Delivery Recovery

Mitten31

Hi everyone,
First post on here so looking forward to hearing from everyone.
My first son is 3 months old now and am still recovering from delivery. I had a great labour, v quick, natural progression & epidural. I wound up having a forceps delivery as my sons heart rate went sky high and did no pushing, doc lifted him straight out with forceps. I wound up with loads of stitches and a 2nd degree internal tear. I got an infection in my stitches and was in agony for 2 weeks after delivery.
It's now 3 months on and am still not right! I have a lump on my peremium of skin (half the size of little figure) that the doc says is scar tissue that never went in to me. I find the lump irritating and sore esp after walking and exercise, it also looks unsightly! Doc says i can get it removed surgicaly but maybe no point if planning other children as could happen again. Has anyone else had anything like this? I feel like a freak!
Also i had my first smear test today, haven't attempted intercourse as docs in hosp said to wait 3 months. The smear test was agony, was in tears with the pain. GP said this is normal and takes a while after stitches for everything to get back to normal. GP has said all stitches healed nicely. Am so nervous to try and have sex now as obviously it will be sore.
Has anyone any words of advice? Does it get better, how are others sex lives after stitches?
Thanks ladies

January

Three words...

Lots. Of. Lubricant.

Seriously, it helps, take it easy, it might be sore the first couple of times but you'll get used to it again.

I've no advice about the scar tissue though... sorry

faw1tytowers

It can be a scary thought and I remember being very fridgid/tight when we first attempted but once I relaxed it was all fine. A few times we used lube to make it easier. It took properly 6 months for everything to appear normal or as normal as one feels after labour. Even with all the pelvic floor exercises I am not convinced it can ever go back to normal. Hope you feel better soon.

qwertytlk

Hi, im in kind of a similar situation as my sons heart rate started to drop during delivery so they had to use forceps and suction, i had an episitomy and quite a few stitches and although its only 2 week since birth and most of the pain is gone, i still feel uncomfortable. I also have a small lump like what you described but i haven't discussed it with a doc yet.. Also were i was stitched it looks as though i have an extra fold of skin now... Is that normal? I ask because i thought once the area was stitched, the skin would heal back together, not be completely separate? Its horrible to think that i will look weird or whatever down there.. Which is how i presume u feel too.? As for sex, since its only been 2weeks i haven't attempted anything yet as am still bleeding and doctors told me 6weeks anyway. Im nervous about it aswel though as im scared it will tear or be sore and uncomfortable and i won't be able to enjoy it!i asked the public health nurse about the extra fold of skin i mentioned and she never said anything about corrective surgery like ur doc did, she just said that's the way its meant to be, that just because they stitch ur tear, its not going to look the same as before... The baby is definatley worth it but i never thought i would be like this, its a shame people dont tell u! I would have much preferred to prepare myself.

Mitten31

Thanks so much for the replies ladies. It's great to hear from others who have been through the same thing! It really seems like such a taboo topic. I would also like to have been a bit better informed on this. The books mentioned discomfort etc after the birth but no one mentioned how long it could go on for or the damage that could be done!
I was very sore for the rest of the evening yesterday after the smear test and have resigned myself to sex being sore, will stock up on lubrication and hope it gets better! It's not that my other half is pressuring me or anything but am keen to get back in the saddle so to speak.

I don't have an extra fold of skin, like you decribed. As you are only 2 weeks post delivery maybe it will shrink back? I was still very very sore at 2 weeks after and by 6 weeks felt a lot better. Sorry if this is tmi but one of my lips now is about 3/4 length, i imagine i tore at the bottom of it and to stitch it back together they had to stictch it into me so am a little lopsided there. That doesn't bother me as much as the lump of scar tissue. It's very visible and hangs down a little between my lips. It almost feels like a tampon that hasn't been inserted properly (you know that irritating feeling). I am so undecided about whether to get it corrected it or not. If surgery was an option for you would you avail of it?

I showed everything to my other half a week or so ago and he reassured me that while everything looked different, it looked ok to him. He did agree that the scar tissue lump was very obvious and looked irritating.

I don't want people to think i am moaning, it took a while to concieve our little man and i would go through it again in the morning for him, however i do wish i had been a little more informed on this!!

Das Kitty

I would look for a gynae appointment for the scar tissue.

I had a similar problem with scarring, before I was ever pregnant and I needed it surgically removed.

Whilst most scarring will go down eventually a lump like you describe will only shrink so much. Better to get it done now in my opinion.

Whatever you do, don't listen to anyone who tells you to accept that this is how it is after you have a baby. Something can almost always be done. Painful sex can really affect your enjoyment of life!

January

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cowhands

Hey Girls, just wanted to say that I had the same thing..Doc told me it was from "Over healing" of the wound. She took it off with some quick silver - i hope thats the right name of it, its like a burning tool / ointment...I didnt hurt too much, just a small bit of sting. She was able to do it at my 6 week check up and all was perfect after a few days!

Also it really helped me to get nice and merry on a bottle of wine before we tried anything in the bedroom again! Just relaxed me alot more cause I was so worried it would hurt - just take it slowly and dont pressurise youself

Mitten31

Thanks again for all the replies. Followed the advice on here and tried the deed again last night, bottle of wine, loads of lubrication and wasn't as painful as i had expected. Defo feels very different through, can feel the internal stitches, well where they healed, presume it will take more time.

The other scar tissue can defo not be removed by GP, she has already advised it will be a day surgery procedure.

Pinklady11

During the delivery of my first baby, his heartbeat dropped and I was given an episiotomy and suction delivery. Afterwards when thye began to stitch me the local anastetic had worn off and I felt every bit of it. I cried out in pain but they continued anyway. :mad: After several months I was still very sore and uncomfortable and sex was not an option so I went to my GP who told me that my stitches had been done wrong and I needed to have a "repair" done. After lots of arguing with the hospital over what happened and nearly a year later i decided to go to a private gynecologist and had the procedure done under general anastetic a week later. Once I recovered from that I was still sore internally so off I went back to my GP. She then told me I must of had internal tears that weren't treated at the birth and didn't heal properly which led to a lot of scar tissue. Again I went to the gynecologist and had a procedure where they stretch the skin to loosen the scar and make it more comfortable. Since then I have been much better, still a little tender at times but nowhere near as bad as I was. In all it took 2 years for me to be fully recovered and another 6 yrs before I was confident enough to have another baby.

Honestly I think surgery is the best option. The doctors kept telling me to wait, that it would heal itself but it never did.

I am sorry that any woman has to go through this awful pain. Good luck OP.
Sorry for the long post!

wmpdd3

I had a 2nd degree tear and a good few internal stitches. I couldn't believe the size of the bump in the few days after giving birth.

Up until 2 months everything was very tender, but the scar dramatically reduced in size.

Now 10 months later,it is more a slight dimple than a lump, but I agree, giving birth and tearing or episotomy leaves you different for ever.