Information please vaginal Birth tips

[KIM10]

after a vaginal Birth can you get numbing cream to put on from somewhere like boots ?

Or anything you can do to help with pain ? Tips please

I assume you're talking about to help with crowning?

Don't necessarily assume there will be pain. A water birth helps, or opposing pressure on your perineum. Perineal massage beforehand, and being clued up on what to do during crowning may also help.

To be honest in the scheme of labour crowning is such a tiny part. I wouldn't focus too much on it

Talk to your midwife. I had my DC some few years ago so there may be some new devices if you think you need them, but it may well be that you don't. IME (all vaginal births) the discomfort did not last long, although there was the usual swelling to go down.

Why are you anticipating pain post-partum?

There is only pain if you tear. So try and avoid tearing, sounds daft but you got to be careful when baby is crowning and pant not push at that point.

I did graze with my 3rd now 4 weeks old. It only hurt when I had a wee and then it wasn't bad if I poured water over myself when on the loo.

You can have ibuprofen which also helps with swelling.

First baby 19weeks +1 and my midwife is not someone who I want to talk to as she is very rude and I feel comfortable around her plus we live in a small town so my only option is having baby in hospital there's one birth pool and two medical delivery rooms I have seen her twice and she singed a lot of things off in my pregnancy notes that she never discussed with me which made me miffed as she pooped on anything I asked the first time I having consultant led care about once a month which my darling husband comes with me which is detailed and rushed no time for my question about birth or anything else

I was thinking after birth discomfort tips mostly

Do you have a local NCT or similar who can help you with alternatives like another midwife from elsewhere? It sounds like your present antenatal care is less that helping you and is giving you anxiety.

Your delivery midwives will help after the birth with tips

Wear lots of maternity pads in cotton knickers - the padding is helpful. Pour water when you wee if it stings - use a squeezy bottle. Tea tree in your bath. Drink lots and lots and lots and lots of water and eat high fibre diet so you can poo easily.

It's not as bad as you might be imagining - despite a tear I wasn't uncomfortable or in pain

Meant to say - you def won't want any "numbing cream" on what potentially will be an open wound.

You'll also get regular visits from the community midwives who will answer questions about aftercare.

If you're not happy with your midwife now please ring your head of midwifery and ask to change. You can just say it's a personality clash if you don't want to complain. But having a midwife you can trust and who is helping you is important and it's fine to ask for another

Maybe big chunky maternity pads would help, avoid the normal thin sanitary towels.

Witch hazel is magic post birth. I put some on maternity pads and it was bliss. You can get that at boots. You want distilled witch hazel and you don't want to use a lot. It is a natural astringent but it gives a great cooling feeling. I don't know if I would use it on a big tear but I had some grazes (with stitches). My sister used it on a 1st degree tear. No problems.

Cussons mum & me arnica bath soak worked a treat for me after DD was born (internal 2nd degree tear and external "grazes").
A friend also told me a brilliant technique you can use when you wee to stop the stinging! You sit on the toilet as normal, but lean forwards and put your palms flat on the floor in front of you....then let it flow! It sends the urine backwards straight into the toilet bowl rather than it running over your lady bits like it would if you sat on the toilet normally if that makes sense?!
Was such a relief for me once she told me about it!

I would recommend a sports bottle with chilled or cold water. That can be quite soothing, especially when you go for a pee for a couple of days after. I had a second degree tear after my first baby and had a sore / burning sensation for a few days as I healed. My second baby was smaller and I had no trouble at all.

I have heard of people taking arnica to help with any bruising and also a little tea tree or witch hazel either on a pad or as a compress. I didn't try either of those but you might want to read up on those options.

One thing you will definitely want is the softest toilet paper ever. Like the thickest, softest, most quilted. Anything else will grate like you were a human cheese.

I used arnica and those washlets in the non fragrance variety.

I wasn't allowed to put anything on there, no soap, shower gel, oils, creams etc on my vag for 2 weeks but I did tear

Lidocaine cream. GP prescribed it to me to help with general discomfort down below. My episiotomy and tear took 2 months to heal completely.
It's a mild anaesthetic. I only used it for a few weeks but it really helped me forget about down below and get on with my day.

Would also recommend slightly wetting maternity pads and put in freezer bit before due date.
You can use them as soon as you get home to reduce bruising and swelling.

Make yourself a cold pack that will fit into your undies.

Make sure you take paracetamol and ibuprofen at regular intervals. It's better to keep on top of pain/swelling than wait for things to worsen before taking the drugs.

Last tip I think, re-start pelvic floor exercises and mobilise as soon as possible after birth. Helps with blood flow.

Similar ideas above but I would totally agree with thick maternity pads. Boots used to do a thick and a discrete version, get the thick ones it's much more comfortable. I was advised to have a quick (so as not to dissolve my stitches too fast) bath with some added Epsom or non perfumed bath salts and a couple of drops of lavender and tea tree oil, and lastly you can buy gel pads which you pop in the fridge, they have disposable sleeves, so you wear in your pants and then you swap them over when they are no longer cool.

Oh and as said before loads of water and fruit to keep poo soft!

And as others said don't worry too much about crowning. That and the episiotomy genuinely did not hurt when they happened. Endorphins are powerful things.