Sewn up too tight/small??

[Tomliboo]

Have read various topics posted but just had to create my own as i need some advice! I had my second child 10 weeks ago after a VBAC delivery. She was only 6lb 4 but i had a second degree tear and was subsequently stitched up. Upon inspection of the perineal area (as most mums do i hope!)it looks like my vaginal opening is alot smaller than it was before. I attempted interourse about 4 weeks afterwards since i felt physically fit and ready, but a bit of soreness, lack of vaginal fluid (from breastfeeding) and anxiety made it impossible and havent tried since. Am worried that i'll tear as a result or be in alot of pain, adding to more panic!

HAs anybody else felt like this/been in this position? Am too embarrased to mention to GP as it might still be early days? Or problem could sort itself out? Could i have been 'overstitched'? The skin around the area just looks and feels tight

I had this after my fisrt ds was born. I didn't attemp sex till quite a few months after, but it was amazing.
Only to be ruined 4 years later by ds2 being born

you myt still be a little bit swolen . just see your health visitor see what she/he says xx

yeah i was sewn up a bit too tight after a 2nd degree tear and the mw actually cut a couple of stitches out which made things a lot more comfy - but that was probably more like 2/3 weeks post birth i reckon. Don't be embarrassed to talk to you GP, mine didn't bat an eyelid when i brought it up and he seems like quite a stuffy old bloke!

Hi Cheritongirl

Shame i couldnt notice if i was sewn tight or not sooner as i just couldnt bear to look down there! But i didnt feel any discomfort or anything so maybe nothing to worry about?! Just looks like some skin has covered some of the opening! (Sorry for too much detail!)

Hi Timliboo, I was sewn up too tight after a VBAC second degree tear. My visiting midwife noticed when she was visiting about 2 weeks later and they booked me in for 're-fashioning' about 4 weeks after that. It was a right pain, although not painful in itself. I was really annoyed with the hospital midwives for having made a mess of it and no one checking. So get someone to look - will be worth it.

Apparently people used to experience something called 'the husband stitch'. Docs would sew women up tighter than they needed to for the benefit of the husband. gross

After DS2 (a whopping 10lb 11oz, delivered by ventouse) I am tighter than before. I didn't attempt intercourse for ages afterwards as was so sore from the stitches, but after a few months was fine.
Keep trying, be patient and go slowly and you should be OK. It is now seen as a benefit in our relationship

Hi all, thanks for the messages. I'm thinking of mentioning this to the nurse and/or GP anyway since they should know what a 'normal' perineal wound should look like. I'm not exaggerating but it looks like the entrance is about the size of my little finger tip- and i have small hands!! How will i have more children in the future?!

Do see your GP for advice. I was stitched rather too tightly after dd, and also wondered how on earth would ever manage to conceive let alone have another baby.
My lovely GP picked up on the problem at the post-natal check and I ended up having a restitch done when dd was 7 or 8 months old.
Was rather traumatic at the time. Had mine done under local, which I wouldn't personally recommend (but as a result of being giving duff information about breastfeeding and general anaesthetic).
Healed well and had ds when dd was just over 2 years old. All fine now. Tore with ds, but the stitches were fine and healed beautifully, which I put down to liberal use of arnica.

Hi pooka, thanks for your message.

I wanted to bring this up at my 8 week check but i had an old guy who said didnt really need to do a vaginal examination. I thought just as well really, maybe i'd need more time to heal. But it still looks the same now. Do you mind if i ask you what they did at the 'restitching'? Was it an option to do it under general aneasthetic? Was you sore as if you had given birth again?! How long did it take to recover?? Please dont answer anything you not comfortable about!! But I'd hate to be awake during the whole thing as i'd prob tense up like i was when i was stitched up!

Hi there. Have no probs answering your questions.

I am amazed that so many of my friends didn't have a vaginal examination at their post-natal check ups. THink I was quite lucky that my GP (alas retired now) was so fantastic. God I miss her!

Yes - the consultant recommended a general anaesthetic. If it happened to me again, I would not choose to do it with a local. Was not much fun! But while rather traumatic at the time, has faded into distant memory.

Unfortunately, he also told me would not be able to breastfeed for some time afterwards, I got a last minute cancellation slot, and Ididn't have enough time to bank milk.

What he did was to cut like having an episiotomy, in a different place to the healed tear, and then having cut it, he stitched it up leaving more room. Was done in theatre, with stirrups and operating team.

