When will my bits stop hurting??!!!!

[Ebb]

Gave birth two weeks ago, two weeks early. Waters went at 8pm on the Saturday but no contractions so went in to hospital for a trace to check baby wasn't distressed. Finally got home at 2am, had contraction , went to bed thinking I had ages, contractions started coming every 2 - 4 minutes. Back to hospital at 3.30am (hello again reception staff .) Wanted to use the pool so midwife checked and I was 5cm so allowed straight in. Went to 10cm by 6am. Wanted an epidural by this stage but midwife said baby would be here by the time it took effect. Started pushing...... and pushed for 4 hours! They're only supposed to let you push for 2 but there was a midwife change and a bit of confusion as to when I started pushing but DP and I both noted 6am on the clock. I remember being surprised it had been so quick for first labour. Ended up exhausted and having an episiotomy and DS popped out weighing 7lb6. Tore pretty badly too. It took an hour and a half to stitch me up and the midwife got a senior midwife in to ask "Where does this bit go?!" Apparently they've done a lovely bit of sewing on my bits according to every Tom, Dick and Harry who's had a nosey since!!
However I still feel soooo bruised. Every time I stand up for a short period of time, it just feels like a huge pressure down below. The stitches aren't sore any more, it's just this constant bruised feeling. Have been taking arnica regularly and tea tree oil baths. Anyone else experienced this and when will my bits stop hurting? I can only assume it was due to baby pushing in one spot for so long.....
Still I have a gorgeous son so can't complain too much! Sorry for the long post!

When you say you tore "pretty badly", do you know what degree of tear it was? (They didn't tell me, but it was in my discharge notes to give to the doctor and community midwife)

I couldn't find it in my notes. I had a labial tear. Basically they had to stitch most of my left labia back on. My midwife said, 'How the hell did you manage to tear there?!'

i tore badly inside and out had lots of people rushing around also tore an artery god knows how so it was panic stations by all but it ook me about 2 months before it all felt better but another month to be comfortable enough for sex

childbirth alone would leave you sore let alone anything else i had stitches for 8 weeks after so could have been up to about 4 months to feel comfortable

Ouch! You have my sympathy. After ds' birth in February it was 3 weeks until the soreness settled down and I could walk around for longer than about 5 minutes at a time. He's now 14 weeks old and there's no residual discomfort - phew! Things will get better, just keep having those baths and take things a bit easy for a bit longer.

BTW - mine was a 7 hour labour with 1 hour of pushing - reckon it might be the extent and location of the tearing rather than the duration which causes the damage...

I remember that feeling- if stood for too long (or even sat in the same position) it would feel as though my insides were all going to fall out!!!

I think its to do with how deep the stitches go, rather than how many IYKWIM. I was in theatre for over an hour afterwards and needed an epidural to be stitched up even though Id managed the birth without one.
I was told afterwards that they had cut too deep when doing the episiotomy and it had almost gone right through to my bum!!!

It takes a long time to heal but it does get beter eventually

Sounds second degree but a particularly painful kind of second degree. Normally I would have said three weeks, but I would guess that yours may take longer than normal from your description. Are you taking good painkillers?

Ouch

I took about a month for both of mine (sorry)

Took me about a month for the tear itself to heal - skin closed over well and all the bruising subsided. Still felt a bit uncomfortable for another couple of weeks and was 3 months until sex was comfortable. Then took about another 3 months to feel completely normal again. 6 months in total. It is completely OK now though, no problems at all.

Have you been pouring water over yourself as you wee and after? Helps keep everything clean and eases the pain as you wee. Keep up with the arnica and tea tree baths, they were great for me, and I just sat on a pillow everywhere I went, which helped! Also don't do anything at all that you don't absolutely need to do. I found I healed better once I gave up running around after guests.

Hi LenniEd. Sorry you're sore, but sounds very similar to my experience.
DS came 4 weeks early and from waters breaking to birth was only 4 hours. Didn't push at all til at hospital and was only in for 1hr 40 mins before he was born. Think I pushed for maybe 30 mins. He was posterior and distressed so it was a ventouse delivery, therefore episiotomy. I also had 2nd degree tear. They were stitching for about 40 mins to an hour. internal and external stitches. was checked by 2 mw in weeks after who both said were excellent stitches. I was really sore for about 3 or 4 weeks and had that sensation of pressure you describe if i stood or walked too much.
It eased off by about 6 weeks and now feel absolutely fine at 9 weeks.

doing pelvic floor excercises will help too - gently at first of course! but will increase blood supply and aid healing.
(btw I am Mrs JoshLyman...oh ok will be Mrs Toby Zeigler..dh and i working our way through entire box set for 3rd time!)

hi. i had a 3rd degree tear in labour. tore through the perinium ( if spelt right) into my anal spinchter wall. so yeah ouch my sympathys for you. For me the actual tear healed in a few weeks but i was uncomfortable for months. Felt 'bruised' inside when having sex or using a tampon. Went to docs and they said everything was fine so i put up with it. I can say it took a good year to feel myself again down below! sorry!!

Lavender oil in a teaspoon of milk is good in your bath too. Also witch hazel on a bit of gauze pressed directly onto the sore area.

I had an episiotomy 6 weeks ago for a forceps delivery (after 3 hrs pushing). The stitches finally came out last week. The bruised bum and pressure feeling stopped after about 3-4 weeks I think, and my pelvic floor felt bruised until earlier this week.

Keep doing your pelvic floor exercises - they'll help a lot!!!

I had 3rd degree tears which left me feeling like i#d been run over by a steam roller. standing made me feel like my insides were going to fall out and sitting was just agony. my mum told me to sit on a cushion (does help), sit with one hip tilted up so the pressure is not on your bruises and bath with a small bit of salt in the bath (helped healing).

two weeks is still early days - it was about 4 before i felt vaguely normal again