Episiotomy pain - any tips for how to cope with it? Please?!

[missbumpy]

I gave birth 5 days ago and had a "small" episiotomy (although it didn't feel small to me!). They left me for 3 hours after labour before stitching me up. I'm finding the stitches/scar absolutely agonising. It hurts me too much to sit down at the moment. The community midwife checked it the other day and said it looked fine and it's not infected and they told me to expect it to be sore for 3 weeks or so. So I know this is all normal...I'm just need some tips for coping with the pain in the meantime. I can't not sit down for 3 weeks!

I've been taking salt baths with lavender oil every day and I've been taking paracetemol. Just wondering if anyone else had any tips that might help me cope with this.

A "Valley cushion" is what you need to avoid congesting the area - ring NCT and they'll put you in touch with nearest contact to rent one from (not too expensive for a week or so. In the meantime sit on 2 towels rolled up under each buttock/thigh to take weight off your bits! I had a 3rd degree tear and needed a lot of relief, but this worked for me (and obviously the diclofenac/arnica/baths and fresh air!!!)

Very true Jamilial, and see you had that problem jessem! Ouch.

Good tip for anyone with a sore perineum, if you feel like coughing--- SIT DOWN much more comfy.

Echo what everyone has said here, I also found putting tea tree oil on the maternity pads helped to give me a bit of a numbing feeling which was bliss

Where did you ladies get witch hazel? I've been recommended to put it on pads before (due in Dec like Incy) but only able to find witch hazel stick for spots!

Hope each day is getting easier for your Missbumpy.

Boots sell witchhazel from behind the counter of the pharmacy. I used rather a lot of it after the birth of DD!

Thanks MTM

LittleMissbumpy - how are you feeling now?

Hi, sorry I haven't been online for a day or so. Finding it hard to do anything other than look after DD.

Midwife came today and checked stitches. She made me have a look in the mirror (which I really wasn't keen to do...I'd rather not know if I look like frankenstein down there!). She says it is gaping a bit but that she's not worried about it as it's not infected and it looks "healthy and pink" .

It still hurts a lot. I asked a doctor about the diclofenic but they said I was better off with ibuprofen/paracetemol. Wonder if it's because I'm breast feeding or maybe they're just being over cautious.

TBH, I can deal with the pain now...it's more the worry about whether it's healing properly and the fear that it's going to end up "gaping" more and need further stitches or something in a few weeks time. I just really, really want it to heal up soon.

Thanks for the tips. I might try the tea tree oil on the pad tonight.

diclofenac is ace - ask your gp they may be more willing to prescribe it than your midwife. also co-codamol or/co-dydramol are also great - again if you get them on prescription you can get a much higher strength than you can over the counter. although co-codamol does make you constipated so watch out for that.

i took both these drugs while breastfeeding with no probs, for pain after my episiotomy (with ds) and c-section (dd).

tbh i was in pain from the episiotomy for a good few weeks and not completely discomfort free till about 6 months after. i can really sympathise it's horrible - and people don't seem to take the pain that seroisly - paople were much more sympathetic to me after my section - when actually i was in more pain after the episiotomy. persist with asking gp for higher strenght pain killers - they are def worth it. i took diclofenac for about 3 weeks and it goit me through the worst.

hope you are feeling better soon - oh have you thought about a valley cushion too?

Loucee, I was looking at a bottle of Witch hazel in ASDA the other day and wondering if it was the right 'sort' to get to put in my Doula bag. I don't think it was that expensive either, less than a fiver....

If it carries on gaping they can sort it out really quickly (bit like having a verrucca or wart burnt off!). I thought I'd never walk properly again but after I had this cauterisation it was like a miracle!