Afterwards it wasn't as sore as having had dd, partly because this time the stitches were not so tight. I had no infection. And also, the soreness wasn't tied in with the general bruising you get when delivering a baby. Was tender, wouldn't lie and say it wasn't. But wasn't rubber ring tender IYSWIM.

Had it done at about midday and dh came with dd to collect me at about 4pm. Was starving because when I arrived they said I wouldn't be able to eat, just in case they did have to put me under. At the time it was happening, it was suggested that might be easier if I had a general there and then, but... the milk thing was an obsession with me and so we just carried on.

My mother looked after dd the following day. Think prob took a couple of days not to feel a bit sore. The stitches fell out at some point.

Made a huge difference generally and am pleased I had it done. When I was pregnant with ds I was a bit worried about it happening all over again. But while I did tear, perhaps more badly than first time, the stitching was not a problem that time, and I made sure that the midwives had a good look at all my ante-natal visits. Took loads of arnica and baths with tea tree oil.

Think by the way that the tearing was worsened 2nd time because ds arrived very quickly and I was in an upright position. If there's a next time, would like to be on my side more.

HTH.

By the way, sometimes tightness is dealt with by using steroid creams/stretching exercises. I didn't have these. My GP was pretty certain (and the consultant agreed) that was best to have the surgery (given the severity of the problem).

I think you need to make sure you're very aroused and wet and then try sex gently again before you can really decide if it's too tight or not.

At my first birth (23 years ago) I had an episiotomy and stitches (which was much worse than the slight tear and stitch with the second). Needed nothing for numbers 3 - 5 and after birth that was so much better those times. But with the first I think it was fine just took a while to stop hurting etc. It was the doctor who did the ep. and I think he knew what he was doing and did it reasonably well.

Oh I do agree that you should give it a whirl first. My GP recommended wine as a relaxant. Alas with me it didn't happen, but I have a friend who was too tight, but managed. Conceived her ds, and they (doctors) did a patch up job after she had him!

Hi Pooka, had wanted to reply for some time but kids were ill for the past 10 days with the harsh weather and colds going round...

I attempted sex again but it hurt (even with lubrication and a bit of foreplay) and so it didnt happen again. Upon inspecting my bits again in detail (as its been 3 months since dd2 was born), it just looks as though its 'overhealed' and thats there's some tight skin in between my vagina and clitoris which i swear didnt look like that before! The actual scar is fine and have never had problems with that but the opening is still very small.

I thank you very much for your response, Pooka, (and everyone else's) and glad to know that if i do need 'refashioning', that it might not be as bad as i thought; I've been very worried about this as i'm afraid of operations, needles and pain and very concerned overall that i'm not normal anymore I've booked an appoinment with my GP to see what she says so i will have to wait and see what happens.

Ladies, any updates? I just had a baby May 2018 and seem to have been stitched too small. Here we are July 8th and attempted intercourse for the 2nd time and it is painful so we stop. I am worried about not enjoying sex due to the tightness I am scared it will rip open.

Just wanted to add - I thought I had a similar issue after the birth of my daughter, the GP even told me that is what had happened when he tried to give me a smear test and couldn’t do it. He referred me to the gynaecologist. The gynaecologist however did a very thorough examination and concluded that there was no physical issue, it was just that the scar tissue was still not quite flexible enough. She was right - the first few times we had to use loads of lube, but after a few months I went back to normal.

Hi. The look of the skin being stretched over the opening is exactly what I had after a 2nd degree. It wasn’t uncomfortable or painful until we tried to have sex. After raising multiple times at GP and going through lots of attempts with increasing amounts of lube I eventually saw the consultant who took one glance and said my stitches were way too tight. I ended up paying privately to have them fixed as the waiting list was 18months as a “non-essential” surgery. Had op at 6 months PP and after short recovery all working fine again.

This happened to me. I had an induced labour, ventouse, stitches with DS1. Definitely felt as if they had stitched me too tight afterwards. Any attempt at sex was far too traumatic and I missed smear test etc as I couldn't imagine anyone invading that area. I didn't have sex for a year after the birth. Have you read anything about pelvic trauma? I think some of the problem was actually knotted/tense muscles down there as well. Apparently you can have physiotherapy specifically for this area post birth but I didn't know about that until it was too late. In the end I took a 'grin and bear it' approach as it was gettin a bit of an issue and after the initial pain it was okay actually. I do think some of it was possibly psychological. Now I'm almost glad in a funny way because down there is no 'looser' than pre-birth, I don't think you'd know!