Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Postnatal health

As with all health-related issues, please seek advice from a RL health professional if you're worried about anything.

Original poster

Episiotomy Pain!!

15 replies

Sdot1987 · 10/12/2016 09:18

Hello ladies,

I gave birth to a little baby girl 5 weeks ago but wasn't the smoothest of deliveries.
Two epidurals, big blood loss, forceps and an episiotomy later she appeared Smile
However I was brave enough a few days later after I got home to have a peek at how things were looking down there and I almost fainted!! Confused
Clearly the stitches had burst and the next day the midwife confirmed that my episiotomy had 'broken down'. The pain was and still is here...I've had two weeks of antibiotics as a precaution and all swabs have came back negative for infection (thankfully) and everyday I'm taking at least two baths and a shower to make sure everything is clean and fresh.
I'm just in constant pain....myself and paracetamol are best friends. I guess I'm curious to know if there are any positive stories about episiotomy healing?? It is a mediolateral (right side) episiotomy and my boyfriend had a look and he thinks the wound is coming together. As does the midwife as she is no longer visiting to check up on me.
Any tips on how to cope with the pain?
I'm walking and doing stuff as I cannot sit around for weeks of end waiting for 'time to heal Sad'

OP posts:
ElspethFlashman · 10/12/2016 09:25

After 5 weeks you shouldn't be in constant pain.

Ring up your post natal ward and ask to be brought in for a look at your episiotomy. I believe you're their responsibility for 6 weeks post natal so they have to check you out. There at least you can have a surgical Reg have a look i.e. the people who do them in the first place.

Haggard1 · 10/12/2016 09:28

Sitting on cold pads (not too cold though, you can damage yourself). I put drops of lavender oil (for healing) and tea tree (antiseptic) in my pads and bath. I also had some ibroprofen and paracetamol - HV advised quantity as I was BFing.

If it feels like it's taking a long time to heal keep getting it checked. If it doesn't feel quite right they might be missing something. Good luck - I hope it gets better soon and you can enjoy being a mum (and walking and sitting!) Flowers

MollyHuaCha · 10/12/2016 09:42

Congratulations on your little girl . After episiotomy and ventouse, I didn't recover below for about 10 weeks. Speak to your midwife or doctor to check if all is healing as it should. Wishing you well.

Original poster
Sdot1987 · 10/12/2016 15:40

Thanks for the replies, a lot quicker than expected.
Midwife said broken down episiotomies are very common and do not re-stitch as it's likely to burst again due to its location. She talked about getting it 'packed' to help heal but this was dismissed also due to location.
I've been to the doctors about getting something stronger for pain relief but couldn't get anything as I'm breast feeding.
Guess I'm just having a moan really as I'm fed up with this 'time will heal' speech that I'm always hearing.
From what I've read on-line (I know, bad idea!) everyone's recovery time is different...hoped I'd be one of the women that heals quickly but with the blood loss I assume healing will just take longer unfortunately.
I have my 6 week postnatal appointment soon so I certainly hope the doctor will look and tell me things are healing 😊
Thanks for the tips Haggard1 and to those who took time to read and reply to my post Flowers

OP posts:
FurryGiraffe · 10/12/2016 16:07

I was advised to alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen after episiotomy and forceps. I took the max dose of each for quite a while and it was pretty effective (big internal forceps tear plus infection).

That said, BF is not a reason why you can't be prescribed better pain relief if needed. There are very few things you can't take. The BF network has good info www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugs-factsheets/

isittimeforarainbow · 11/12/2016 21:34

I was still in some discomfort after 6 weeks but not constant pain, that doesn't sound quite right to me so you should definitely get it checked out.
Midwives at the time told me to keep baths short so I think you should go easy on the baths actually. Things that are good for healing are air drying (so lie down with nothing on bottom half), pelvic floor exercises (you need to get the blood flowing) and some light walking (again to get the blood flowing).
10 weeks on and I am feeling so much better now, good luck

PonkAlert · 11/12/2016 21:39

I was advised to get an inflatable rubber ring to sit on but couldn't find one due to time of year - maybe order online? Mine was made worse by awful piles and being unable to take painkillers due to a liver problem, but much better now. Unfortunately, time and rest (ha!) is the only healer.

