Seriously...how are your vaginas? - Page 5

[aaronsmom]

Well, my vajayjay is okay. Not great, not horrible, but okay. I'm definitely much "looser" than I was pre-second birth. After my first birth sex was 10 times better than pre-pregnancy. But after my UC...I'm pretty sure I tore without realizing and thought it healed it didn't heal perfectly. I'm almost 12 mos pp and I've done kegels religiously since the birth but I still don't feel quite normal down there. Maybe once DD is finished nursing things will even out.
I've been wanting to go see a ob/gyn just to have things checked out but I have a phobia of vaginal exams.

[magpiedee]

Thank goodness for this thread! I have been feeling like a freak. I'm now 6 weeks pp with my 8lb. 14oz. VBAC boy, and it feels like alien territory up there. I had one tear, which was like a striation-- horizontally across. It was stitched and now looks like a healed shark bite, and it's still quite tender and tight. DH wants to DTD, but I am extremely skittish, with good reason!

But here's my question, which I hope someone can help with:
I just remembered to do kegels... but as soon as I started doing kegels, I started experiencing incontinence. I seem to leak when bending over, getting up from a sitting position, or otherwise having an "open" situation down there. Will doing more kegels help to fix it or dig me further into tinkledance territory?

I see my MW on the 21st, but i'd love to know that this is normal or fixable before then.

[phatchristy]

I think I posted to this thread earlier, and wanted to update. Just had #4, and it was a crazy fast precipitous labor (mine have always been super short, this time crazy short) and literally the head dropped down, and he came out in only minutes.

And, around one week post partum I checked myself to see what the muscles were like (I didn't feel any bruising this time...my theory was that he was in the perfect position and things were quick). And, the inside felt completely like before. Then, we DTD around 10 days pp and it felt surprisingly good. So, it seems in my experience so far that my recovery gets easier with each birth! Of course, I've been doing my kegels religiously, and am planning to start my gyneflex pelvic floor exerciser soon to get even more pc strength back!

[jazzybaby9]

My vagina took many many stitches, mainly because I pushed her out WAY too fast and also because the b!tch of a doctor RIPPED me open while her head was in the birth canal, no joke...she TORE me. I split up and I split down and I split out. My vagina was a wreck BUT has since healed (15 months later) and no longer looks the same or feels the same. It is loose and "mature" as I like to call it ...I am more sensitive in a GOOD way, though...so that's great, but otherwise, not so happy

[Abismommy]

Well my vagina hates me right now, although I am 34 weeks pregnant! After DD was born I had a very mild tear, on my labia. It only required like 3 stitches. Anyways things were kinda painful for a few month, I was kinda dry from the BFing. Now I just feel like it looks different, I don't like it either. I am really am uncomfortable with the way I look! I am even more afraid of what will happen after this baby's birth. MW says lots of olive oil and warm compresses tho..so lets hope it works!

[dantesmama]

I'm loving this thread!

My vagina and I were not on speaking terms for a long time. But I've almost forgiven her at this point.

I had an episiotomy with DS1, and I never healed right. My perineum was very, very painful until DS1 was about 8 months old. I think I was stitched up too tight, which made sex uncomfortable even though the rest of my vagina was a little looser (which I actually appreciated, since I was almost "too tight" before having kids).

DS2 was born unassisted; relatively short labor, and brief but intense pushing phase. I thought my vagina came out of it unscathed, but 5 days pp I gathered the courage to look into a mirror, and I had actually torn pretty badly. It had already begun to heal, so I let nature do her work, and that tear healed within a few weeks with no discomfort whatsoever. We had sex at 8 weeks pp and I only had a little pain. My vaginal opening is kind of funny-shaped now, since the torn edges weren't perfectly aligned, but I can deal with it.

