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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

*Never heard of this before*

28 replies

Concernedfriend · 12/06/2005 18:04

My bf has given birth recently and suffered from a labia laceration - she is very uncomfortable and had no stiches - has anyone else suffered with this - I've had four children myself and have never even read about it in the usual pregnancy/birth magazines!

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dejags · 12/06/2005 18:09

Had this CF and so have many women I know. It's not spoken about because it's seen as one of the necessary evils of giving birth. I have heard that lacerations can be more painful than tears.

Mine was really sore for about 2 weeks i.e. I couldn't really walk for the first week.

ambrosia · 12/06/2005 18:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Concernedfriend · 12/06/2005 18:15

Hi dejags, my bf's midwife said that it didn't need stitching, but she said it looks awful and said that the labia looks like it has been cut and is healing but is in two separate parts now and not healing back 'together' as she thought it would!

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HappyHuggy · 12/06/2005 18:17

It is soooooo painful. i remember having to have to wee in the bath cause the pain was unbearable! the doctor gave me some anesthetic in a tube (gel form) to rub on a minute before i went for a wee!!! it was agony!!

for ds2, i saw the doctor in advance and got some gel stuff cause i was more worried about that than the birth.

poor woman!

Original poster
Concernedfriend · 12/06/2005 18:17

Amrosia, no - it's not grazing. It is when the skin attching the labia to the clitoris is ripped apart - no wonder why we never read it in magazines - we'd never get pregnant!!

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Original poster
Concernedfriend · 12/06/2005 18:18

HappyHuggy, did you heal - so that you were 'back to normal' - my friend feels disfigured now!

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HappyHuggy · 12/06/2005 18:20

perfectly, you couldnt even tell now.

if its hurting her she should ask for some of that gel stuff. the doc gave me a pack of 12 tubes!!!

they really worked well.

i used to cry my eyes out when i needed a wee!

Original poster
Concernedfriend · 12/06/2005 18:22

Thanks HappyHuggy, I'll tell her to get some - but she is really worried by the way she is left looking - surely it should have been stiched - her labia is not attached anymore on one side - I feel so sorry for her

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HappyHuggy · 12/06/2005 18:23

just went to check what its called.

its called Instillagel and its got Farco-Pharma 50829 Koln written on it.

its the same stuff they use to numb you if you have a cathater put in i think.

(you can tell how paranoid i was about it happening again - ive still got unopened tubes and ds2 is 14 months now!!!)

ambrosia · 12/06/2005 18:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Concernedfriend · 12/06/2005 18:25

Thanks so much HH, I've written it down and I'll phone her later so she can get some tomorrow

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mears · 12/06/2005 19:04

How long ago did she give birth? Sounds to me as though it should have been stitched. Advise her to go to GP and get referred back to obstetrician for opinion.

aloha · 12/06/2005 19:04

AAARGH! this sounds dreadful - why is your friend just left like this?

HappyMumof2 · 12/06/2005 19:11

Message withdrawn

SofiaAmes · 12/06/2005 21:54

Mine was split in half along the diagonal. Consultant was going to leave it, but luckily my midwife (head midwife who insisted on overseeing my VBAC) insisted that he stitch it up.
It was actually a pretty funny scene. I had had my VBAC quite successfully, but then had a postpartum haemmorage. (It turned out to be unrelated to the VBAC and just a non-contracting uterus) I was lying on my back in theatre while 3 (male) consultants poked around between my legs and my mother held one hand and my midwife held the other (to keep me from punching them...do you think?). The consultants started arguing in whispers. I couldn't hear them, but all of a sudden my midwife pipes up..."as a woman, I think you should stitch it" and then explained to me that my labia had split and they couldn't think of any "medical" reason why they should stitch it up. They were going to leave it as two flaps that would have never sealed back together on their own. Thank god she was there.
It was very unconfortable healing for a good 6 months afterwards.

mogwai · 12/06/2005 22:28

F*** hell

never even considered my labia tearing.

My friend has a unexplained hole in one of heres. She went for a colposcopy a few months after her ds was born. The gynaecologist didn't recognise her face but he sure remembered her lady garden........

BROWNY · 13/06/2005 10:26

This happened to me, when I had my second daughter (1st daughter was born by C Section), no-one bothered to tell me, but when I checked myself to see why I was so much in pain, I saw that my labia was split in half, with no sign of healing back together . I looked at my notes (which I always photocopy) and saw "labia laceration" . I'd never even heard this could happen, even though I read all the Mother & Baby, Pregnancy and Birth books.

I was in a great deal of pain for months, I never bothered to go back to my G.P. as the edges had healed (but not back together) and thought why should I be put through more pain getting it stitched, when the pain had only recently stopped.

I've had two more children, and the laceration didn't get worse. I feel disfigured down there, my husband has never mentioned it! I just wish someone had told me at the time what had happened, so I could have requested them to stitch it back together.

Hope reading this helps someone else.

BROWNY · 13/06/2005 10:49

Bumping for concerned friend!

Rochwen · 13/06/2005 11:23

Eeeeeek !!!

Browny big big hugs and sympathy from me !

BROWNY · 13/06/2005 11:25

Thanks Rochwen, I've got over it now, but still sometimes feel angry and the midwives and consultant!

piffle · 13/06/2005 11:35

I had a labial graze, very minor first time round and used witchhazel on cotton wool pads when I went to the toilet to stop the stinging, it truly helped....

HappyMumof2 · 13/06/2005 12:49

Message withdrawn

mogwai · 13/06/2005 13:25

she reckons it's the size of her little finger nail. Too big to even get it pierced.

Still, nice that the gynaecologist remembered her - they are so busy, you don't want to be "just a name"

18mumtobe · 13/06/2005 16:57

had some grazing after giving birth a week ago today, it stang like mad to begin with when i went to the toilet, my mw suggested pouring warm water over the area while i went and it felt much better, also tell her to drink lots of water to dilute it down it won't hurt have as much if she does. my has got much better after just 7 days, so remind her that it will get better soon.

hope was some help to you.

Original poster
Concernedfriend · 15/06/2005 18:26

Just wanted to say thanks for everyone's help - looks like my bf is going to be like you Browny (can't believe midwives and consultants leave poor women in this terrible state - this should be talked about more by anti-natal staff and information should be given to all mums-to-be .

If anyone else has anything else to add, or if it has also happened to you, please post - it could help someone who looks in these archieves on day

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