Sarahob's Experience
My Experience
Ouch! That was my thoughts when we discussed the possibilities of tearing or being cut during one of the ante natal classes, that has got to hurt - right?
Well, from my experience, no it doesn't...
The Birth
I tore during my labour, granted I had been given an epidural as it was looking very likely a c-section would have to be performed, but following a failed attempt at a ventouse delivery out came the forceps! The mention of forceps delivery was pretty scary to me, but again I didn't feel anything, apart from a desire to hear those first baby cries...
It was after my son was born, all 9lb 8ozs of him that the issues started, after he had been cleaned and placed on my chest the "tidy up" procedure started. My partner was handed our baby for cuddles and the doctor got to work stitching me up! There was so much blood on the sheets I was actually quite horrified, I was watching the nurses mopping up and thinking "am I okay"...
I still couldn't feel anything down below, maybe that was a good thing! I was taken up to the ward and left to breast feed and try to get some well earned sleep.
The Recovery
The next morning the consultant who had performed the delivery came to see me, I was still pretty tired but she explained I had torn quite badly during the birth from the use of the forceps and she had needed to stitch me up. She explained the stitches were dissolvable and I needed to keep the wound clean and to expect a little bleeding over the next week or so.
She wasn't wrong, the bleeding was surprising, I had to wear sanitary towels for two weeks, but the worse was the soreness from the tear area, that and the piles, it was like a war zone down there!
Easing the Pain
It certainly helped to have shallow warm bath, but towel drying needed to be done gently, I sat on a haemorrhoid cushion for a few days which certainly helped and if I was out and about a soft cushion also helped. It was painful, I took paracetamol as I was breast feeding, which did help. I worried about going to the loo, from the soreness of the tear and the piles it wasn't a pleasant experience...
Recovery
Recover I did, it seemed so horrendous for the initial two weeks. I struggled bending, lifting, walking up stairs but you just have to get on with it, you have a little baby to care for and that kind of takes over. It seems like such a distant memory now, two years on, there is a little scar and when my partner and I first had sex I was conscious about it, but he didn't notice, well he had other thoughts on his mind I guess!
Links
I've put a couple of links to the NHS website to help put your mind at rest, I tore during my birth but you may find yourself having a little cut performed instead, its called Episiotomy
[Episiotomy NHS advice] [Recovering from episiotomy NHS advice] [ventouse and forceps NHS advice]
