Episiotomy stitches undone!

[Nat30x]

Hi all. I gave birth 6th July but required a episiotomy.
The stitching itself took 2hours to do as there was a area in which wouldn't stop bleeding.
Yesterday (11th) I had a midwife appointment to which she wanted to look at my stitches, I was hesitate as they were really sore. When she looked she said my stitches had come undone.
She said they can't restitch until it has healed? She's given me a cleanser and a gel to place on my open wound (gaping) but I'm so worried of infection. (To which she is testing now)
But I'm in so much pain and feel like everything is going to fall out of me haha.
Constant stinging and when I have a urge to go for a poo it's so painful and I have to stand there a few seconds until I can move.
Has anyone else experienced this, if so

How long does it take to heal?
It is ever need restitching?
What can I do to help ease the pain?

Long post I know sorry. Thanks in advance.

Thank you :).
I don't have stitches intact so it just feels like my insides are going to fall out haha x

It totally feels like that! I remember that pushing sensation from inside…But I think it’s just a feeling. You might still feel better supporting the area…it helped that feeling of pushing from the inside.
Urgh it’s brutal…I felt like I wasn’t going to ever get better. But I did!

Did you also have pain in your butt cheeks like muscle pain. As if you were clenching your bum all the time?
My episotomy was a diagonal cut so it goes near my right bum cheek.
(Also went to maternity accessment yesterday and they gave me antibiotics)

Oh absolutely! Mine also went far out on my left cheek! It was that part that hurt the most, not actually in my vagina. I had so much tension in the butt cheeks. I was explained that I should see it all as a bad sprain (like any other part of the body) as the muscles are cut as well.
I did heal of course now a year and a half later but I will say that I do have some pain on my butt cheek when biking or sitting somewhere uncomfortable

Thank you so much for this! You've put my mind at ease knowing everything that's suppose to happen is happening. :) x

I had horrible constipation OP - it's common after birth (including C section) as all that contracting/messing about/reorganising your internal spaces just stops your digestion working as it should, then milk production/blood loss etc can lead to dehydration, and your hormones are crazy.

Drink as if your life depended on it, lots of fruit, dried fruit, prune juice etc and get movicol stuff if you need it. I ended up with fissures and they were horrendous.

It makes sense for your muscles to be sore, you just pushed a baby through them after all... Everything is sore for a while because it's stretched and bruised, but it doesn't last forever.

Do you have a laxative op?

I would get a second opinion on the gel.

I had my stitches fall apart (third degree tear) and midwife said they would just let it "fuse together". Despite my horror it healed fine with no infection. That feeling of your insides falling out I think is common with or without a stitching fail.

I did lots of salt bathing and airing.

Don't feel like I need laxatives right now but it is always a option.

Yeah my midwife said the same thing. Fusing together but I find it hard to believe it will fuse over given how big the wound is.... obviously it must but its going to be a very long, sore process.

Yeah I guess haha. Just wasn't sure if it was related to my stitches breaking :)

I had something similar- but had infection as well so 3 courses of antibiotics 2 clear it. Ive just been in 2day for it to be repaired (gave birth 10 weeks ago) as it wasnt closing up at all itself. Its sore but im hoping this is the final path 2 healing. Hopefully u heal up a bit more quickly with no infection

I do have an infection unfortunately. Fingers crossed it heals ok xx
Hope you get sorted!!

On day 2 PP I had a normal poo but day 5 I clearly needed to go but couldn’t. I was so concerned I had to don some surgical gloves and manually remove some really hard pellets like poos. They were like black stones blocking the way. Then after that immediately did a (huge) proper poo. I felt like I’d given birth again! Sorry to be so graphic but it’s not really talked about enough. I felt traumatised 😆

Hey. How are you getting on? Hope things are better for you x

Hey, I'm not in so much pain now. Its more muscular pain now.
I haven't looked at what it looks like down there since my last midwife appointment when she took a picture for me lol.
I have an appointment with the perineal clinic soon to see what they say.
I never had an infection though which is good I suppose lol

my episiotomy recovery was painlike ive never experienced, took me a good 6 months to feel normalish. Noone offered to look at the stitches so i have no ides if it actually healed properly..even now at 20m postpartum i still get the odd heavy filling.

epsom salt baths and peri bottle instead of loo roll saved me!

Glad that you feel better. Honestly what it looks like now is not the true end result. I am now nearly three years later and the scar is just a line thats a lighter colour than my skin. You can say something happened there, but thats fine as i did have an episiotomy and even if the stitches held there would be a scar. Good that you didnt get an infection.

Yeah been using the epsom salts :)
Not stinging half as much as it did. Doctor gave me a cleaner for after the loo and a wound gel x

Hey all it's me again.
I'm in no pain now but I feel the wound isn't fusing together at all. Still waiting on a perineal appointment.

Oh gawd, sorry it's still a problem op. Hope you get it sorted.

It took agessss
For me to feel
Like it had fused together. I saw a gynacologist four months after it happened. Night before i looked and thought it was open but she said it was fully healed. By now three years later it literally had healed so so so much and just looks like a line scar. It takes so long to
Look better. Message me if you would
Like to chat x

@Nat30x Hey i had my baby start of may and im still healing up yet.. i ended up needing restitched but theres still an open area yet. Seems like it can take a looonnnngg time and is common enough

Congratulations on your Baby!! Sorry about your stitches coming undone.

I had horrible stitches with my first too! I can totally feel your pain.
one thing that worked for me was per rectal diclofenac (diclofenac up your bottom) . They won’t give you to go home with from hospital, however I had my mum bring me some from abroad.
worked like magic for the pain.