tree in the bath and wash them daily to prevent infection. Also worth getting some lactulose from the gp so having your bowels open doesn't put pressure on your stitches they won't open but boy does it hurt if you get constipated.

Thank you ladies for replying

I love mn!!

i definitely recall it being close to four weeks before i stopped feeling like someone had had at me with a cricket bat. but i think it can vary a lot.

Pour a bit of witch hazel on your maternity pads. Very cooling and soothing.

Just a warning if you are going to look yourself, it will look strange and it will get better!!!!!!!!!!

When I had dd they checked on tge, with ds they just asked so please talk to your mw. They will have seen/heard it all before but just remember that part of your body has been through a lot

It was 2 weeks before I could sit properly and I couldn't face looking at it til then, dd1 is now 6 weeks old and my scar is still a little tender if I do too much walking/lifting.

Noone ever tells you how awful this bit is - I think it's much worse than labour and birth itself!

Thanks ladies. Mw turned up early today but got my 12day discharge check next week so maybe they'll check then!!

It definately isn't nice and rather 'dry' down there which makes it worse I think?! I'm hardly bleeding at all - tho was very scary when had a bowel movement yesterday.

Hi glitternanny. Congratulations (think it was you who asked the sweep question? ) !! Only thing I can say to help with your post is that I had a 3b tear with stitches done in theatre. Seemed to heal very well, was never that painful, and had no probs, and wasn't examined by anyone until months after when I went for routine check up. I was never brave enough to have a look, but I think I got my DH to have a peak (!!! the things he does for me !!!!). I took fybogel and lactulose, and I think it really helped me.

Similar to smk84, I had a 3b tear and was amazed at how un-painful it was. I had a peek and was a bit traumatised, but I felt pretty much normal after a week or so (honestly), and had sex after maybe nine weeks and everything felt as good as ever, though initially a bit sore. Do take the fybogel and lactulose, they help a lot. Oh, and congratulations!

2 weeks for me, and I took paracetamol pretty constantly for the first week or so. I remember around the 2 week mark suddenly realising that I hadn't taken any paracetamol for a hours and wasn't in pain. The warm baths really do help, if nothing else they helped me relax and feel clean! And I know exactly what you mean re first bowel moment. One of my darker moments!

Oh yes, tea tree oil on the pads and warm water poured over you as you wee. Lovely :) :o

Also took about two weeks for the bruised and battered feeling to go down. MW will have a look if you want her to or if there is any reason for concern.

Congratulations on your baby boy :) :)

Congrats! I definitely second lactulose.

I had a heavy 'dragging' sensation after DD2 which wouldn't go, even with paracetamol - because I had an infection. So watch out for that!

My ds is a week old today and my stitches have stopped feeling tender in the last 24 hours although they feel itchy as hell no matter how often I wash. Obviously it's because they are healing! Ask your midwife to check though if just for reassurance

Congratulations.

Yes to lots of water, lactulose, and fybogel. Fruit and veg and I laid off the carbs until everything got going again. Never eaten so many grapes!

I felt like I'd been run over by a bus for at least a fortnight. I was discharged from hospital with voltarol- fab until it wore off. Hot sitz baths?

Fill the bath to hip depth with as hot water as you can and sit in for 10 minutes a couple of times a day, no need to add salt but tea tree is supposed to be good and the hot water soaks any goo out .
First poo is scary and no one told me that when you kneel on the floor to change a baby and then lean ,over you stretch your stitches a bit. Owch! Just give yourself some time