The real shocker came when I discovered at 2 months pp that, at 22 years old, I had a prolapsed uterus and cystocele! That killed me. I felt like my body had completely failed me. I didn't have enough pelvic strength to have an orgasm until I was several months pp. Thank God it's gotten better as time has gone on, and I don't experience incontinence, but just knowing that my cervix is hanging out just a few inches into my vagina destroys my confidence. To be so young, and in good shape, only 2 babies, easy births . . . gah. Turns out I was predisposed to prolapse; I'm pretty sure my mother and grandmother had it (both had incontinence problems after having children), and I already had a tipped uterus, and women with reddish hair tend to be affected most by it. I've accepted the reality of what condition my vagina is in, but I still wish I could just get a new one!

Oh, and to whoever said "frankenpussy" - : You almost made me wake up my kids!

[stacyann21]

Hilarious title!

I had a natural birth and a large tear. My vagina seems slightly more loose since giving birth but it's actually been a good thing because intercourse used to be painful, if not impossible, for me. In fact, my body seems to respond better to stimulation in general (ie lubes up faster and orgasms last longer/feel better etc).

[fairydoula]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I would recommend that mammas who are unhappy with or have physical problems with their vaginas or surrounding areas, go see a Urologist!!!
I worked for a urologist and his wife for 6 months and learned a bunch about prolapse, rectocele and cystocele and that surgery can correct a LOT of these problems. If you've had bad tears that didn't heal correctly, even if it's just a visual thing, or an actual problem, if you have scarring, tightness, looseness, pain, discomfort, excessive scars... all that stuff can be addressed by a good urologist.
It's SOOO not worth just "accepting" it. If you're unhappy, get help with it!!! There are sites on the internet you can google too, about vaginal rejuvination and repairs...... there is SO much that can be done now, you can be back to normal!!! Check it out!
- Jen

[CrunchyMamaToBe]

Originally Posted by thixle

now, my tailbone still hurts.. but that's another thread

Mine, too! I still have to be really careful how I sit or I will get up and it aches and aches.

My vagina is doing OK 26 months postpartum. Sex has been fine since we went for it 6 weeks PP. I think I got away with minimal damage considering that I was pushing for 4+ hours. Still a bit leaky if a sneeze catches me off guard, but that's not, strictly speaking, a vaginal problem, is it?

The one thing that bothers me is that I had what was described to me as a "tiny, one-stitch tear, about an inch inside" my vagina. (Homeborn baby, transfered because placenta didn't separate, so at this point I was numb, my legs in the air...) I thought, well, as long as they're down there, why not stitch it up? I wish I had insisted that it be left to heal naturally. Maybe it was the stitch and maybe not, but that tiny one-stitch tear has healed into a marble-sized 'blob' of scar tissue that sits at my vaginal opening. It's not painful and honestly, I can't even feel it, but I do wish it wasn't there.

[jecombs]

Originally Posted by CrunchyMamaToBe

The one thing that bothers me is that I had what was described to me as a "tiny, one-stitch tear, about an inch inside" my vagina. (Homeborn baby, transfered because placenta didn't separate, so at this point I was numb, my legs in the air...) I thought, well, as long as they're down there, why not stitch it up? I wish I had insisted that it be left to heal naturally. Maybe it was the stitch and maybe not, but that tiny one-stitch tear has healed into a marble-sized 'blob' of scar tissue that sits at my vaginal opening. It's not painful and honestly, I can't even feel it, but I do wish it wasn't there.

Same here! I'm 18 mo. post-partum and finally got up the courage to have a look at my vajayjay after reading this thread. Imagine my surprise when I saw a weird-looking blob on one side of my vagina! I can only assume it was the "small, 3-stitch tear" my MW told me about after delivery. I wish I had told her to leave it alone.

Does anyone have experience with letting small tears heal naturally? I did have some more extensive tearing in my perineum, which was stitched. But I can't see any scarring in that area.

