Having surgery right after?

[NaturalMindedMomma]

I need some advice. The surgery may be a bit TMI, I need to have my labia minora shortened/removed. I have a genetic condition where the hang so much it is causing me pain/issues.

So here is the problem. I am seeing hospital midwives as well as my HB MW. I am DEFINITLY planning a HB, but my hospital midwives do not know this yet. I plan on telling them at my next prenatal. I want to have the surgery RIGHT after the baby, my HB MW told me that something like that would be done during the clean up after birth by the hospital. My issue is, I really do not want to be in the hospital PP. What would you do, if it were you?

[Jilian]

Can it wait? I'd try to put off all non-emergent surgeries until the baby is at least 8 weeks old. You'll be dealing with pp recovery and don't need any more stress. I had to have a kidney stone surgically removed when DS1 was 6 weeks old (no choice it was causing a block) and it royally sucked. My supply got all messed up from being away from him and I had to be away from him for 24 hours. Then I couldn't carry him around for 2 weeks. PP surgery is no fun and I'd put it off as long as possible.

[NaturalMindedMomma]

It totally can. I guess the thought is, while they are cleaning you up right after baby comes out, they would numb me locally and cut off the part of my labia that hang. Basically it gets lumped into the 6 weeks of recovery after. The thing is, if I wait, I will be breastfeeding and not be able to be away from Glori for awhile, then my wedding is in May 2010. So it puts it off another years or two. It's a big decision. It DOES affect my sex life and my everyday life at that.

UGH, it's just such a big decision, either way, I guess it would not be easy to do it right after since I am homebirthing. I just may wait.

[ComfyCozy]

I wouldn't have anything altered right there right after birth. The vaginal tissues swell so much from engorgement and stretching that it would be difficult to tell how much is related to having just birthed a baby and how much is just the normal excess. It's amazing the difference between an "undisturbed" vagina and one that is about to pass a child through it.

[Talula Fairie]

I would wait. If you want to avoid the hospital immediately post partum, then that's your only option. Also I agree with the cmoment about your vaginal tissues. Let 'em heal and then have it done.

ETA: why would it be so hard to do it while breastfeeding? You can't be separated from your baby for even a few hours? It sounds like a pretty simple outpatient procedure.

[wombatclay]

Well, if it's an every-day quality of life issue (and I have pelvic organ prolapse, so I do understand! One of the faint silver linings to a possible repeat c/s is that my bladder could be lifted a bit during the surgery and this could correct some of the daily discomfort I have as a result of the POP) and the surgery is something you have researched and are totally comfortable with... hmmmm.

If you were in the hospital already then I guess I'd say go for it if it really is the sort of thing that would be "lumped" into a postpartum healing scenario. However, is this a surgical procedure that is commonly done shortly after birth though? Like pp mentioned, unless there are some pictures & surgical consultations done prior to the birth it may be difficult to determine how much should be removed due to the tissue stretching/swelling of birth. Also your blood volume is going to be higher and there's going to be more bleeding if/when the vaginal tissue is cut so is this something the surgical staff is ok with?

If your concern with a later surgical date is that you'll be prolonging the healing period, I totally understand. Especially if you know you'll have assistance for a few weeks following the birth but know you wont have this sort of support later on. But if your concern is with the possible medications used for the surgery and post-op period, you might discuss breastfeeding friendly options with your surgeon. There are plenty of options out there that would "work" with breastfeeding, and if it's the sort of procedure where you'd need to stay overnight some hospitals allow breastfeeding infants to room in with their moms as long as mom is mobile or has a support person staying with her in the room.

But if you have a HB... I don't know. I'm guessing this sort of operation would need to be scheduled. You couldn't just "show up" at the hospital and ask for it to be done right? So you probably wouldn't be heading to the hospital immediately following the birth anyway, since you'd still need to schedule the procedure with your care provider/surgeon and get admitted to the hospital, etc. Is this something you could schedule in an out-patient manner? Can it be done in the dr's office? Perhaps you could arrange to have it done in the office after a pediatric visit? Bring a support person for the babe and to drive you all home, but combine it with your general post partum healing if that's the best thing in terms of your scheduling?

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

I would wait. If you want to avoid the hospital immediately post partum, then that's your only option. Also I agree with the cmoment about your vaginal tissues. Let 'em heal and then have it done.

