perineal recovery top tips

[MummyElk]

Couldn't decide whether to post this here or in childbirth but hey, hopefully someone will see it!

Am just gearing up to birth of DC2. Last time had an episiotomy as they decided to use ventouse. I healed really well, with the use of Green Baby Perineal Jelly, those ice packs (occasionally), salt baths, and some random tea thing that a friend lent me which I had to make up in advance in a sports bottle and splash my bits after each trip to the loo!! (chilly but sooooooothing).

I'm not sure what the tea was, probably/definitely had lavender in it...

But it got me wondering what others found were really useful tips and what DIDN'T work....
What do I need?

I got away without too much damage, but my top tip is if you can;t face clambering into the bath for the recommended salt/lavender bath, sit in a washing-up bowl

I took a sports bottle into the loo with me and filled it with tepid water.
I Squirted it on my bits as I had a wee. It diluted the wee and helped it not to burn like hell sting.

mummyelk like you i had an episiotomy and ventouse delivery, am due to give birth in 2 weeks and am dreading the damage to my 'bits!', forgot all about that side of things.

I did have lavendar and tea tree oil baths, and applied lots of aloe vera gelly which was mega soothing.

how do you squirt water while you are peeing? doesnt it just make a mess everywhere/get everything around you soaked? though i suppose without a massive bump in the way its probably easier to maneuver down below.

if you have had stitches then twice daily baths with tea tree oil to help prevent infection.

even with DC2 when I didn't tear still had bad graze and it stung so much when i weed, i had to wee in the bath for a week (I know, yuck)

Condoms full of frozen peas.

Buy a bottle or two of witch hazel and slosh it generously onto your clean maternity pad - very soothing and good for bruising.

This tip was my Mum's and she was 100% right.

great suggestions everyone....LOL at condoms and frozen peas, darn sight cheaper than those Feme gel pads hey?!!!
bella i used the sports bottle to downwardly squirt myself clean after weeing... messy but the maternity pad generally caught the drips (i didn't wipe) (tmi sorry)
And witch hazel also great idea. washing bowl also etc etc - all great.

thanks all, appreciated.

Anyone any idea on this random tea thing i used?

Calendula diluted in water and sprayed on bits from a sports bottle.

I echo the sea salts and tea tree in bath.

I used Naturewipes 'wipes' to clean myself gently after a no. 2 (much less abrasive than loo roll).

Zita West does a good postnatal cream although it was quite strong and stung a bit...was better used a week or so after delivery!

Eeekk - one forgets the less-glamorous side of giving birth...

take loads of arnica 200

lavender baths- 3 a day...!

sitting on a towel, in the nude, breastfeeding in front of the telly sitting on a cold flannel with tea tree oil on it-very attractive but very effective.

(tea tree in bath tends to stay in drops and won't dilute so definitely best on flannel soaked in cold water then but be liberal with the lavender )

good luck with number 2. my 2nd birth much easier.

take loads of arnica 200

lavender baths- 3 a day...!

sitting on a towel, in the nude, breastfeeding in front of the telly sitting on a cold flannel with tea tree oil on it-very attractive but very effective.

(tea tree in bath tends to stay in drops and won't dilute so definitely best on flannel soaked in cold water then but be liberal with the lavender )

good luck with number 2. my 2nd birth much easier.

hi all
thanks again for tips, feel much more prepared and will get stocked up this week! had forgotten about the arnica

if anyone was wondering, the wash thing that my friend lent me was this worked a treat.
good luck anyone else going through same in the next few weeks/months (goes without saying but anyway!)

i suffered badly with stitches, had episiotomy and forceps, found going for a no2 the most painful experiance,i was told do not have baths (but that may b because i re-split my stitches aaaaahhhhgggggghhh) and i would assume that warm water not good for infection!

i will def be keeping these tips on hand for baby no2.. iam honestly more scared of stitches than labour, thats how awful they were, took at least 6 months to recover down there.

have had stitches twice and notlooking forward to it for no3. hypercal cream which contains calendula was great as it has a mild numbing effect as well as antiseptic. I got it from whatever the natural health food / medicine shop is on high streets - can't remember the name!

tea tree oil baths were very soothing for me & my episio.

This might be TMI but the very best thing for me (wish I had tried it earlier!) was glycerin suppositories to help with no. 2's. I just couldn't physically push hard enough to make myself 'go' properly and I did feel a couple of popping sensations down there. The pressure after a day or two of not going didn't do my stitches any good either. One of these 'golden bullets' as I affectionately called them, sorted everything out with no effort or pain. Godsend.

tis a good point hobnob, i had AWFUL constipation after DD and am planning on taking a whole arsenal of bits and pieces with me to ensure i keep regular!! anything from dried apricots, to fybogel, to movicol to the trusted Golden Bullets .
don't you think this sort of stuff is much more important than the rubbish you get taught at ante natal classes?!! or am I just caught up in the perineal/poo moment of it all!

Off to stock up today on tea tree/lavender rest of the list. hurrah.

dried apricots didn't do much for me

no me neither but i live in hope. we all ended up in out of hours gp 10 days after DD was born with me sobbing from the pain. I. Will. Not. Repeat. That. Episode.

back from the shops, forgot most of it. what a nobber