[majazama]

Originally Posted by fairydoula

I haven't read the whole thread, but I would recommend that mammas who are unhappy with or have physical problems with their vaginas or surrounding areas, go see a Urologist!!!
I worked for a urologist and his wife for 6 months and learned a bunch about prolapse, rectocele and cystocele and that surgery can correct a LOT of these problems. If you've had bad tears that didn't heal correctly, even if it's just a visual thing, or an actual problem, if you have scarring, tightness, looseness, pain, discomfort, excessive scars... all that stuff can be addressed by a good urologist.
It's SOOO not worth just "accepting" it. If you're unhappy, get help with it!!! There are sites on the internet you can google too, about vaginal rejuvination and repairs...... there is SO much that can be done now, you can be back to normal!!! Check it out!
- Jen

wouldn't it be a gynecologist that deals with that stuff? I didn't know urologists were taught about the yoni.

[georgiegirl1974]

I only read through the first two pages but here's my experience.

I had a second degree tear and some stitches. I had a problem healing and my labia healed together in one spot, so at my 6 week post partum check-up, the OB had to do a procedure where they cut me back open. Ick! That hurt. I also think the OB stitched me too tight because sex was impossible until 5 months post partum. I went to new OB about 7 mo post partum (I had moved to another state when DD was 3 months old) because it was too painful to have sex. They referred me to physical therapy because my scar tissue wasn't stretching enough. I ended up not going because DD was still colicky and I didn't have anyone to babysit her. I decided to just deal with the pain. Eventually sex got less painful, but it was still painful until my period returned around 20 months post partum. By the time DD was 2, sex was awesome again. :

DD will be 3 in 2 months, and I'm pregnant again. I'm so worried about post-baby sex because it hurt for so long, and I really think it took a major toll on my relationship with DH. He was understanding, but I think it gets hard when you really have absolutely no desire to have sex because you know it will hurt like hell.

[iris5426]

Glad to see someone else use "vajayjay" I'm really glad to see this thread too...

My vajayjay and I are doing pretty well...I'm almost 6 weeks PP, DS was 6lb 12oz and I had a small first degree tear (no stitches) at the top and a vein that bulged out a bit at the bottom. At my 10 day checkup both had pretty much healed. We DTD (just once so far) and it was actually pretty good, though things were still a bit tender in general.

I still have pain in a weird spot, let me know if anyone else has this or any thoughts about it. It's above my clitoris, the area where there's kind of a ridge that almost feels like a tendon under the skin? I always wondered if that was the top "inside" part of the clit, still have no idea. Anyways. It's tender/sore to the touch (with some pressure), and the weird part is that I'll have pain there a lot of the time when I go from lying down to sitting using my abs (i.e. middle of the night sitting up while holding DS). So strange, and not sure how to explain it to the MW to ask her about it when I go for my next check up!

My butt also still hurts from time to time, though the MW told me I didn't have hemorrhoids or anything.

So, my vajayjay is pretty good , but the immediate surrounding areas still need some work :

[IHeartO]

hey ladies...wow, I haven't been checking in a while but I love that responses are still coming. I have 2 quick questions...a friend of mine gave birth 10 weeks ago and has been left with a bulging vein near her vagina - anyone else experience this? does it go away? early on, page 1 someone use the word "golf ball" to explain a visual - I'm just wondering if this is similar to the vein my friend describes - any ideas? or perhaps this is scar tissue from a small stitch as mentioned by a few ladies of late...? another girlfriend just had a section and has some residual numbness in her groin area - anyone experience this? she is also wondering how long this might take to go away - or if it will go away and is not getting a straight answer from the ob.

and, lastly, I agree - the term "frankenpussy" almost made me wake up the neighbourhood - too funny!

[lifeguard]

Could the bulging vein possibly be granulated tissue? I just went back again to my ob for 2 spots that were bulgy, smooth, red spots, almost blobby looking. They didn't hurt at all but they were more granulated tissue. In fact my ob was surprised they didn't hurt. He removed them & I'm hoping that I won't get any more regrowth.