ETA: why would it be so hard to do it while breastfeeding? You can't be separated from your baby for even a few hours? It sounds like a pretty simple outpatient procedure.

I wasn't sure if I should be seperated from the baby? I am very nervous about bfing as it never really took off with number one and am afraid to disrupt it.

I never thought about swelling, yeah I should wait then, because I want them to take as much as they can and make things look normal for ONCE. I have been dealing with this since 3rd grade.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by NaturalMindedMomma

I wasn't sure if I should be seperated from the baby? I am very nervous about bfing as it never really took off with number one and am afraid to disrupt it.

I never thought about swelling, yeah I should wait then, because I want them to take as much as they can and make things look normal for ONCE. I have been dealing with this since 3rd grade.

It really should not cause a problem once breastfeeding is well established, so beyond the first 6 weeks. That will give your vaj time to heal from the birth, too. There are alternative feeding methods to look into as well (finger, tube, syringe, ect). You can always wait even a few months. It doesn't have to be right after the birth or 2+ years later. You have plenty of time between August and next May to get this done. And if you're really that concerned about bottles, just wait until your baby is on solids anyway. A baby on solids can go a few hours without nursing.

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

Well, if it's an every-day quality of life issue (and I have pelvic organ prolapse, so I do understand! One of the faint silver linings to a possible repeat c/s is that my bladder could be lifted a bit during the surgery and this could correct some of the daily discomfort I have as a result of the POP) and the surgery is something you have researched and are totally comfortable with... hmmmm.

If you were in the hospital already then I guess I'd say go for it if it really is the sort of thing that would be "lumped" into a postpartum healing scenario. However, is this a surgical procedure that is commonly done shortly after birth though? Like pp mentioned, unless there are some pictures & surgical consultations done prior to the birth it may be difficult to determine how much should be removed due to the tissue stretching/swelling of birth. Also your blood volume is going to be higher and there's going to be more bleeding if/when the vaginal tissue is cut so is this something the surgical staff is ok with?

If your concern with a later surgical date is that you'll be prolonging the healing period, I totally understand. Especially if you know you'll have assistance for a few weeks following the birth but know you wont have this sort of support later on. But if your concern is with the possible medications used for the surgery and post-op period, you might discuss breastfeeding friendly options with your surgeon. There are plenty of options out there that would "work" with breastfeeding, and if it's the sort of procedure where you'd need to stay overnight some hospitals allow breastfeeding infants to room in with their moms as long as mom is mobile or has a support person staying with her in the room.

But if you have a HB... I don't know. I'm guessing this sort of operation would need to be scheduled. You couldn't just "show up" at the hospital and ask for it to be done right? So you probably wouldn't be heading to the hospital immediately following the birth anyway, since you'd still need to schedule the procedure with your care provider/surgeon and get admitted to the hospital, etc. Is this something you could schedule in an out-patient manner? Can it be done in the dr's office? Perhaps you could arrange to have it done in the office after a pediatric visit? Bring a support person for the babe and to drive you all home, but combine it with your general post partum healing if that's the best thing in terms of your scheduling?

My mother had a severe prolapse, thank you for understanding, but this is NO WHERE near what you and prolapse mamas go through, love. Your sweet..

My labia minora hang past my majora lips by about 3 inches actually. They have been that way since 3rd grade. They literally get STUCK during intercourse. they get caught in the crease of my pants and panties. They prevent me from orgasming sometimes too because they get in the way and I have to constantly move them out of the way, which really kills the mood. I have wanted to get this done for years, but just now is it really bothering me. I am going to speak with my midwives at my next prenatal. I may need to see a cosmetic surgeon because of how low they hang, actually, they are swollen now and for that reason in and of itself I should wait until the swelling subsides.

It was my HB midwife who told me that something like this is done directly after labor, but I need to talk to the OB/GYN's office first. I think I will wait.

[Talula Fairie]

I swear I would be running to the doctor too. I am so sensitive down there I think I might die if I had that problem.

[texaspeach]

I would wait for all the reasons mentioned above. Wombatclay touched on this, but surgery on the labia sometimes involves a lot of bleeding. There can be a lot of blood vessels in the tissue and I've heard it can bleed a lot, doubly so during/shortly after pregnancy.

And plus, I'm not sure I'd want to deal with healing in that sensitive region while having to wear maxipads for PP bleeding. If you have stitches it could be really uncomfortable.

