4th Degree Tear complications and Perianal Reconstruction

[lucymason]

Hi All, Im new to all this and have finally plucked up the courage to write a post to see if anyone else is going through the same as i am. I gave birth to my little girl just over two years ago now. She came in 6 minutes of pushing which resulted in a 4th Degree tear. I had reconstruction surgery in the early hours of the morning and then tried to get on with enjoying my new little baby girl. As time went on I knew that something wasnt right and I buried my head in the sand and hoped that it would go away. I had no control keeping wind in and then it got worse and worse. I finally plucked up the courage and went to see my Dr which referred me back to the hospital where i gave birth. I had various tests and the then put to sleep for exploratory surgery. The results came back and they showed that my top anal sphincter was not in tacked and that the muscle wall between the two canals have a hole in it. This now means that i have to have perianal reconstruction. I have been back and seen both the surgeons but i still really dont know what is going to happen. I am going into hospital a week on tuesday and im crapping myself (no pun intended)!! They told me that it is a rare thing to happen and it was worth trying to talk to other mothers that this has happened to. But finding them is the hard part. Im sorry if i have offended anyone with the graphic bits but im running out of time to try and prepare myself. Any help would be gratefully appreciated!! Thank you!!!

Hiya, I wish you all the best for your surgery. You've been through so much so you should feel very proud of yourself to go for the surgery. My dd was born 3 years ago. I had a 3a tear so I know it's much less severe than yours but it didn't heal and I required perineal refashioning when dd was 3 months. Best thing I've ever done. I'm in Surrey/south London if you fancy a natter

Thank you for your message and kind words. 3a is a really bad tear too. Im hoping that life will be easier after the op. How long were you in hospital for and how long was your recovery process?? Im in the deep depths of Devon but if i was closer i would snap your hand off.

I'm a Lucy too btw . Tbh I paid for my surgery because I was so traumatised by the birth and the hospital. I was first on the consultants list so went down for theatre at 8am and was home by 8pm. They inserted a vaginal pack which was the weirdest part of it all when they pulled it out before I was discharged but otherwise fine. The actual surgery took 25mins! I alternated paracetamol and nurofen for a week and bathed after every toilet trip for a month, perhaps too "anal" but I was so paranoid about infection! Before the surgery I couldn't sit down for more than 2 mins, a week post surgery I was sat cross legged on the wooden floor playing with my dd.

Must be something to do with the name!! I know that by surgery is two hours and a week in hospital!! That worries me a little. That so great that you recovered so well! And no i dont think you are being "anal" with the whole bathing situation, i will be doing the same thing. I have heard about these viginal packs!! what does perineal refashioning mean??

My first lot of stitches were removed and redone basically. It was all external repair to the scar tissue on the perineum, I didn't have any internal repair so maybe that's what made it a short stay. I recommend a doughnut cushion, maternity fem ice packs to go in your knickers, walking with legs as close together as you can for first few days!, wiping with aloe Vera baby wipes and generally taking it easy

I have noiced a thread on here before about tears, repairs etc.. If you look through the search process you should find it. There are lots of mummies on there who have had repairs for various childbirth-related things.

Hello ladies. Can I join? I had my daughter in February and was told at the time I had a second degree tear. The placenta got infected during the birth and came away in pieces and I lost a lot of blood. Since the birth I had been bleeding lots and had a loose flap of skin and also have very little bowel/wind control (sorry way tmi). I also passed what I thought was a large but of skin. I went to the dr and she referred me to a ob/gyn specialist in birth injuries. It turns out I still had some placenta lodged in my womb (which has been causing havoc with my hormone levels but I'm very lucky it didn't get infected) so he booked me in for a d and c. I had that on Saturday and when I woke up he told me I have serious problems and need to have the whole perineum area redone and that I must have had a 3rd degree tear. I feel really gutted about the whole thing - i think i will have the procedure in a few months as the skin needs to heal before he can re do it(?). The only thing I can think is that we ladies are lucky we will get it sorted eventually. I actually was quite grateful for a day in hospital for the d and c - I was exhausted and took the day to doze on and off in hospital and watch a film while my DH looked after our daughter! Only sad thing is that my daughter has been rejecting the breast since I came out - she had a day of bottle feeds and can only be bothered to suck for a few minutes on each breast now before she screams and screams. Ah well - I got to 4.5 months of bf and I'm ok with giving up I guess. Anyway - op I wanted to wish you luck and say thank you to all you ladies for sharing.

Hi, there is a really lovely group of mums who can help you, we're on the Ragged Bits thread in general health. We've all had childbirth injuries so you are definitely not alone. I had a 4th degree tear 20 months ago and so far dont have the same problem you do but i have my fair share of problems. Please come over to the thread (and anyone else reading who wants a hand to hold or support/advice), i'm on my phone so cant link it but i'll bump it so its easy for you to find near the top.