how soon did you "go back to normal"?

[TwoTearsInABucket]

I had a vb a week and a half ago. It went really really well compared with my other two births, and I only had a first degree tear with a couple of stitches.

But, its been a week and a half and I am still feeling quite uncomfortable. I have period type pains, which I can understand, but my fanny (for want of a better word) is really quite uncomfortable. Its achey and a little bit sore. I have taken paracetemol for the past two days.

how soon after a vb did you feel normal? ie not in any discomfort?

It was a good few weeks (maybe 3?) for me. But it was only my first birth so don't know if it's different for dc3?

A midwife told me that the achy dragging feeling was you pelvic floor hurting cos all the muscles had taken a battering giving birth. She advised me to do 10 pelvic floor squeezes several times per day (she suggested just before each feed...no reason other than it's something you do lots of times a day). Apparently the squeezes help the muscles recover. And they also encourage blood flow to the region which helps the stitches heal quicker.

It deffo helped me with the achy pain and my stitches healed fine so it might be worth a try?

3 weeks

6 months.

Thanks, that's reassuring. Well, maybe not the six months!

I am absolutely paranoid that my stitches will get infected. Doing the tea tree oil baths but its starting to feel more uncomfortable down there

I felt back to normal 48 hours after I was surgically cut and restitched along the tear by a surgeon. The midwife hadn't done a good job at all! This was 6 months post birth.

It took a good 12 weeks for me to feel normal again after my vb and for that achy feeling to disappear.

Twotears if your worried you could get someone to check your stitches to reassure you its all fine.

Eek! A student midwife did my stitches. She was well supervised tho. I had a third degree tear last time that got infected. It took a while to heal.
I have got my discharge appointment on Monday so will ask the midwife then.

Never has. I'm 4 years on and damaged. Though paracetamol never touched it for me so I think you have hope.

4 weeks pain, then about 8 more just feeling a bit 'weird' but had a deeper cut and lots of stitches. Your GP and/or HV will check them out at 8 or 12 weeks if you feel it's still not right.

Ibuprofen was far more effective for me, I guess cos it's anti-inflammatory.

3 weeks, no stitches but a substantial graze and heavy bruising. Am suffering with a prolapse now, bit was comfortably dtd from 3 weeks and only noticed the prolapse much later.

I'm now 7 weeks pp. Had similar birth. about 4 weeks I felt 'normal' enough to dtd. Was a bit uncomfortable but I was a bit nervous which didn't help. Pelvic floor feels ok now. Took about 2 weeks to get over the feeling of being bashed in the bits with a sledgehammer

I had a little infection down there and it didnt hurt but felt uncomfortable. Just mention it to MW so she can check. With antibiotics it will get better in a couple of days. No big deal.

Keep up the tea tree oil baths, if its not an infection then it will gradually get better with time !

Good luck !

I have a 3wk old DC2 and my second degree tear felt much better after 2 weeks, although ached a bit after walking around. It now feels fine although a bit tender if I "probe" the stitched area ifyswim. I haven't needed painkillers since about 7 days after birth. Fwiw I was told by the consultant who did my stitches (midwife called the doctor in as the tear was a bit longer than she was used to) not to use tea tree oil or anything other than water to clean the stitches and to keep them as dry as possible.

I had an episiotomy with DC1 which became infected and the stitches came undone, resulting in a re-stitch a week after birth. For me the telltale sign of something being wrong was a pulling feeling down below coupled with increasing pain. If you are starting to feel more uncomfortable I would definitely advise getting it checked by your mw. Getting air to the area helps too - not very dignified but try lying with legs akimbo for 10 minutes per day.

About 2-3 weeks and everything felt fine. I didn't have any tears, but I had a small graze. No stitches. Pelvic floor felt ok enough after a month that I started running !! (I think this was a bit silly in retrospect, but I was so happy not to be pregnant and baby was sleeping brilliantly at the time)

Unfortunately sex took nearly a full year to feel completely normal again. It was too painful for at least 2 months. After that, just uncomfortable. I am breastfeeding though which I think can sometimes affect things. After I got my first period (at a year) everything felt absolutely great again. No one ever told me it could take so long!!

hi op its been 21 days since i gave birth and i feel back to normal i was lucky & only felt sore with after pains for about a week after giving birth that was dc3

Thanks for further experiences. A bit of a mix.
I walked into town yesterday (about 20 mins), spent 2 hours there and then walked back. I was a bit achy and then after an hour sat on the sofa I could barely stand up!
I was in a fair bit of pain in my abdomen, and it took ages to straighten up.
Paracetamol and a bath meant I could move but jeez it hurt. Especially round my c-section scar. Owww.
I might not walk into town for a while.

I think you're overdoing it a bit, TwoTears. That's a lot of walking when you only gave birth a week and a half ago! It's not that long ago that women were kept in hospital for a couple of weeks to rest and recuperate after having a baby. If I were you, I'd try and rest a bit more (easier said than done, I know, I also have 3 children).

Ibuprofen, if you can take it, may be more effective than paracetamol together with arnica tablets. Tea tree oil is very strong and astringent so maybe try a few drops of lavender oil in the bath instead. It's possible that the tea tree is irritating your stitches a bit. I also think it would be worth getting your GP or preferably a midwife, to have a little check of your fanjo to make sure all is well.

Congratulations by the way! Despite knowing how sore it can all be I'm still jealous!

I was a bit over enthusiastic as this time it went so much better than with DS1 and Dd
I love having a newborn, so snugly
I will try lavender oil, thanks.

I'm 30wks with number one and already panicking! Did arnica during labour make a difference to anyone?

If you feel it's not improving get straight back to doctors - it will prop be an infection. I had a minor infection both times with mine. But left it later than I should have with my eldest to the point where I started feeling ill in myself.

24 hrs of antibiotics will sort it if it is an infection. Otherwise tea tree oil baths and as much air to your bottom as poss.

It does get better. Might not feel quite the same as before (that's a process of months and kegels) but the soreness should go. X

Shropshire I've had 3 hefty babies shove their way out of my fanjo. I've taken arnica tablets with all of them and IMO they really help although obviously I can't really compare as did it with all of them! However, I have recommended them to two of my friends on their second babies and they think the arnica helped. Definitely worth a try!

TwoTears lavender is fab! I have a couple of bottles on the go at all times. Really hope you feel less sore soon. Now go and sit down!

arnica really helped after my vbac with dd. I went from gorilla to normal colour down there in 4 days! The mws were impressed! deffo gonna crack open the lavender and ask the mw to have a look at my stitches. Lucky mw!

I had my mw appointment this arvo and she had a look. All is well, no sign of infection
I will still have a lavender bath though, if only to smell nice and make sure I don't get an infection.

I didn't have any stitches as only had a small tear but it took about 2 weeks for all pain and discomfort to go.

Even now (1 month later) if I squat it feels abit weird!

Oh that is good news, TwoTears. Are you taking it a bit more slowly now and no more marathon walks into town? . Def keep with the lavender baths, they're very therapeutic, I have at least 2 a week in order to de-stress from my 3 loon boys