VERY personal question here...1st timer wondering how 'down there' is afterwards...!!

[brightonbleach]

don't reply if you're horrified at my asking please!! 1st timer, 31weeks, was heading to a c-section they were telling me cos of diabetes and breech bubba but he has turned now and is a normal size so far, so they are talking natural birth to me now. I haven't got my head around this yet (!) and am half excited half scared... and, is this a ridiculous or selfish thing to ask people but I am 36 and wondering whether 'ahem - down below' will recover or is it as some naysayers are telling me "It'll never be the same" gulp Sorry if this is a horrible question, any experiences shared or honest comments welcomed!! obviously I'm mostly focussing on the baby and the best birth for him - but theres a teeeeeeeeny bit of me wondering about this personal question for myself having never done it before...teeny tiny....!! best wishes all.

I must admit my pelvic floor was shot after having ds. I went on a trampoline at sil's house 6 weeks after the birth and had a bit of an accident thankfully it recovered.

It's not all bad BB. Honestly mine doesn't look any different from the outside (although I never looked at it while my stitches were healing).

Inside it used to feel like hard muscle but now feels more squidgy, but it is just as er close-fitting and the muscle tissue is just as strong (I have always done LOADS of pelvic floor exercises).

DH says it feels better (was a bit too tight before apparently and for me sex is 100 thousand times better as I'm less ridiculously sensitive. And (way TMI) the essential bits of equipment seem to have been drawn closer together by clever stitching meaning that even just plain old vanilla boring sex is mind-blowing.

I had a horrific birth - 36hr labour, back to back baby, forceps, shoulder dystocia, episiotomy, third degree tear and PPH. Thought I'd never be able to poo again let alone have sex but after a painful first few weeks things gradually healed and got back to normal.

I think a good surgeon doing my repair work plus doing lots of pelvic floor exercise has been very important. I know there are women who aren't so lucky, but it is rare.

Having had an emergency section and 2 VBACs I would say go for a natural birth if possible. Much easier to recover from ime. According to the nurse, she can't even tell I have had children (even though I had a slight tear) whereas the section has left me with a scar and the result I have not to have more children.

And god bless you for your restrains soupdragon ;)

or even

Are you a hot chick crazycat ??

Its just that maybe your surgeon was thinking ahead???

If he fancied the pants off you...he could have been thinking....
"stitch this baby up nice & tight...ready for when I make my move in a years time !!!"

I mean...he knows where you live

just a thought ..hehe

the surgeoen who put my stitches in post episiotomy, told me whilst workin between my legs and casually chatting, that he also worked in Sroke on trent where apparently they ahve a booming porn industry, so he has stitched up numerous porn stars post birth.

I found this very reassuring, and trust that all acreer paths are stil open to me due to porn star quality reconstructed vagina.

before

after

BrightonBleach, I had an episiotomy with my first and everything "down below" got back to normal eventually but it was very sore to start with and sex wasn't truly comfortable until about 10 months later. However you may not need this and may not need any stitches at all if you're lucky. I have no idea if it looks different down there. I doubt it. With my 2nd I had an emergency cs which left me with lovely flabby hanging apron belly but perfectly unspoilt fanjo. So you can't win really

before

after

that last after shot is remarkably familiar

@ Mrsbarbara

Plese recommend this surgeon...
I am in need of a porn-star fagino

I find it soooo strange when surgeon & docs are working in less desirable places on my body...that they all casually chat....about anything & everything...
(when really they must be thinking something entirely different !!)

would love to be a mind reader in such circumstances !!

Two dds 8.5lb and 9lb episiotomy with dd1 and stitches with dd2.
Sex again 2 weeks after each.
All good in fact better than before..
Preggers with dd2 when dd1 was 3months old.

But don't get me started on the postnatal poo that is worse than chilbirth IMO..
From friends who had a c sec it seems that you recover quicker from natural birth.

Good luck x

LOL mumsylady

I certainly wasn't a hot chick when I was wheeled into theatre after 3 days of labour!! Maybe the surgeon had a fetish for the bloated whale look... I had just had an excellent pedicure though, and went to great pains to tell him all about my pretty red toenails

Lol

My gyaecologist once said (while half-way in with a miner's lamp on): "I like your socks!"

there is no answer to this, i was left pretty much rubbished by it.

As long as you know it can happen, as i didn't, you are prepared.

yeh.....he was definately looking at them toes of yours crazycat..

Ill bet he couldnt avert his eyes from them nails !!!!!!!

PMSL

No cs overhang here!

morningpaper that very very funny!!!

oh and vag births, don't always have quicker recovery than sections.

It's not quite the same again - but not dreadful. Just different.

I had lots of labial tears... no one tells you about those. And even to this day I have a little hole in one of them. Just a bit smaller than a 5p (TMI??)

On a practical note, peeing was the worst. Get in a shallow bath with a couple of drops of lavender oil and wee in there. Pre-birth the idea horrified me. Post birth I would've done anything to avoid the agony. And drink lots of water! Yes you'll go more, but it won't feel like you're peeing razor blades.

I also got a gel pad to pop in my enormous paper pants like this

On a positive note after 10 days things downstairs had settled down and were pretty much back to normal.

Took a while for things to feel normal in the, ahem, bedroom. About 5 months (for me. Think he was just grateful to be getting any). Prior to 5 months lubricant was helpful.

Good luck!

MP, you kept your socks on whilst having a vaginal examination??

I am no expert but surely that is some sort of fashion and/or social faux pax.

Time is going much quicker in the last few days of this pg...

...thanks to morningpaper 's lovely before/after shots...

Keep up the hilarious work MP

Be prepared!!! & do those pelvic floor excercises!

I didn't! I don't know if that was the cause of my short comings but I have a horific foofoo now!

Hasn't put the OH off though as we only waited 7mths to get pregnant again (1wk to go!!)

With DD1 I had 3rd degree tears, haemorrhaged so had 5 units of blood given, a catheter, a post birth epidural & plenty of lovely stitches - she did come in 4hrs from start to finish so might have been something to do with it - but it is by far worth it for the beautiful little girl I have in return.

After all healed up, left with double womb/bladder prolapse which no excersizes are going to recede. The foofoo itself looks a lot more concave than before. Whilst being pregnant the prolapse has gone back but left with slight accidents so the old tenna lady is a faithful companion. Don't know if incontinence will go once had DD2 & not sure if prolapse will return.

Also, now having DD2 have acquired varicose veins in my noony too which is also pretty horrendous as it looks bulbus in places too, so all in all does it outway the end product, by GOSH YES!!!

I haven't had the 2nd yet & I'm already talking about the 3rd!!!