[snowmom5]

Just to add my two cents, having had four babies come down the pike. After the first birth, of the twins, I had a lot of stitches, tore in a few different places, and that healing seemed to take quite a while - the longest by far. Next birth was easy peasy, I had a quick episiotomy when he was stuck by the skin and his heartrate nearly stopped, and that tore to a grade 2; the healing was pretty easy and quick but I found that I didn't like how the skin was back together - somewhat tighter than before and in a very sensitive spot - like an overzealous job of stitching. So that skin was irritating. Next delivery, I tore in the same spot as usual, and I had a different OB who did a nicer job of stitching me up - not too tight, just perfect! I guess the third time is the charm. I healed within a week though I don't remember when it was that it went back to active duty. Now that I'm having an unexpected additional little one, I expect to tear in the same spot (I think it's just my anatomy), but I'm a little afraid that I won't get the great sewing job of the last OB (and this is definitely the last one!). This was much better for me than before having babies. I so hope she's the one on call...

So my guess is that slight differences in the stitching (if you had stitching) can affect how things feel.

The other thing I wanted to point out to the first time moms, in case you have forgotten, is that your hormone levels are not the same during those first postpartum months, and if you're nursing that situation may continue. By this I mean dryness, which can make everything in that region more irritating.

And I agree on the urologist angle. I have a friend who is a female urologist (i.e. she serves female patients). I remember complaining about my temporary prolapse and she was so cheerful, "hey, I can fix that!" LOL....

[lacysmommy]

My first birth I tore awkwardly (only a 1 degree, but at just the wrong place I guess) and sex was almost impossible for about 6 months. I had major issues with peeing after the birth, and actually had to fill my tub a couple inches just so it didn't burn (the little spray bottle thing didn't work nearly as well as the tub). Eventually, the pain completely disappeared and the tighness I felt down there was gone. I was afraid it was going to be bad after #2, but it was so much easier. I still tore, but the recovery was so much better.

[x.xiv.mmvii]

I had my baby 16 months ago, and don't feel normal or back to the way I was prior to delivering.

I did have a baby literally stuck for 6 hours there, and had what a PP referred to as a blow out myself (seriously the midwife took one look down there and called it a blow out!) So, I am not so sure I am expecting my stuff to go back to the way it was. It delivered a baby, so it gets a pass.

[CultivatingMyRoots]

Originally Posted by iris5426

I still have pain in a weird spot, let me know if anyone else has this or any thoughts about it. It's above my clitoris, the area where there's kind of a ridge that almost feels like a tendon under the skin? I always wondered if that was the top "inside" part of the clit, still have no idea. Anyways. It's tender/sore to the touch (with some pressure), and the weird part is that I'll have pain there a lot of the time when I go from lying down to sitting using my abs (i.e. middle of the night sitting up while holding DS). So strange, and not sure how to explain it to the MW to ask her about it when I go for my next check up!

My butt also still hurts from time to time, though the MW told me I didn't have hemorrhoids or anything.

I had both those pains when I had a systemic yeast infection/thrush. Baby and I both had it, and two rounds of Diflucan did NOTHING, we went on the Specific carbohydrate diet and did some major probiotics, and we were BOTH much happier. It also cured her dairy intolerance, which was causing her to have 'colic.'

My doctor had no explanation for that pain, either, but the fact that both those pains cleared up at the same time my vaginal yeast infection did says to me that the yeast was the problem. Good luck!

[lyterae]

After my daughter was stuck for 2.5 hours of pushing with no progress we had a c-section... After the c-section and no vaginal birth I was dismayed when things weren't quite right down below.. First there was the swelling, I was told from all the pressure of pushing. And sex hurt for the first year, it hurt and even when I managed to make my way through it it took a lot of lube to aid us. Even now the hubby says things look and feel different than they did before I had Becca. I think that things feel tighter now than they did prior to having my daughter and that sometimes makes things uncomfortable.