Anybody been re-stitched after childbirth?

[LifeOfKate]

DS was born 5 months ago. I had a 2nd degree tear, although they were worried it was 3rd degree for a while.
At my six week check with GP, she checked my stitches as they were still painful and remarked that they were very tight and that I could have them redone if I wanted.
DH and I have since made attempts to have sex and it is pretty much impossible and very painful.
I'm going to book myself a GP appointment this week and was just wondering if anyone else had had their stitches redone? How long is a referral likely to take? Would they do it under GA, epidural, LA? I'm still breastfeeding exclusively and DS won't take a bottle, any considerations to do with that?

So many questions, sorry! I'm sure the GP will be able to answer a few, but I just wanted some real life experiences and reassurances that I will have sex again!

TIA

Hi there. Yes, I did. I had what I was told was a 2nd degree tear, and let a student mw suture me. Big mistake. Not only was it actually a 3rd degree tear, which the supervising mw had missed, it was sutured so it ended up sounding like yours; intercourse impossible and (tmi) excess flesh all over the place.

I had it re-done under a GA; I wasn't given a choice but would def go for that again (no interest in being awake for that) I actually had to push my GP to even look, he sighed gustily and said "well, you won't look the same after pushing an 8lb baby out", I really had to pressurise him to examine me (which, as you can imagine, made me feel great), he had a very quick peer under the sheet and muttered, yes, I'll refer you right back. I don't remember it taking very long (suspect this may be regional though).

I got a colorectal referral when I saw the gynae con and they diagnosed a 3rd degree tear and external sphincter defect. I've been left partially incontinent. And that's why I have never let a midwife check for perineal lacerations after my subsequent births, my birth plan states that I want to be examined by reg or consultant only afterwards.

Sorry, you got an essay there (still very angry about the mws) I was also bf afterwards, and it is very very important that you tell the anaesthetist that. I was able to bf straightaway, no probs. I wish you good luck.

I was re-stiched under LA when my DS was 11 months, until then sitting down was extremelly painful and intercourse impossible. However all now well and expecting second baby in August. The procedure itself was not painful at all just slightly unnerving being awake in theatre it took about 30 mins and recovery approx 8 weeks. I don't blame the midwife particularly I think I was too quick to be up and about like a mad woman after giving birth, will definatley be taking a slower pace this time. Good luck

LoK, I am in a similar situation to you - DS was born 5 months ago with forceps and I tore through the episotomy cut. Was also 2nd degree. The stitches felt tight but I was a bit squeamish about looking too closely; like you I have not been able to have sex but I thought I was just being a bit of a wuss.

However, I managed to get referred to a physiotherapist about some other issues I was having (leaky bladder / constipation etc) and she examined my stiches and said they were tight. The reg did them and I recall her saying if they felt tight to come back but I didn't take much notice at the time. The physio said I should try to massage them to get them to "give" a little and if not I could have a procedure called Fenton's where they re-do them. I'm going back in 4 weeks so we haven't discussed details but she said it would be fine to do with breastfeeding.

One other bit of info - a friend was booked in for the procedure with a similar issue but found it improved when she stopped breastfeeding, and she thinks the elasticity of the vagina improves a lot at that time.

So I can't reassure you that you will have sex again but I am optimistic I will if that helps!!

Thanks both

I wrote a big reply this morning and then lost internet connection, most frustrating!

How long after going to your GP were your operations? I ask as we are keen to start TTC DC2, had originally set on 6 months as a good time to start, but I realise it will be after that now. We are keen to have them fairly close together though, so don't want it to be too long.

I don't think that the midwife did a particularly 'bad' job, as far as I can tell, it is all very neat, I think she's just been a little bit overenthusiastic! I'm fairly sure that the registrar on duty at the time did examine me for 3rd degree tear, and I have had no problems with any variety of incontinence, so I'm not very worried from that point of view.

I'm also not worried about getting a referral, my GP is great and it was her who suggested the possibility of being restitched at my 6 week check.. a bit annoyed I didn't bite her hand off then, but we hadn't attempted intercourse at that point, so I wasn't aware of quite how tight she meant when she said it was rather tight!

I'm relieved that it seems possible to have it done under LA, the thought of a GA freaks me out a bit, I'd rather not be put under.

My concerns about breastfeeding are more to do with what will happen if he wants feeding while I am in theatre, given that he refuses to be fed any other way at the moment. Do you think it's worth persisting with a bottle to see if he can manage it by the time I have my op? I haven't been pushing it, as I haven't really needed him to take it before and had no plans to leave him anywhere longer than an hour or so.

Thanks again, it's very reassuring hearing others stories

I was restitched when dd was 7 months old.

Like you, was too tight as a result of the stitching.

My GP picked up on it at the 6 week check. She suggested giving sex a whirl and to see whether things loosened up. Went back when dd was about 3 months.

Saw a consultant (as a result of a referral) at about 5 months post birth. Was fortunate to get a cancellation spot for the procedure.

I was told, and am still bloody furious, that since was breastfeeding, would not be able to have a GA. I've since discovered that that is tosh. So had the local anaesthetic and found it horrendous. Sorry, but I found it really rather distressing - flashbacks to labour, and stirrups and so on. And the injections for local were not pleasant.

However, I've since discovered that it is OK to breastfeed and have a GA. After all, if one has a crash c-section under GA, they don't stop you from feeding afterwards. Though might be worthwhile contacting the unit once you are booked in to discuss practicalities, i.e. fasting/how long the wait might me/whether your ds can be brought in for feeds and so on. Incidentally, dd never took a bottle, but was pretty good with a cup, so perhaps you could reassure yourself before you have the op that your ds will in extremis, take fluids/expressed milk from a cup. By the time you get the appointment through, he'll prob be well on solids and the space between feeds and the timing more easily capable of being manipulated IYSWIM.

The op worked brilliantly, and I went on to have ds1 (tear , stitches but no after effects) and then ds2 (tiny graze, no after effects) vaginally with no assistance.

Oh and just like you, I don't think there was anything "bad" per se about the job that was done. However, I think I did pick up an infection of the stitches, and that probably made a tight situation even tighter. ;)

DS1 and and DS2 both entirely unproblemmatic.

DS2 at home.

Oh and my own persoanl take was that I would have preferred to have a GA. I suspect this is because the consultant I had was pretty grim and I got the impression he would have rathered I had a GA because he wasn't really a people person - and I got pretty upset during the op because was not coping especially well post-natally with being poked and prodded.

Sorry, x-posts with usernameangst! Interesting about the breastfeeding... I can't see stopping much before a year though, which is leaving it a bit late... DH might have exploded by then

Thanks pooka. I really think I would rather avoid a GA, the thought does scare me! I have no problems with being awake during an op, I've got quite used to people poking about my nether regions, what with sweeps, induction, labour, stitches and then postnatal proddings! I imagine this would be something to talk about with a consultant though, I guess they all have their own preferences.

Yes, I hadn't thought about the weaning aspect. When you've been doing it round the clock for 5 months I guess it's easy to think you'll be doing it this much/often forever!!

I've got to ring up the GP for an appointment tomorrow morning, will probably keep updating this thread.

Well, I went to the GP yesterday, she has prescribed oestrogen pessaries first and I am to see how I get on with them. I've got to use them carefully, as they can affect my BM supply. She thinks that it's not helping that I'm still bfing, so there was probably something in your friends experience, usernameangst!