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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Has anyone been restitched ?

40 replies

Egg87 · 17/02/2019 22:34

So my baby is 10months after delievery I had a 2nd degree tear, which I think was pretty bad as at first the midwife said I may need to go to theatre and would get a doctor to give a 2nd opinion this never happened and she gave me the stitches herself anyway I have been referred to a consultant to be restitched (this is after many visits back an forth to the doctors to get the referral). I have seen 2 separate consultants the 1st 3months ago who said I could be restitched but made it sound as if it wasn’t a good idea then I saw one this week who said yes be restitched but sex may be painful after..which is the whole point in why I’m getting this op done to solve this issue when I raised this with her she just said oh if that does happen we can just do it again in a few months if we need to, so I am now completely unsure to go ahead with the surgery or not and wondered if anyone had any good or bad experiences after being restitched

OP posts:

Yakadee · 18/02/2019 08:00

Has anyone mentioned physio? I nearly had to go down this route but got referred to physio instead and it really did help. My gyno told me that the procedure / restitching would be unlikely to solve the problem anyway.

I hope you get sorted x

Original poster

Egg87 · 18/02/2019 08:05

Thanks for replying...I have had to beg for physio, only just had referral through to start sessions in March but I have started to pay and see someone privately she’s amazing I’ve only had 3 sessions with her and have already seen a massive improvement but she can’t say if it will totally solve the issue..which is understandable I’m just thinking maybe I need to give it a little more time before I go ahead with surgery.
How long did you have physio for?

OP posts:

thebear1 · 18/02/2019 08:09

I was restricted when dc was 2, recovery was fine and it resolved the problem I had.

thebear1 · 18/02/2019 08:10

Restiched even.

Original poster

Egg87 · 18/02/2019 10:23

That’s good to hear..I’m just nervous as I’ve heard sometimes if you create even more scar tissue it could make things worse

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Yakadee · 18/02/2019 12:04

@Egg87 - I had it for several months and was also given 'exercises' to do at home and it really helped. I've had another baby since however had a section (elected) because of issues I had with my first birth x

Original poster

Egg87 · 18/02/2019 18:13

@yakadee yeh I know that’s another concern if I decide to have another don’t even have the option at the moment though.

OP posts:

Yakadee · 18/02/2019 18:25

Maybe see how the physio goes first if you're unsure about the procedure? X

Original poster

Egg87 · 18/02/2019 19:23

Yeh @yakadee I have pushed date back so I should have at least a couple more sessions before the op so I will feel I have given everything else a chance to work and if not I will go with the op.. thanks for your advice it’s good to get opinions from people who have been in a similar situation x

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Yakadee · 18/02/2019 19:39

@Egg87 - good luck. Hope you get it sorted x

DelphiMum · 21/02/2019 08:08

I was restricted at 6 months. Original stitches healed fine but were done so incredibly tight that nothing was going to fit in there ever again... Decided to go private in the end as NHS waiting list was 1yr as surgery considered non essential as while I couldn’t ever have sex again, I wasn’t in pain the rest of the time.

Best thing I ever did. Procedure was quick and much less traumatic. Healed quickly and with little pain. Stitches alone without the other trauma of childbirth was much easier to recover from.

It does sound like you are getting confusing messages from the consultants. I’d want to have some reassurance they are confident they can solve the problem before letting them recut you. One issue with redoing multiple times is eventually they can’t work on scar tissue alone - id ask about that to counter the “we’ll just keep redoing it” comment.

DelphiMum · 21/02/2019 08:09

*restitched

Original poster

Egg87 · 21/02/2019 09:32

@delphimum yes the first consultant said it would but said national Guidelines are against doing anything like that. He did say the organisation name but it’s been over 5months ago so I don’t remember. The last one I saw said it would but she just put it on the pink form you have to sign as possible complications and when I questioned it she just said if they needed to they could restitch again, which obviously I don’t want. It’s good to hear your recovery wasn’t too traumatic i keep thinking it will be the same as post birth but then I snap myself out of it and think it’s two total different situations.

