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Childbirth

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

Original poster

advice on stitches please.

34 replies

lisad123 · 26/09/2007 22:41

I gave birth to my DD on friday and resulted in a 2nd degree tear due to speed, rather than size.
Someone told me that a few days later it would feel like sitting on thorns and they werent wrong.
How long will it feel like this for? It stings a lot when i pee but managed the other ok sorry tmi.
I struggle to get up from breast feeding.
Im bathiing twice a day with lavender, and trying to stay as clean as possible.
Would it be better to let air but still bleding.
Any help would be great.

lisa

OP posts:
MamaG · 26/09/2007 22:43

Oh I remember this well lisad!

Even thouhg it was 8 years ago hehe

Seem to remember it lasting about 3 days for hte OMFG pain when you get up but sore for a bit

Pour warm water from a jug onto the front of your fanjo when you wee, should take away some of the sting.

Poor you (and congrats )

Original poster
lisad123 · 26/09/2007 22:45

I do the jug thing, but feel like i want a bag of froozen peas there.

OP posts:
nappynuttynormabutty · 26/09/2007 22:45

Hi, congratulations on dd

I too had a second degree tear (tho I refused to have it stitched) it took about 10 weeks or so to heal properly (by that I mean completely healed). It was pretty much better after a few weeks (took longer to heal fully cos I wasn't stitched iyswim).

FWIW I found using the big fat maternity pads and puring lots of witch hazel on them made it so much more comfortable. The witch hazel really soothed it.

HTH.

2shoes · 26/09/2007 22:45

i wast told to put salt in the bath

nappynuttynormabutty · 26/09/2007 22:45

Oh and I found it easiest to pee in the bath

Original poster
lisad123 · 26/09/2007 22:49

nappy, can i ask why you refused stitches? Just wondering.

OP posts:
nappynuttynormabutty · 26/09/2007 22:51

Ah, had a crappy mw ...didn't trust her one bit! Then she was going to sticth me while dh was on the phone, I asked her to wait. Then she wouldn't tell me how many stitches she was going to do, so I told her I wouldn't let her do them.

Original poster
lisad123 · 26/09/2007 22:54

oh dear, i had crappy doc if it makes you feel better.
She injected me to do cut, but didnt tell me she was going to cut. Would say how many stitches either
She was rude to midwifes and didnt talk to me apart from to moan that i refused to have stirrps as i have spd.
Hoping these get better soon though, cant belive how sore

OP posts:
MrsJohnCusack · 26/09/2007 22:55

oh congratulations! your family is all go at the mometn isn't it!

now this time round the midwife gave me a strip thing that you could put in the freezer. Then I'd tear a hole in the maternity/sanitary pad and put the frozen strip inside the pad IYSWIM - was too cold to go directly on me, but perfect with a little bit of the padding over it. It was BRILLIANT. Try and get someone to get you one (it was reusable)

and second weeing in the bath/jug of water etc. Took a few days to stop really stinging - maybe a week - and then it was OK

policywonk · 26/09/2007 22:56

Ouch, horrid, poor you. Loads of people recommended Neals Yard Calendula and Hypericum tincture to me when I had the same sort of injury - here. Put it in your bath - it's supposed to speed the healing.

I remember being really uncomfortable for about two weeks, then it started to ease off.

nappynuttynormabutty · 26/09/2007 22:57

It does get better. I also used salt in my bath (found lavender made me itch).

Mommalove · 26/09/2007 22:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

FlossALump · 26/09/2007 23:20

I've had stitches with both births (and both second degree tears) I'd say this on seemed to be the worst tear. I've not been taking it religiously but I've had some arnica and I'm able to sit however I like!! It is worth a shot IMO as I feel really quite comfortable !!

harrisey · 26/09/2007 23:24

Salt water in the bath. A couple of times a day at least.

I had 2 x 2nd degrees (with m biggest 2) and a 3rd degree (with the smallest - speed like you).

Salt water was the only thing that made a big difference. And air as much as possible, but when you still have a lot of lochia thats hard. Try drying with a hairdryer after bath.

