Tell me about post-partum "down there"

[CoBabyMaker]

I am planning an HBAC in July and I am SO excited to not be facing the horrific c/s recovery that I did last time. I just realized that there will still be recovery for my vaginal area that I've not dealt with before!
So, tell me about it. I'm not looking for horror stories, though honesty is appreciated. What can I expect and what did you find helpful? Thanks!

[Beltane]

I'm interested in hearing about this as well. Thanks for posting the question.

[Right of Passage]

My first VBAC, ouchies! Not horrific but labial tears. My inner labia split in half horizontally, barbed-wire crotch. Ice packs were awesome. I was so stunned by the sensations, the BIG STRETCH, the ring of fire, wow so intense, that I explosively pushed him out.

My 2VBAC (UBAC) was a water birth. When the urge got me I tested it with one push. Then I tried to breathe through the next wave with the urge barely got through, then the next wave envloped me and I had to push I immediately put my hands by vagina to feel everything. I pushed again, head was out, and one more time and he was born. No tears, not even a skid mark.

For frozen pads a little witch hazel, 2 tablespoons or so, allowed to soak into a pad and frozen are awesome. I also did this with comfrey, and a comfrey witch hazel mixture.

[LiLStar]

I had an HBAC a year ago Saturday. The first day or two pp was kind of shocking to me, how recovery was! I was thinking, "wow, I'm almost as "disabled" as I was after the cesarean!" I had a 10lb baby, but did not tear. But by day 3, most of the recovery was over and I felt awesome. I had to be careful and slow when standing up or sitting down for a week or so. A big difference was that any pain was more..acceptable? Compare it to the muscle soreness you'd experience after a big full body workout! Sore and tender, but in a triumphant, satisfying way? It seems weird but I was kinda sad when that last lingering bit of "kicked in the crotch feeling went away. It meant that I was no longer in the "immediate postpartum recovery" phase and I wanted to cling to the moment forever.

The hardest thing was peeing! A couple hours after the midwives left I tried to pee..and couldn't. I tried every trick and nothing worked. So I finally had to call my mw to come back and give me a cath. I left it in for about 24 hours. After it was out I could pee fine.. but ouch! I finally figured out the only way I could go without pain was if I sat in a few inches of bath water. I sent dh to go buy me a sitz bath but it didn't work. I guess I was at a different angle. So for about a week, every single time I peed (including in the middle of the night! Talk about annoying..) I had to fill the tub, sit in it, towel off.. lol. Kinda crazy. Other people find that spraying with a peri bottle while peeing helps but it didn't for me. But it was loads better than a c-section recovery!

[kittywitty]

It really is very dependent on the person and birth. My first was actually not that bad recovery wise. I used ice packs and tucks down there with 1-2 very small abrasions on my labia. My fourth was posterior though about the same size as #1 and same abrasions. But much more painful-I think because of how she presented. It will be hard to use the bathroom the first day but not much worse than what I remember after my myomectomy (c-section without the baby is what they called it) and I would trade being able to walk and move without feeling like my guts were falling out for peeing pain any day! Of course I know people who said they had no pain or anything "down there" after birth and some with big tears. Luckily recovery is quick for your average birth-mine was all fine within a week or less. Good luck, OP, and Congrats!

[RedOakMomma]

Yeah, it's something I didn't think about with my first vaginal birth, either. Did you do any dilating with your previous c-section? I ask because the difference (bits-wise) between my first (slow) vaginal labor and my second (fast) vaginal labor was huge.

With the first, I dilated pretty typically for a first birth, but then pushed for three hours. My boys (twins) had big heads, and it took the whole three hours to get baby A out. Baby B was born by breech extraction, which caused a 3rd degree tear. The tear hurt a lot, but honestly it was all the swelling (from the pushing) that hurt the most. I can't even describe how weird that was, to have huge swollen tissue down there. It was like a sore bowling ball was stuck between my thighs. I couldn't lift my foot off the floor. Couldn't even walk at first, because I couldn't coordinate my legs.

By one week out, I was able to move my legs normally. By two weeks out, the only major healing that was still taking place was the tear.

