Sorry ...blunt question about stitches

[Mosschops30]

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sorry - can't help but this'll bump it up for you!

had 2nd degree tear with both of mine. dd1 i was stitched up and felt awful for weeks down there, and the midwife doing the stitching was a moo-cow (epidural hadnt worked properly and she insisted on stitching me anyway with no other pain relief, just so she could finish on time). with dd2, they said altho it was 2nd degree tear it was a 'neat' tear and didnt feel stitching was needed. i healed quicker with dd2.

I had second degree tear too had loads of stitches as it was an unusual tear cue loads of midwives staring at it and deciding the best way to stitch it - they got a doc in who according to DP did a great job ( I was high on gas and air) had no problems afterwards with them loads of lavender oil baths.

I had a tear that they didn't stitch, as it didn't go into the muscle wall. They gave me a choice, and I chose breakfast.

The worst bit for me was when they got caught up in ...... no, I'm not going there

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I know it won't make you feel better in the short term, but really do keep doing the pelvic floor exercises. As you do them you encourage blood into the area which will promote the healing process, also keep taking Arnica and Staphisgria (if you do the homeopathy thing?). i also found as my tear healed that I got a sharp pain in my buttocks which is apparently the muscles joining up again - not fun but a good sign!

It might be worth getting someone (midwife or GP) to have a quick look and check everything is healing ok for your own peace of mind. I had stitches and had a lot of aching for a few weeks and I think the aching is more related to the bruising rather that the presence of stitches or not.

This probably is just me but I still ache down there and dd is 15 months! I had 2nd degree tear with stiches. Gp says it's completly normal to still ache but I only get it at that time of the month. Very strange!

with dd1 i had an episiotomy with quite a few stitches and a lot of bruising. with dd2 i tore, didnt have any stitches (they said the same to me, cause more pain as i was swollen)

i was really sore too for a couple of weeks, the mw came back and had a look and she said i still had a haematoma, basically a big bruise like a lump. it went away on its own maybe a week later.

i do know though that a physio can see you and give you ultrasonic therapy (think its called that cant remember rightly) if the haematoma is really bad. (breaks up the bruising or something) i was going to go for that but didnt in the end

hth

I had achy stitches too... had a LOT of hot baths with lavender oil which really soothed it.

It took months for them to heal though. They weren't infected or anything, just took a long time. Also recieved very good advice that walking a lot aggravates them (as a non-driver this wasn't a lot of help though!)

Achy is definitely better than sore!

different midwives have different views on stitching which isn't always helpful

with DS1 I had a 2nd degree that was stitched, and stitched too tight, causing aching for a long time and it was borderline whether to have a corrective op, but I didn't in the end

with DS2 I had indepndent midwives who recommended not to have stitches. It did seem to heal better, though I also got a referral to a perineal clinic and got prescribed some oestroegen cream.

So I would say it may well take a long time to get better. BUT don't be backwards in coming forwards if you are in pain, and ask for a specialist referral if you are not offered one. There are things you can have like, cream, special physio exercises etc.

It may well be worth consulting a homeopath as well.