How long were things painful in the downstairs department?

[Jayfer]

My baby boy was born last Thursday and I've got a second degree tear which the midwives didn't stitch. I know its early days but I'm not entirely sure what its meant to be like. Its incredibly painful when having a wee, very stingy and seems to be getting worse. I've had a look and its very swollen. My hips are incredibly achy and I feel like I've been riding a horse for the past decade. I've been having a couple of baths a day and putting witch hazel on a pad and putting it in the freezer (on MW adivce) to help.

Just wondering how long things are meant to be like this?

If I remember it was about a month until things felt vaguely back to normal again. I also had a second degree tear so can empathise! Baths in tea tree oil were also good. I couldn't believe I would ever feel alright again but you do!! Was so much worse after my second which was a emergency C-Section.

I didn't have anything as bad a second degree tear, just some grazing but it was bloody painful going for a pee. For the 1st two weeks I peed in a bucket of water, with my bits submerged, not dignified but also not stingy.

It was bearable by week beginning of week 3 and gone by the end. It might take longer for you because the degree of tearing is more.

If you don't fancy peeing in a bucket of water you can use a jug of water and pour it over yourself when you pee to dilute your pee.

Congrats on your baby BTW

I would certainly give it more time before you start to worry. That is less than a week! You will likely feel quite sore for a few weeks yet. I think unstithced tears also tend to take longer to heal. Just try to take it as easy as you can, get a lot of rest. I made the mistake of trying to carry on as normal almost straight away with my first dd, and I'm sure that prolongued the healing process. But do ask your midwife or GP to check for you, if you really don't get any improvement after a few weeks. Even if just for your peace of mind.

when i had 2nd degree tear with DD midwifes also suggested adding either tea tree oil (antiseptic) or calendula (for healing) to bath. Don't add both at once though.

think it took around 3-4 weeks for it to feel normal and i had to wee in the bath / or pour water over myself for nearly that long.

Jayfer, congratulations on the birth of your son. What you are describing sounds pretty normal to me. Like Ballpoint said a jug of water can help when having a wee. I was also given some herbs to have in a warm bath which were fantastic at soothing the soreness and reducing swelling. They were from a shop called Born, I think they are available online now and they are always very helpful. It think it was called a perineal bath, or something like that.

I had second degree tears with both births - lavendar baths helped with healing, as did keeping the stitches dry and clean. After using the loo, clean the area with jug of water with few drops of comfrey or tea tree oil in it and blot dry. Use arnica and vitamin e tablets to help promote the healing and sit on a soft pillow for a few days - or hire a valley cushion from the nct for a few weeks. Take it easy on yourself - you'll be feeling much better within a couple of weeks and back to normal by 5 weeks. And congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby boy.

I had a first degree tear this time (DC3) I'm on week 3 and my bits felt normal about 3 days ago but I still have achy hips if I walk too far.

Congrats!

I felt better after two weeks (internal grazing and a torn labia). I peed with a jug of water with a little detol chucked in to keep it clean. Not pleasant and a bit depressing after the high of having your baby, but you should feel better soon.

Congrats to you!

I'd recommend pouring a jug of warm water with a drop of tea tree oil in and start pouring from above before you start weeing, this helped me a lot and stopped it stinging. Follow with a second jug to rinse.

Keep doing your pelvic floors and this will help healing too.

I started to feel less aching and bruised at about 10 days post delivery.

Be really careful with the tea tree oil, one of my midwives told me she'd never recommend it. I used lavender and chamomile oils instead.

Thanks for the replies. My mw has recommended lavender oil in the bath. They are keeping a close eye on it.
Its still v uncomfortable but I'm putting my feet up and being waited on hand and foot!

Jayfer resting is really the best thing you can do. My MIL advised me to rest rest rest, let things heal 'for the benefit of your future sex life' thought it was odd/inappropriate advice at the time but she was spot on and I'm glad I did take it easy and didn't attempt to leave the house for 10 days.

i had a 2nd degree tear with bad grazing (and i had stitches), the grazing took 3 months before it feel it started to heal. i used tea tree oil AND levander oil in my bath for every bath i took. i bought a small funnel to have a wee in the loo so it wouldnt touch my sore bits. i remember them times and it was painful.

i had a 2d degree unstitched tear. It was excruciatingly painful for a good 6 weeks + after, I found either a jug of warm (if time) water to pour as I peed helped (sometimes) or a flannel of cold water to compress immediately after peeing helped. As did leaning the opposite way on the toilet, straddling it, and leaning forward as much as I could.

It is normal, but if you feel concerned, gp should take a look, just to reassure you.

You could also try some Arnica tablets, available from Boots. I used it, not sure how much it helped, but mentally it did!

oh sorry it was a graze not a tear. I remember thinking 'graze? that sort of implies not very much so why does it hurt so badly!' i only found out ages after than a 'graze' in childbirth terms is not the same as a knee graze!

Has midwife checked to make sure no signs of infection? not to alarm you...

MW is checking it regularly and I've had a precautionary swab to check for infection just to catch it early. I do think it will settle down it's just going to take a while. I've had a look so I know if its getting better or worse. Pretty scary looking!!