Stitches- when will they stop hurting?!

[Zoegeach]

During birth I tore in three places one low down which I think is quite the usual place but two tears right by my clitoris and urethra (arghh) which they had to get the surgeon to do due to where they are. I believe they were all second degree tears. I am now 2 weeks post birth.

My questions are:

1) has anyone else had a tear right by the clitoris and did it affect the feeling down there? I’m very nervous that I may never feel sexual pleasure again!!

2) when will the pain stop, is it normal for them still to hurt? I’ve had them checked by midwife and they said they look fine, but I still get shooting/stabbing pains down there now and then through the day, I’ve been taking paracetomol and ibroufen for 2 weeks now and I really want to stop but it does still hurt.

[Seb9]

Hey I didn't have to have stiches, I had a small tear and a graze.

After 2 weeks I still felt absolutely broken down there and in so much pain. I was holding a warm cloth there every pee.

I found a gentle soak in Epsom salts did wonders for me and made me feel much better in a matter of days.

Two weeks is still really early days and your body is still recovering. I only felt back to some sort of normal after about 8 weeks.

Also breastfeeding caused lots of weird belly contractions for me which I wasn't expecting!

Good luck and congratulations xx

[Zoegeach in reply to Seb9]

Thank you xx

[PoppyC38]

I also put pure aloe Vera gel in the fridge then put it on sanitary towel when I changed it. That was really soothing. It’s not nice at all! Also to warn you when the stitches start dissolving they can get really itchy. I thought I had thrush but the midwife said it was normal. I thought thanks for warning me! Hope it feels better soon.

[Zoegeach in reply to PoppyC38]

I’m glad you said that as they’ve literally started becoming so itchy overnight!! Thank you x

[Winter_Girl]

I had some tears to my labia and the vaginal wall so I can't comment on the clitoris, but I felt much better down there after 3 weeks. It can take a good 6 weeks for a lot of people, so definitely normal to be feeling some discomfort at 2 weeks. I think that is when I felt most uncomfortable and, as someone said, it gets itchy as it heals.

Congratulations xx

[Zoegeach in reply to Winter_Girl]

Thank you xx

[YonnaPeaches]

2 weeks is still really early days. I had quite a lot of stitches and was definitely still taking pain relief at 2 weeks postpartum. I found pouring warm water down there every time I went to the loo helped, bathing daily with no products and I used my expert midwife spritz for bitz on a pad - that was the most relieving thing. I felt loads better by 4 weeks and much more normal by 6 weeks.

It will get better though!

Huge congratulations 😊 xx

[GM99]

I had an episiotomy and it felt really sore and tender for a good while after and it was uncomfortable to sit down- 2 weeks is definitely still early day, but I know it feels like a lifetime when you’re going through it, but you will definitely feel more normal before you know it! I also found the stitches felt very tight right before they healed so don’t panic if you get that as again that’s a normal feeling apparently! xx

[NaomiGreenwood]

I had a 2nd degree tear and episiotomy with some complications over healing when the stitches dissolved too fast. At 2 weeks I had only just been re-stitched and it took about 6 months for things to go back to normal. I don't know if that is the norm, but certainly 2 weeks is very early days so don't panic.

I took daily baths with a few drops of lavender oil mixed with milk to help it to disperse.