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stillworkingitout · 21/02/2019 09:39

Just going to throw a curve ball here, but if you’re not done with your family it might be worth waiting. My scar was awful after DC1 but great after DC2. If you’re done though then I’d absolutely consider re-stitching because my first scar was so uncomfortable

Original poster

Egg87 · 21/02/2019 10:03

@stillworkingitout yes it’s difficult because I don’t feel we should have to rush the decision to have a 2nd just so as when we are done I can get sorted and secondly the chances of there being a 2nd are greatly decreased if not impossible with the current situation..lol...but I do know what you are saying and it’s something that’s made me put off doing surgery a little longer - I think if there is a 2nd in the future I would either request to be stitched by someone senior or try to elect for a Csection.

OP posts:

DelphiMum · 21/02/2019 10:08

I had mine done after DC1 so that we could actually produce DC2! Tore the second birth but in a different location and all appears to be fine this time.

DelphiMum · 21/02/2019 10:09

And another prospective. The botched stitches with DC1 were done by a consultant, the lovely stitches with DC2 were done by midwife.

stillworkingitout · 21/02/2019 10:12

I agree, it’s not an easy decision. How far postpartum are you? One thing I will say is that mine did get less severe over the first year or so. But we have a close gap (just 2y) between ours. It’s not something I could have lived with for a long time. Stitching will ultimately make it better but recovery will be a few weeks and then there is the risk of infection etc

Original poster

Egg87 · 21/02/2019 10:36

@stillworkingitout I’m 11months it has improved but it’s still not sorted and I can’t do things like go to a spin class or I can get uncomfortable in skinny jeans all day so I think deep down I know I need the surgery I’ve done things to improve it but don’t think it can correct itself without it. It is good to get all these opinions though x

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stillworkingitout · 21/02/2019 11:00

I agree with PP that my terrible stitches were done by a consultant (after episiotomy) and my better experience was a midwife. For us, we knew that we wanted a 2-3 year gap so I don’t think I would have opted for surgery before DC2 (when factoring in the waiting and healing time), but we were lucky to conceive again quickly. Physio is a good option, and probably massage of the scar tissue too. Good luck with whatever you decide. I do get that it’s miserable and uncomfortable and does affect your daily life

Dreamer2019 · 21/02/2019 21:58

I had surgery about 7 months post partum, after not being stitched up correctly from an episiotomy. It felt like there was an uncomfortable ridge during sex. The consultant asked if we had finished our family and I replied that I needed the surgery to actually have another baby! It's all good now although she did warn about potential scar tissue. Now pregnant with dc2 and panicking about the same thing happening again.

Original poster

Egg87 · 21/02/2019 22:33

@stillworkingitout thank you yes it is affecting my daily life your right so I do need to get it sorted, I can’t even exercise as I feel really sore afterwards. @dreamer19 it’s good to hear your experience- yes it is a worry but you may not even tear again and if you do I’d maybe ask for a 2nd opinion off someone post birth on your stitches be it from whoever so as you can make sure all sorted there and then and you won’t have to go through any extra procedures. X

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BumboBaggins · 22/02/2019 06:32

Exactly the same situation as DelphiMum. Best thing I ever did! I was stitched too tight. Had operation to correct done privately. Fantastic. Feels as close to “back to normal” as it’s ever going to after childbirth. Was worried recovery would be same as from birth stitches. Nothing like it. Much much better. I recommend!

seastargirl · 22/02/2019 06:53

I was restitched at 6 months as we wanted to try for another baby, but we eventually realised that was going to be impossible due to how much I'd been sewn up.

The first consultant I saw said that my aims of wanting to be able to have sex again was unrealistic, so I did some research and asked to be referred to a different consultant, who was absolutely lovely and said that there was no way I'd be left like that and they would get be sorted.

I was booked in for a fentons procedure. It was a short op under GA, the recovery from this was a million times better than after birth, within two wks that awful pulling and heavy feeling had gone and ib was actually able to stand without swelling.

The only time I get pain from the area is during subsequent pregnancies, when I occasionally get that pulling feeling again, but it's rare even in pregnancy.

Keep going back until they agree to get it done and get it right. It's only after childbirth that people would be expected to put up with having been stitched so badly that it affects their daily life and not really do anything about it.

seastargirl · 22/02/2019 06:54

Stand without swaying, not swelling!

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