tralaaa · 12/12/2016 05:59

Don't take too many baths as the skin needs to be dry to heal when sitting out a cushion under you thighs to take off the pressure

MozzarellaStick · 12/12/2016 06:20

I was in pain for about 2 months after mine, ibuprofen and baths loads of fiber to avoid any painful incidents...and warm water when you use the loo. I kept getting given conflicting advice from midwives nurses and people at the walk in centre, honestly more people had seen my bits by the time she was 8 weeks old than in my entire life. It feels like it'll never heal but it will. I kept getting mine checked for peace of mind. Don't wear tight knickers or anything that'll rub it at all. I lived in my pajamas for the first 2 months and still do

AllTheBabies · 12/12/2016 06:48

I had really bad pain after I had dd1. Walking was agony. Because she was my first I just kind of thought that was how it was for everyone. Turns out my episiotomy had been stiched badly and therefor healed wrong and I had to have surgery (very minor, local anesthetic, took 5 minutes) to fix it. Be pushy about it at your check, I was far too meek at mine and the doctor just took a cursory glance and said everything was fine. It took me ages to work up the courage to go back to the doctors but it was such a simple fix.

The good news is that I had another episiotomy after having dd2 and had barely any pain at all.

Original poster
Sdot1987 · 12/12/2016 20:45

Went to the doctors today just to make sure everything was okay. She had a look at my episiotomy and said that it looked as it should when healing which was a relief! Explained that I'm taking a bit more than the recommended dosage of paracetamol which she wasn't impressed by so I'm on cocodamol instead now (low strength) as I'm breastfeeding and I got the usual line of these things taking time to heal :-/
She did take swabs though just to confirm that there isn't any infection. I was asking about my postnatal notes for further information about details of what they actually done after my LO was born but all it said was episiotomy and stitches...so kind of frustrated that even my local doctors practice don't know exactly what medically was done to me.
I'm cutting back on baths and I really hope by 10 weeks I'll feel some sort of normality Smile
Haha MozzarellaStick! pajamas are also my best friend

OP posts:
Boomies · 13/12/2016 05:49

Hi Sdot I didn't have an episiotomy as my little one tore out of me leaving a grade 4 tear before the doc had a chance to give me one (😱) but I just wanted to reassure you that 9weeks down the line I've healed well and the pain which was pretty awful has almost gone entirely. Hope things improve soon!

Original poster
Sdot1987 · 29/12/2016 21:36

Little update...

I'm almost 8 weeks pp and still taking cocodamol for the pain. Trying to leave it a couple of days every time I look down at my lady bits in the hope of seeing change. The episiotomy wound is healing. In fact the edges have completely healed as there is quite an obvious scar however in the middle there is only what I can describe as a big red painful blob! Is this a normal part of healing? Or is this over granulated scar tissue? Has anyone had similar to what I've described? If so how are you now?

OP posts:
RPC3110 · 13/01/2017 00:17

Two months on and I've forgot how painful my episiotomy was! I also had an assisted delivery but with ventouse, severe blood loss, a episiotomy (right side) and had a pudendal block rather than a epidural. Trying to walk again properly took me a good month. I slipped on laminate flooring and tore a hole in my stitches but after about three weeks they healed nicely from inside to the outside. Two months on and I have no pain and can walk properly now

Original poster
Sdot1987 · 13/01/2017 08:35

RPC3110 you're lucky that you've forgotten the pain!
Almost 10 weeks pp update...
I went to see a private gynaecologist who confirmed that 'the big red blob' was in fact a perfect case of over granulated scar tissue. He said that if I were to just leave it that it would take many many months if not years for it to change into skin that wasn't painful Shock
Then came the silver nitrate sticks. At first it was a slight stinging sensation which then quickly built up to incredible pain!! A few sticks later I was walking out of the hospital like John Wayne and every bump on the drive home was a nightmare Sad
However the following day the big red blob was no more....it was now a sad grey blob and had fallen off my episiotomy Grin The pain has greatly reduced and next week I have a check-up. Underneath the sad grey blob my episiotomy still hasn't fully healed but I hope now that the scar tissue is gone that things can now progress.
I'll continue to update for future mums that might go through something similar to me to let them know that there is light at the end of the post natal recovery tunnel Smile

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page