stitches question??

[SunShineSally]

So I had a 2nd degree tear and it feels okaybut it doesn't feel like it is healed up yet Ds2 is a little over 2 weeks old and where the stitches are it is still bleeding once in a while. so my question is how long does it normally take for them to heal?

[nashvillemidwife]

4-6 weeks minimum

[MsBlack]

Yes, it can take awhile for stitches to fully heal. Give it more time, in the meantime try to stay off your butt (minimize sitting in chairs, or in any position that puts direct pressure on the tear), and minimize lifting and stair climbing. These things can reduce the chances of re-opening things, and help make for faster healing time. But it seems to be very individual for women as far as how long perineal healing takes.

[jecombs]

I had a 2nd degree tear with DD. It took about 4 weeks to fully heal. In the meantime, I took lots and lots of warm baths, because that was only thing that made the tear feel better! This time around, I want to try some of the products from Earth Mama Angel Baby. They make an herbal soak that you can put in bath water to help heal your perineum. They also make "bottom balm" that is supposed to be wonderful! You might try those things; I have a friend who says they really help.

[SunShineSally]

I want to try the earth mama angel baby products I think I will order the soak tomorrow! thanks for the reminder on those. The no stairs will be hard as my room is upstairs! But I also only need to go up there once a day.

Thanks mama's so I have about 2 or 3 weeks until they are totally healed I feel better now I was worried maybe they tore or something and was just not healing right!

[alton]

I'm not sure if you can get witch hazel in the land of no punctuation. I used to mix some in water in a squirty sports bottle and squirt it after using the bathroom, and also pop a bit of witch hazel onto the pads directly. Great stuff!
Double up on pads for a while until sitting is more comfortable, and also try getting arnica supplements which help too.
You probably don't feel like it but doing loads of pelvic floor exercises will stimulate the blood flow in the region and really help to speed healing.
Hope some of those suggestions help!

[JennTheMomma]

It took mine about 8 weeks to heal for a 2nd degree tear. However, mine situation is a little different. Had son vaginally and had a 2nd degree tear, then hours later had surgery on my perineum for a egg sized blood clot. So had to re-open the stitches, fix clot, and then stitch back up. I would give it more time, normally around 4-6 weeks they are healed. Your OB or Midwife should check them at the 6 week appointment.

[djsnjones]

You might also try sitting only on hard chairs with no upholstery or pillowing at all. When you sit on a hard-surface chair, your "sit-bones" are the only part of your butt that touch the chair. The soft tissues of your perineum tend to be suspended above the plane of your "sit-bones" and tend to not touch the chair when the surface is flat and hard. When there is upholstery or padding on the chair, the padding tends to just push up between the "sit-bones" and put pressure on your sore perineum. I know that it's counter-intuitive, but mothers who try this tend to be pleasantly surprised at the difference that it makes for them.

This technique might not work if you've "doubled-up" on your sanitary pads, for the same reason that padded or upholstered chairs don't work too well.

It may be obvious and out-dated, but just in case it's not....It's also not recommended to use the old inflated "donuts" that people used to suggest for sitting on sore perineums. Those "donuts" just tends to cut off the blood supply to the area and increase the swelling there.

Best wishes,
Joy