With the second, I dilated quickly and pushed for less than 20 minutes (RRL anyone? ). I was amazed at the difference. I could walk easily right after birth, I could even pee (though it took me a while concentrating for it to finally come out...and then boy did it come out!). The tear, a 2nd degree, was nothing. I could get in and out of bed, take a shower, go up stairs...awesome!

Another change for the second birth, and maybe this helped heal everything up faster...for the first 48 hours, I LIVED on frozen maxi pads. Every time mine got warm, I'd buzz and ask for a new one. It was heavenly. I got one about an hour after the birth and didn't stop using them unless I was sleeping. My bits went back to what they should be so quickly with that birth, it was pretty incredible.

What else to expect...some itching from the tear healing (if you tear).

Be religious about the frozen maxi pads, the sitz baths (they help healing sooooo much!), the peri spray bottles when you pee/poop, and witch hazel....you should be fine!

[CoBabyMaker]

Thank you all for sharing! I am sure my MW can tell me, but: Where do I get a sitz bath?

Did you do any dilating with your previous c-section?

Yes, I was actually complete and pushed for 3 hours. Something about the epidural making me COMPLETELY numb made that pushing a little less effective. Hmmm. (DD was OP too)

[dziwozony]

With my first son, I had a bit of tearing, but didn't need any stitches. Things were definitely different...the shape of my vulva had changed! You know, the shape of folds & the symmetry of it all. I was tender & definitely avoided spreading my legs very wide, but did not take any special baths (mostly because of my living arrangement) or use anything topically. Mostly I just took it easy & let things heal. I was sore, but it was a mild pain. Sorry of this is a crude description, but kind of like after rough sex...tender, but with good memories.

With my second son (20 months later) I only tore very slightly & recovering was very quick (within a couple of days I was barely tender).

The first time you pee & poo (Ha, can you tell I have toddlers at the moment??) it's a bit scary because I know I wasn't really keen to have anything come in or out of there at that stage! But it just burnt a bit & was completely bearable.

Using lots of olive oil, massaged around the vulva right before pushing really helps prevent serious tearing. Also, they say slowing pushing down so that the baby doesn't all come out at once helps...BUT for me I found pushing really intense & both times just came to a place of "alright, this baby is coming out..NOW!" and their whole bodies came out at once. I had been relaxed throughout labour, though, & my midwives had applied olive oil generously.

So, yeah...I didn't find it especially brutal. But I also had good births, which probably helps a lot!

[RedOakMomma]

You can buy a plastic sitz bath at any drug store. It's a toilet insert, a long tube for the water flow, and a plastic bag to fill with water. I think they're under $20.

With a new baby it's hard to find the time to sit on it, but for me it was really important. It helped heal the tears so much better than anything else. I tried to have at least one, usually two, sitz bath sessions a day. 20 minutes was ideal, but even 10 minutes felt great. I'd give the baby to dh, tell him only to interrupt me for something vital, go in the bathroom, and rest into the warm water. It was a great relaxation tool, and helped a lot for those first few (nervous/painful) bms and pees when the stitches were still new. I think I kept up the sitz bath for two weeks? Maybe a little longer...but toward the end it wasn't a daily thing...

[MJB]

With my first birth I had pain from an episiotomy, but was up and walking literally within 5 minutes of being stitched up. I didn't have a lot of swelling and other than the $#&(ing episiotomy I was really fine. I was given a cold pack in the hospital and used a peri bottle when I peed for the first week or two. I was also given stool softeners at the hospital and might have had some to take home, I can't recall.
With my second birth (UC) I had a small labial "skidmark" but no swelling. I had almost no pain from the little tear and it healed completely in less than a week. I didn't use ice, herbs, or anything else to help it along, and didn't use a peri bottle either. I was surprised at how normal everything looked right after the birth, I don't think anyone could tell by looking I'd just pushed out a 9 lb. baby!

[CherryBomb]

My last birth was a vba2c. I pushed for 2 hours and afterwards when I went to the bathroom I was really freaked out! Everything was VERY swollen and half numb. I had an episiotomy that turned into a 3rd degree tear that required two stitches into my bum, but the recovery from that was pretty easy, which surprised me.

The hardest part was taking it easy when I felt so great (compared to the two c/s I had). I kept overdoing it and then I'd be in a lot of pain for a couple days.

I also found sex painful the first time, it almost felt like there was scar tissue or something. But after the first time it was fine.