How many of you needed stitches or other hospital care after giving birth to your first?

[Horehound]

Im pregnant with my first and quite like the homebirth option. But i live in the country and not sure if its silly of me. I would like to know how many of you needed treatment/aftercare after giving birth to your first.

My pregnancy was super dull, literally no issues. My midwife said I'd be best off having a home birth as there'd be less chance of intervention.

I opted for the hospital anyway due to the unknowns and I'm glad I did.
All kicked off almost 2 weeks past due date with slightly leaky waters and had to be induced. DD had poo'd in the womb too, so had that additional complication.
Eventually reached a grand total of 3cm dilated after being pumped full of hormones so emcs for us!

Ds1 second degree tear stitches done in same room I gave birth in. Didn't really bother me was up and about straight away.
Ds2 3rd degree tear after very fast induced labour. Took to theatre to be stitched up had a spinal. Again I was up and about as soon as I could feel my legs, I probably did too much too soon but they didn't really bother me.

And for ds1 I was in for 2 nights.
Ds2 was home less than 24 hours later

Hmmm...
I nearly died having DD1 as I had a large post birth bleed when the cord snapped and the placenta wasn't easy to come out. They thought everything had gone well and left me and DH to it. I passed out. He panicked. They came back in and saw the state of me and also panicked and rang the emergency buzzer.

I had stitches and a blood transfusion. My bp was down to 60/40 so I'd have hated to have had that happen at home.

Induction/ ventouse/ episiotomy/ huge 10lb baby/ stitches everywhere & post op infection. Kept in for 8 days.

4 DC, stitches for all.

DC1 and 4 were in MLU, DC2 & 3 homebirths.

All was midwife-led,including the stitches.

I had 2nd degree tearing and needed 4 lots of stitches, including a particularly nasty one in my labia which tore a blood vessel causing Post Partum Haemmorrage (I lost 1.1L of blood).
The tears were probably for a number of reasons:

1. Very quick 2nd stage, I went from 5 cm dilated to crowning in 20 minutes.
2. Compound presentation, DS had his hand up by his face so he was wider than usual.
3. It was an induced labor due to DS being 12 days overdue. Inductions increase the risk of complications, so if you have to be induced you should be in hospital.

But I think what you really need to know is that stitches and tearing heal quite quickly.
My stitches dissolved within a week, by 4 weeks I no longer needed painkillers and ice packs down there, and by 12 weeks I was having sex again without pain as long as we used lube.

Many women tear. It's similar skin to your mouth, think about how quickly you heal when you've accidentally bitten your cheek.
Tears heal very quickly, and it all feels back to normal now

Ventouse deliver, manual removal of placenta, stitches, catheter with my first.

Luckily the next 2 were pretty straight forward!

First- Forceps, episiotomy, haemorrhage, crap load and of stitches, infection - did require short stay in hospital,

Second - planned section - amazing (obviously had stitches).

Good luck x

First baby (35 weeks), quick labour and delivery, no stitches. Hospital stay purely for observation of baby as she was a little early.
Second baby (full term) uneventful labour, demanded epidural but delivered before it kicked in. No stitches again. Ended up staying for 10 days with DD because she had poor blood sugar control, got jaundiced and wouldn't feed.

DS1 was a precipitous labour (at the hospital at 2cm and dilated to about 9cm in about an hour) and then the cord prolapsed, necessitating a crash c section. I was quite happy to be in hospital.

DS2 was a much calmer ELCS due to his being breech and having obstetric cholestasis.

I had a homebirth with both of mine, and had stitches at home both times. There was local anaesthetic in the homebirth pack, and they gave me gas and air too.

They did a brilliant job, no regrets!

I had 40 hours of labor followed by emergency cs with my first (if I hadn't been in a hospital, my baby would have died) and a VBAC with my second which involved a post partum hemorrhage and 15 stitches. I am not sure if I would still be alive if I hadn't given birth in a hospital. (I was on the natural birth floor, so had the trappings of a home birth, but with the safety net of the operating theater on the next floor).

DS1 3rd degree tear, spinal, stiches.

DS2 small tear, couple of stitches.

2 grazes, not even gas and air, 3 hours start to finish (active labour! 24 hours of contractions first! Lol). Was out at the shops at 3 days old.

Horrendous first birth, posterior presentation, found out I was allergic to pethedine, episiotomy and lots of stitches. In hospital for 5 days.
Opted for home delivery for DD2 9 years later. Ended up being induced in hospital as overdue by 2 weeks, very quick 2 hour delivery then post partum haemorrhage and hour later, resulting in surgery, intensive care for 3 days, left hospital 5 days later.
Neither deliveries would have ended well had I been at home. (Or a distance away from hospital)

Easy normal pregnancy, easy birth. Sudden event seconds after my baby was born meant crash team were needed for baby.
Thankfully they were there within seconds, baby given immediate care and a brilliant outcome.

So grateful to hospital team.

1st, fast 1st stage established labour, meconium, ventouse, stitches, 12 hrs of obs for DD because of meconium. 2nd induced, fast labour once established (no need for drip) ventouse, stitches, I couldn't per so 24h catheter (baby fine).

Induction was actually better than my 1st labour in most ways...

I love just had my first. At 38+4 he'd rolled over so was back to back but no one realised. In labour naturally at 39 weeks but ended up with a cat 1 c section at 39+1. 28 minutes passed from them deciding I needed a section to him being in my partners arms. We were then both kept in for 5 days due to infection markers in bloods

First: emergency c section
Second: 4the degree tear so surgery
Third: c section
There will be no more in case I fall to bits

3rd degree tear and stitches in theatre under spinal block.

Tears this bad only happen in 3 out of 100 women (apparently) so not too common. Any more minor tears the midwife can stitch.

2nd degree two way year needing stitches was quite a few.

No tears or stitches with any of my 4 babies, they were all between 8lb and 10lbs.
My first was induced but I think I could've avoided that at home, we stalled as long as we could and I was 4cm myself when they finally induced me.

I had post birth complications with #2 requiring theatre (manual placenta removal & mild hemorrhage). #3 was quick and easy and nearly a side of the road birth. #4 was a homebirth. He was posterior so it was very painful and longer than anticipated. Great experience overall.

If you want a homebirth, the key is to trust your team. I had 2 midwives with me at my house, they monitored, had oxygen and a few other tools with them. We had talked a lot through the pregnancy and I trusted them to make conservative choices with my/my babies health. They don't take chances, if things are starting to look a little not good, they recommend going straight to the hospital - and they accompany us so there's continuity of care as much as possible.
I decided that it would be safer to have 2 midwives focused on me at home, with an ambulance as an option, rather than trying another run in to the hospital (we hit peak hour traffic with #3!) and birthing on the side of the road.

I needed forceps for my first and stitches. I have 2 other friends who had the same experience.

Had my first baby last year. Needed ventouse delivery which required an episiotomy and stitches. Also had a haemorrhage and just avoided the need for a transfusion