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Pregnancy

Homebirth question - stitches

17 replies

princesspeahead · 22/08/2003 10:09

Sorry to be a bit gory, but I've suddenly wondered what pain relief is on offer if you tear during a home birth and need to be stitched up? Having had one episiotomy and one tear in my previous two hospital births, and very happy to have had an epidural in during the stitching - I'm not too sure what happens at home. Do the midwives carry any local anaesthetic? Are you expected to get through it on gas and air?

All thoughts welcome. I could ask my midwife, but I'm not seeing her until wednesday and I'll be worrying about it until then.....!!

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mears · 22/08/2003 10:11

Midwives carry local anaesthetic usually.It is worth asking the midwife what happens because some of our community midwives are unable to stitch and the woman needs transferred into hospital for repair.

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musica · 22/08/2003 10:13

pph, I was worried too, having had quite few stitches under epidural for ds, but actually didn't need any for dd - lots of people say you are so much more relaxed at home that you are less likely to need them anyway!

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Pimpernel · 22/08/2003 10:33

I had a single stitch after dd's birth at home - I guess I had a local anaesthetic because I didn't feel it at all.

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LucieB · 22/08/2003 10:38

A friend of mine had a home birth and had a nasty tear so had to be transferred to hospital for the stitching. Its a shame but she needed the local anaesthetic!

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princesspeahead · 22/08/2003 10:49

hmmmm, seems to vary a bit then. mears, my midwife is independent and I know carries a bit more in the way of equipment/drugs than the community ones do... although she says she hardly uses any of it ever....
hopefully this will be a waterbirth so even less likely to tear I understand, but you never know!

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lou33 · 22/08/2003 10:51

Pph same as LucieB, my first was a homebirth, I had an episiotomy and 3rd degree tear (dd's head was facing the wrong way) and they just took me into hospital to stitch me up. I ended up staying for a few days though, as my kitchen ceiling had fallen down the night before due to stupid neighbours flooding their bathroom. Otherwise I would have gone home.

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princesspeahead · 22/08/2003 10:59

god lou33, that's a bit dramatic! third degree tear and no kitchen all in one night....

I'm slightly worried that the birthing pool is going to fall through the ceiling and squash my children watching CBeebies directly below, but trying not to think about it....

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EmmaTMG · 22/08/2003 11:25

Abit of a funny story you all Ladies.
I had an unplanned homebirth with DS2 and once the midwife arrived (after he'd been delivered by paramedics) she asked if I wanted to got to hospital to have the stitches done or if she should do them there on the bedroom floor. I was horrified at the thought that she'd be doing her needlework without any painkillers for me but she assured me that she comes well equiped.
"Oh that's fine then you can do them here" I said
However when I reaslised were the needle was going to give the anaesthetic I very nearly told her to "F* off you're not going down there with that" but luckily the paramedics had just given me a new bottle of gas and air to suck on so I had a monthful at he crucial moment. Why I was so horrified at a needle going down there when I'd just had a 8lb 5oz baby virtually fall out of me I'll never know.

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quackers · 22/08/2003 11:32

I know, it's hilarious isn't it!! I thought the needle was the worst bit. The midwife said keep sucking on that gas and air, but it does sting a fair bit, spose it's better than feeling stitches though!

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motherinferior · 22/08/2003 14:50

Yer Madge - I had nasty tear, into muscle (is that 2nd degree?) with dd2, and the lovely midwife stitched me up at home with a local. It really wasn't too bad at all - I couldn't feel the tear, and she was very careful and gentle with the stitching.

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motherinferior · 22/08/2003 14:51

oh, I mean the site was completely numbed by the local, which was delivered by needle - I meant that I couldn't actually feel the tear itself (still bombed on gas/air and adrenaline).

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Jenie · 22/08/2003 15:25

I had stitches with dd and the needle is far worse than anything else, I was at hospital for this which is just as well as I lost alot of blood and had to have 21 stitches, to this day I'm not sure how they got that many in!

When the midwife stood up she was literally soaked with blood and I remember thinking thank god that's not on my carpet I'd never have got the stain out.

Oh well, I'm sure that most midwives come well equiped for tears, am I right in saying almond oil is meant to help prevent tearing?

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quackers · 22/08/2003 15:28

Yes I didn't feel the tear at all and had about 15 stitches. It was just the needle that gives the anesthetic! I ahve to say I wasn't as sore as I thought after considering the tear I had.

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hana · 22/08/2003 16:30

Jenie, yes almond oil is supposed to help in stretching the area of skin between the vagina and the anus (I think?) and you can also do some 'massaging' of this area with the oil. I tried before I had dd and really didn't think I had the right spot, tried to look with a mirror, but found it all a bit comical and too much in the end to bother! I found some information about it on a website ages ago. Still have the almond oil for a second pregnancy..........!

hana

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Angiel · 22/08/2003 16:41

I had an episiotomy at home and my midwife stitched me up again no problem. I had a local and used the gas and air. She kept trying to get my dp to go and do something else but he insisted on holding the torch for her. He loves a bit of blood and guts.

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princesspeahead · 27/08/2003 11:45

just found out my midwife carries ligocaine (sp?) and thinks gas and air is pretty good for the stitching bit as well.
phew.!

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Blu · 27/08/2003 12:35

Princesspeahead: reading further down this thread, I was so worried about the weight of the pool on the floorboards that I phoned a structural engineer...who said that a pool weighed as much as eight people and that if I had ever had a party in which eight people stood in my front room, I had nothing to worry about! All 'pool' incidents I have heard about involve draining it afterwards; my friend's dp flooded a business downstairs with a carelessly placed hose, and my best friend put the hose out of the front door, across the pavement to the drain, and a man wheeled his motorbike across it which caused some sort of blowback to the pump, which sprayed water uncontrollably all over the front room...steroe, sofa, bookshelves etc etc. Sorry, way of your stitches thread, except to give you another worry to take your mind of it! Good Luck!

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