There are docs that specialize in labioplasty. I think I'd want someone who had a lot of experience and that I'd consulted with before hand. If you're planning on doing it after the birth, I'd think you'd need to have a doctor lined up way before hand. I kind of feel like your mw over simplified the procedure. I've read that for labioplasty you generally have twilight sedation and not just a local.

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Cosmetic surgeons do labiaplasty differently than the OB. The cosmetic surgeons have techniques that hide a scar. The problem with that is, an OB is capable of doing the surgery and your insurance provider nine times out of ten, will only pay for an OB to perform the surgery. While a cosmetic surgeon knocks you out with general or highly sedates you, an OB typically just locally numbs the area.

I have looked into it in the past, plastic surgeons cost somewhere around 9,000 $ for this surgery, they also will remove excess skin from around the clitoral hood and sometimes will even offer injections to your labia majora to plump them. They call this surgery total vaginal rejuvenation. I went for a consult 5 years ago and the guy tried to talk me into the total rejuvenation. He made a list of everything that was "wrong" down there and honestly, it was BULL.. LOL He wanted to reconstruct the labia, the clitoral hood, and give me injections to my majora lips and possibly to my g spot??? LOL

I was like uhhhhh dude, this is a legitimate health issue, I'm not a porn star, I don't need it to be pretty down there, just not HURT. HAHAHAHA

Anyway, I need to definitly explore my options more I think.

[Spring Sun]

Oh my gosh, I am sorry you have had to deal with that! And the plasic surgnan...plumping your labia...adding fat to a part of your body... they need to make up their minds. We are really had on women and their vaginas in this society. I am not sure how I am going to teach my daughter how to love hers...

But I would not get the surgery yet, just wait and do it when you are better and have a better support system that can be devoted to you.

[2boyzmama]

DDC crashing here. Hi!

If an OB/GYN can do it in-office with just a local anesthetic, which sounds very possible, then I'd wait until you were fully healed from birth so they have a "clean slate" to work with. It shouldn't effect your breastfeeding relationship at all. If the appt could take several hours, bring your baby and a support person with you, no reason why you can't nurse immediately before and immediately after the procedure (probably shouldn't nurse during, just in case you feel an unexpected pinch or something, you don't want to jump, squeeze baby, or have a fear of dropping the baby!) Then you're not worrying about bottles, missing a feeding, drugs in your system, etc.

If you'd prefer a bit of sedative, there are some that are safe while breastfeeding. Ask your dr to research options for you. Some are very short lasting so you'd only need to avoid breastfeeding for a very short time. And if the sedative does pass through your milk, it won't hurt the baby, just might make her sleepy. Remember babies have surgeries and procedures requiring anesthesia/sedation, so they get those drugs directly, sometimes at a very young age (my son was 8 weeks old the first time he had sedation) so a small amount passing through your breastmilk won't hurt the baby. Still bring baby and a support person to the appt with you so you can nurse right before having the procedure done so baby is less likely to need to be fed.

And remember to lay in bed for a few days to lessen swelling!! A good excuse to lay around with your baby and enjoy a mini second baby moon!

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

DDC crashing here. Hi!

If an OB/GYN can do it in-office with just a local anesthetic, which sounds very possible, then I'd wait until you were fully healed from birth so they have a "clean slate" to work with. It shouldn't effect your breastfeeding relationship at all. If the appt could take several hours, bring your baby and a support person with you, no reason why you can't nurse immediately before and immediately after the procedure (probably shouldn't nurse during, just in case you feel an unexpected pinch or something, you don't want to jump, squeeze baby, or have a fear of dropping the baby!) Then you're not worrying about bottles, missing a feeding, drugs in your system, etc.

If you'd prefer a bit of sedative, there are some that are safe while breastfeeding. Ask your dr to research options for you. Some are very short lasting so you'd only need to avoid breastfeeding for a very short time. And if the sedative does pass through your milk, it won't hurt the baby, just might make her sleepy. Remember babies have surgeries and procedures requiring anesthesia/sedation, so they get those drugs directly, sometimes at a very young age (my son was 8 weeks old the first time he had sedation) so a small amount passing through your breastmilk won't hurt the baby. Still bring baby and a support person to the appt with you so you can nurse right before having the procedure done so baby is less likely to need to be fed.

And remember to lay in bed for a few days to lessen swelling!! A good excuse to lay around with your baby and enjoy a mini second baby moon!

I like the second baby moon idea. LOL