Poor you , I feel for you.

Take care.

JulesJules · 26/09/2007 23:28

I recommend drops of tea tree oil in the bath, and feme gel (or something)strips that you put in the freezer and then in your pants, only after lochia stops tho! Also I hired a valley cushion from the nct, brilliant, couldn't sit down until I got that.

KristinaM · 26/09/2007 23:33

I am much posher than those of you who peed in the bath - I used to pee in teh shower

i also did the frozen peas thing. wrapped in cloth though - last thing i needed was frost bite ..

purpleflower · 26/09/2007 23:41

Congratulations

I put tea tree in the bath which really helped and used the big fat pads from tesco.

I just didnt get up from breastfeeding, i stayed on my arse cuddling so that it didn't hurt but can see that wont be possible with a second

vole3 · 27/09/2007 03:52

I dribble a bit of distilled witch hazel solution onto the pad and was pain-free after 2 days and healed in 7.

pinkrangerstartstowaddle · 27/09/2007 07:01

CONGRATULATIONS on your DD
I also had a 2nd degree tear and OMFG how much does it hurt afterwards! i would rather push 4 babies out then have to deal with that!

I had a home birth but baby ripped one of my flaps on the way out and had to have 30+ stitches and also been transferred to hospital.
Definitely take the arnica as this will reduce the bruising, also try and get some pain killers from you doctors, i had ibroufen with anti imflamatries and paracetomol with this aswell. Im afraid to say that the worst bit will be in about a week time when healing as it will start to itch but if at least it means it getting better! my DS2 will be 5 weeks on wednesday and mine are alot better but still tender down there at time, but i was unlucky and had an infection so that has taken them longer to heal! try not to do to much but alos i found that if i sat still for to long that would also make them hurt

Good Luck

WindUpBird · 27/09/2007 11:58

Firstly, congratulations! I had a second degree tear with my dd born 18 months ago, so I can sympathise! Just a thought - what type of maternity pads are you using? I remember a midwife coming to visit about a week after the birth and saw that I was using super-absorbant sanitary pads (the always-ultra type). She told me these work by pulling fluids out and therefore also pull at stitches...making it all much more painful than it needed to be and preventing healing. Once I switched to cheapo sanitary pads everything did start to feel a bit less painful.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 27/09/2007 13:10

I used an empty and well-cleaned out squeezy tomato ketchup bottle in the bathroom. Whenever I needed a wee I'd fill it with lukewarm water, and squirt myself whilst weeing so that it didnt sting.

It took quite a bit of angling and manoevering but it took the sting right away from going to the loo.

Also - breastfeed laying on your side - it will stop the pressure on your stitches and you can, er, get some air to them down there......

Marne · 27/09/2007 13:14

Oh poor you, i remember this well, i had 2nd deg tear with both of mine, with the first it took 3 weeks to settle down and with the 2nd it took 2 weeks.

Keep bathing, pee in the bath (less painful) and if its real sore fill a surgical glove with ice and place on stitches (a midwife told me this)

Original poster
lisad123 · 27/09/2007 18:58

thanks for all the advice.
Will defo try the ice thing once the bleeding settles, its still going right now ,

Im using the cheapo pads, have never been able to brest feed laying down as have a lot of trouble latching dd on as she is little.

It doesnt feel as bad today as yesterday, think i over did it yesterday.

MrsJC, defo all go in the family right now, but all with good news, for once

Will try the salt bath tonight as lavender has upset my ecemza.

VVV will try the bottle idea, sounds good.
Anyone have an idea on how long bleding will last?? I had C section last time, so not sure what VBAC bleding is like.

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 27/09/2007 19:23

Try on your back?

lornaloo · 27/09/2007 19:26

I didnt tear but had an episiotamy which was 2nd degree. I did the whole bathing in lavender and used the hairdryer to dry down there. Mine lasted about 2 weeks unfortunately. I couldnt stand for too long. Felt like id faint. I used lots of pillows to sit and bf so that I wasnt sitting too low iyswim.

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