Episiotomy recovery

[Amelia49]

Hello! I’m just looking for others experience of having a forceps delivery or especially a episiotomy cut. I’m 4 weeks postpartum and struggling with how to know if I’m recovering well without looking down there! The first ten days were absolutely brutal, each day has gotten better apart from the odd day. Today I’ve got a stingy feeling back again and it’s where I think my incision would have been, I haven’t had a look down there because I’m honestly scared of what I’ll see. I’ve stopped taking paracetamol and ibuprofen for 3 days now so not sure if that could be why I’m feeling a bit of pain again or if it’s because I’m feeling better and able to move more. I know everyone’s recovery is so different but I felt like I was really making progress last week with not feeling that horrible stingy pain anymore and it was just more achy whereas now I feel a bit swollen and puffy and when I move a certain way it almost feels like I’m pulling at stitches even though I’m almost certain they should all be dissolved by now? Is there any new mums or mums that have had an episiotomy done that can remember the stages of healing and if it’s normal to go back and forth with how you’re feeling? I’m trying to pluck up the courage to look, I’m sure it’s not infected as I’ve had no new blood and there’s no smell. My next health visitor appointment isn’t for another ten days and I don’t want to bother her in case I’m just over thinking it as I’m aware it’ll take more than just 4 weeks to fully recover. Thank you!

Contact the midwifes. Mine stung a week after birth and she cut it out for me. Sometimes they don't dissolve well and are too tight, so your incision is healing but the stitches are catching it. After that I was pain free, I felt relief instantly!

I didn't really want to look at mine either but once I did I was surprised of how ok it actually looked. I've let my imagination get the better of me.
When stitches started to dissolve, some began to tpoke out and get stuck in underwear/hairs and that stun a bit.
I was really worried I will get an infection so went to see the midwife and asked her to have a look.

Also, Spritz for bits was a lifesaver!

I'm not sure if its the same as I tore through my epesiotomy (3rd degree tear) and had stitches to repair afterwards but I honestly had no pain, ever. I had had an epidural but I expected pain when it wore off. I had a consultant appointment to check how it was healing but can't remember when it was (I'm not in the UK) but I think maybe 4 weeks and she said it was a perfect job. I also had a check up to see if there was any damage which led to a lot of physio: apparently my muscles didn't really heal well, even though I had no symptoms at the time.

So I would say its worth getting checked out, my experience was different to other people I knew at different hospitals, and I think its important to ensure you get the follow up care you need and get issues looked at early. I basically had preventative physio which could easily have been missed. Everyone is different, and it took me months to feel like everything was fully 'normal' but I didn't have stinging or pain and I think its important to ensure you're comfortable.

Probably not the same as you but I had a third degree tear and was in pain six months.

Hopefully you won't be and it is very early days yet.

Hi OP, I had a ventouse delivery with an episiotomy. I had a lot of pain the first month or so and was taking painkillers. It got better and I got discharged from midwifery at 5 or 6 weeks PP, I had the site checked regularly and all looked fine. Literally the next day after discharge I rolled over in bed and suddenly felt a sharp stingy pain! It stayed all day. I knew something was wrong as I had been pretty pain free for a week or two by that point and hadn't been taking pain relief and now needed to. I went to the GP who examined me and found that a really tiny part of the cut had reopened. It was literally like a tiny opening, maybe the diameter of the end of a finger? I never looked at it though. It was so small and there were no signs of infection he didn't recommend stitching it but to keep it clean and apply Sudocrem regularly for its antiseptic properties and for comfort. My DH was a trainee HCP at the time so I got him to do th Sudocrem applications as I didn't want to go near it!! I'm wondering from your description and the similar timeframe that some of your wound may also have reopened, I would make a GP appt ASAP to get it checked.

Thank you for sharing your experience, it does sound really similar! I’m going to phone tomorrow and have it double checked, better safe than sorry!

Firstly congrats on your little one's arrival and sorry that you've experienced an episiotomy as part of that experience! I'm likely at the less common end of the spectrum so maybe don't take my experience to heart too much (but since you asked!!)...

Three years ago I had an episiotomy and forceps delivery with my first child. Wasn't told by anyone to avoid baths afterwards so I went home and on day two enjoyed a nice warm (hot) bath. I didn't realise at the time but it dissolved some of my stitches prematurely, wound subsequently partially re-opened and quickly became infected. By week two post baby I was in agony, I had to go to hospital as an outpatient for four sessions of laser therapy on the wound (which I have to say really both bizarre wearing goggles whilst a physiotherapist zapped my hoo hah, but it was really effective at getting rid of the infection and promoting healing! ) It was 10 weeks post birth before I was able to walk normally or for any real distance. I remember having to take a cushioned ring with me when out and about as sitting was really uncomfortable too. I thought this was perhaps normal until my sister had an emergency c sec a few months later and was feeling "back to normal" in 4-5 weeks. Definitely keep on top of any pain relief you have available and if in any doubt about whether the wound is healing ok then ask your midwife if someone can check, you don't really want to wait 10 days for anything to get worse! X