Stitches....😵

[PennyWishes1]

Hi everyone. Due 1st baby in 6 weeks. I was reading the positive birth stories thread(focusing on positive stories) and I keep coming across something.....the stitches were the worst part... Why is that? Do you not get local anaesthetic? My online Antenatal classes say you do but am I missing something? Does everywhere not give anaesthetic? Clueless. I'd rather be informed and know what to expect. Thank you.

Surely the husband stitch thing has been consigned to history. Surely to god.

@chichz The husband stitch is/was an extra stitch given to women being sewn up, to make things 'nice and tight', purportedly for the husbands pleasure. There are lots of anecdotal stories of women claiming it happened to them, but precious little hard research on it. I too, hope that it is consigned to history.

@katmarie Good grief! That was worse than I imagined... Thanks for explaining though!

Husband stitches < so very far from envy. What a grim idea. You might be different I guess as stitches and scarring might heal that way but I seriously doubt this is a deliberate thing done without consent. If it was it would be FGM and carry a prison sentence for the person inflicting it.

With my first it was a little complicated, only a 2nd degree tear but a weird one so the midwife asked the male consultant to do it. It definitely hurt more than labour.

With my second it didn't hurt at all. I said that to the midwife afterwards and she asked about my first experience. Said she wasnt surprised when she heard it was a man who had done it because in her experience men always skimp on the lidocaine as they don't believe how much it hurts.

So if in doubt make a fuss and ask for more local before they start.

www.refinery29.com/en-gb/what-is-the-husband-stitch-pregnancy

I had gas and air for mine, may have had local too but I was so out of it I don't know 😂 mine were fine, I have nothing to compare to as I've only had one child but I imagine I wasn't much sorer. The only bit I didn't like was when they started pulling a bit after a few days but that was fine too really. I found the worst bit of giving birth was how intensely I thought I needed to poo when really it was just the baby's head 😂
Good tip for sitting down with stitches is sit on a curved breastfeeding pillow, your whole sore area isn't actually on anything because of the gap and they're so soft too. I also wore men's boxers instead of baggy women's underwear because they're made to give a bit of extra room, the midwives loved it when I told them and said they'd recommend it to other mothers too

I had a spinal block for forceps delivery but the stitches afterwards were loads better than I expected. Tiny bit sore for a few days but you I just stayed topped up on paracetamol and ibruofen, was totally fine.
Plus remember the hormones of birth will make you feel INCREDIBLE after giving birth.
Congratulations on your baby :)

I am a midwife, love suturing and am genuinely confused by the concept of the husband stitch. You can only oppose what was once connected at the fourchette so that raw edges heal to each other - you can't make healthy un-torn tissue and skin graft to each other so that it is tighter. And the vaginal wall is ruched for amazing expansion (obviously) so any extra stitches to the posterior wall wouldn't affect the overall tightness. I am sure I am missing something though!

To the OP, you do get local for all suturing but some women still find it stings I am afraid. You can always use gas and air, take short breaks and get more local prescribed.

I had an episiotomy and I honestly didn't find the stitches all that bad afterwards. You just have to sit carefully, take plenty of lactulose and skoosh water on yourself when you pee.

I bathed in warm water and lavender oil mixed with a tiny bit of water every evening afterwards. I also wore big cushiony pads

Water=milk

I had a 2nd degree tear and got gas n air while I was being stitched, it was t agony, just like a series of very sharp pinches. Then they gave me a painkilling suppository which was fab.

Once that wore off though it was sore. Worse a couple of days in when the stitches started to dry and scab, then stay would stick to the maternity pads.

It was uncomfortable but not unbearable and there were ways of making it more bearable, like taking paracetamol and freezing maternity pads with witch hazel or a little water on so they gave an instant cold relief.

Same as others. 3rd/2nd/2nd degree tears. (No tearing with 4th).
No pain relief, but was really numb and swollen down there. The hours and hours of the pressure of the baby head during pushing makes that area more numb than when your arm falls asleep. So they take advantage and stitch you as soon as the placenta is delivered.
I didn’t feel any pain from the stitches it was just uncomfortable tugging and such. Similar to having a tooth pulled.

When it all wore off, the post birth healing of down there was long and frustrating and painful. I did a lot of sitz baths.

I had LA both times, but could still feel them doing it (without the feeling of pain :/ ).

Bad second degree tear here, had stitches under a local. As a PP has already pointed out, they will put a finger up your bottom to check how much you've teared if you have/do need stitches, something which took me by surprise at the time!

If you have stitches, I recommend pouring water on yourself for your first pee because that WILL sting, and for your first poo, taking some baby wipes to the toilet to hold your stitches and foof whilst you pray for mercy and hope to god your insides don't fall out.

And never, ever wipe. Gently pat only. Best of luck OP

I had stitches with my last baby with no pain relief what so ever and to be honest I didn't really feel them, I was too loved up on oxytocin snuggling him and inhaling his gorgeousness :)
It will be ok x

@SwayingInTime thank you for this reassurance, I really needed that.

Thanks everyone. Bit of a mix but don't be afraid to ask for more Local and hope for the best. I got the new Multimam compresses for afterwards, instead of witch hazel on the advice of a helpful pharmacist in boots. Anybody tried them?

I didn't feel them being done but they got infected afterwards and that was all kinds of hell. My advice is to make them check your stitches when they come to check baby ( they don't unless you ask) and check yourself with a hand mirror. I thought they were meant to hurt and I was preoccupied with baby so I ignored it and ended up with half my vagina wall eaten away into my leg. Not pretty