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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Episiotomy stitches burst. Advice needed !

20 replies

shell1983 · 03/12/2016 11:41

So my episiotomy stitches burst very early on i think day 4 or 5 after birth. My unsympathetic Midwife checked the wound the day after the stitches came out and said don't worry it looks OK and will heal on its own. I fail to understand how a wound like this can pull itself back together without stitches holding it in place!??
Each time I walk or bend down I can feel it gaping apart and then blood coming out of the cut.
I have been using witch hazel on my pads, lavender oil also, showering everyday and not using perfumed soap on it. I have also been getting as much air to it as possible by sitting on a towel with no knickers on hoping it will dry a bit.
Can anyone offer any more advice or had a similar experience?

OP posts:

birdladyfromhomealone · 03/12/2016 13:16

I would phone the labour ward and tell them, ask if you can go into the PN ward to be checked. for a 2nd opinion. It will heal but should not be bleeding.

birdladyfromhomealone · 03/12/2016 13:17

Have you had a look with a mirror?

LillyBugg · 03/12/2016 13:25

Are you sure it's bleeding and you're not just experiencing post partum bleeding? My episiotomy stitches came loose around the same time and I healed up just fine. Well as fine as can be expected!!

Augustwedding · 03/12/2016 13:34

I had this. They wouldn't restitch. Mine didn't turn out well I'm afraid. They got infected. 5 rounds of antibiotics later it cleared. It did heal eventually 6 months later. It had a lot of bleeding scar tissue though that I had to have treated.

I'd go to gp and just check they look ok and I'm afraid you'll probably just have to wait for it to heal, and it will in time.

katienana · 03/12/2016 13:36

Ring labour ward, you'll be seen by a consultant who can give you an expert opinion. Don't leave it, this is important. Don't be robbed off.

Augustwedding · 03/12/2016 13:42

Sorry forgot to add I saw gp every other week and did see consultant as well.

stealtheatingtunnocks · 03/12/2016 13:42

How many days on are you now? Sooner it gets seen, the better.

Original poster

shell1983 · 05/12/2016 12:33

9 days since I gave birth. I look with a mirror almost every time I change my pad or go for a wee. And there is always a bit of blood sometimes red fresh blood and sometimes like watery blood. Obviously I have the normal after birth blood but when I look with the mirror I can see there is also blood coming from the cut.
It's not as painful today I can sit easier. I have though got in a better routine taking my painkillers alternating paracetamol and ibruphon so maybe that's helped. I have made an appointment with the nurse at gp surgery for tomorrow but I reckon she will just say it's OK and give it more time. My midwife will be visiting me on Wednesday too and I know i will get same response from her as I did last week, give it time !!!

OP posts:

MadameCholetsDirtySecret · 05/12/2016 12:47

I had similar many years ago. I was advised to take salt water baths to help with the healing.

DoItTooJulia · 05/12/2016 12:55

If you think it needs medical attention, get it. No one will help unless you make it happen. (The midwife might be right, but there's no harm in double checking)

restinginmyaccount · 05/12/2016 13:21

Get a second opinion beyond the midwife 's. mine said all was fine. A year later, I had to have it all reopened and restitched. Fucking midwife.

Blackfellpony · 05/12/2016 19:03

Not the same but I had a tear about an inch long that wasn't stitched and it took forever to heal, I think somewhere around 6 weeks

It bled lots and oozed but it eventually did heal!

stealtheatingtunnocks · 06/12/2016 09:24

Thing is, you've got a newborn to deal with, that's demanding. So, you could do without pain and peering at your fanny every five minutes worrying whether it's ok or not.

Take your fanny for a second opinion. you have an open wound which either needs managing or more explanation about what will happen with it's healing.

Maternal happiness is really important at this stage, you'll not be wasting anyone's time.

restinginmyaccount · 06/12/2016 10:16

What steal said. I wish someone had said that to me when I was struggling.

tittysprinkles · 06/12/2016 21:22

I had this and it was fine. The wound will heal from the deepest point of it upwards until eventually the skin heals (called secondary intention healing). The scar may be slightly wider and flatter than a usual episiotomy scar but it should not cause any problems. I'm 18 months on now and it's healed perfectly with no pain or discomfort whatsoever. It did take slightly longer to heal but I was riding a bike again at 3 months.

You don't need to do any special care, just shower with water, rinse with water and pat dry after a number 2 and wear cotton underwear. Hope that helps

restinginmyaccount · 07/12/2016 07:43

My "healing" created a badly formed scar that needed reopening and restitching. Which was missed by hcps despite me telling them something was wrong.

PossumInAPearTree · 07/12/2016 08:01

In ten years of being a midwife I've never known the drs agree to restitching one that's opened at this point. They much prefer to let them heal on their own......however I have no idea what the long term results have been for those women.

We do get ladies coming back where I work to the postnatal ward so the dr can have a look. So if you want a second opinion ring the ward back and ask if someone can look.

DuckWaddle · 07/12/2016 08:15

I was fobbed off by a midwife after I got an infection so my stitcges came apart. I had a lot of damage there too though so a year later had to have surgery. I would push for this to be looked at properly. Not healing properly can make for a painful and miserable time. Not what you need with a newborn

StewardsEnquiry · 07/12/2016 08:34

Can I just ask the PP who think the midwife had "fobbed off" the OP, what do you mean by that? What is all this "fobbing off" that HCPs allegedly do all the time?

Why on earth would it be in the midwife''s interests to tell a woman that she is fine and doesn't need intervention when she does? To be mean? For a laugh? To potentially get in trouble or put her registration at risk when the woman makes a complaint? To store up a load more trouble and expense for the NHS when it needs to revise the episiotomy at a later date?

I really hate when that term "fobbed off" gets bandied around like health care professionals can't be bothered to do the right thing for their patients. IME midwives in particular generally go above and beyond the call of duty and are very risk averse when it comes to making decisions for their patients. There is NOTHING IN IT for them to tell a woman something is okay when they don't think it is.

Listen to PP who is an experienced midwife. Usually the approach is to let the episiotomy heal by secondary intention if the stitches burst. By all means, if you want a second opinion , get it. But the original midwife was not fobbing anyone off.

restinginmyaccount · 07/12/2016 10:35

"however I have no idea what the long term results have been for those women."

In my case, horrendous and debilitating. And maybe the hcps could've given me a better checkup process. Yes, it did feel like they were fobbing me off. Maybe the pain I felt every time I went to the loo or tried to have sex made me have negative feelings about my care. Pain and humiliation will do that for you. Especially if you are a new mum.

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