When will my perinum feel "normal"?

[Climbergirl]

My son is now ten days old. I had a fast 2 hour labor and my son came so fast he barely had any moulding of his head. I gave birth on my hands and knees. I have a second degree tear that went onto my vagina that was repaired. I also had a tear on my labia that was not repaired. The stitches should be dissolved by 2 weeks.

Things still hurt. Not as bad, so things are improving. I just had hoped a bit more than they are at this point. I did not have sitz herbs until yesterday (Post office lost my package and o had to have them resent). I have started take probiotics and my fish oil this past week. I am trying go do sitz baths 2 times a day and then I make a compress with the wet herbs and hang out with that for a while. I am also using cloth pads to make sure the sposie pads were not irritating anything. And no, I have not looked down there yet. I am a bit nervous to do so yet, although I may get the courage tonight if I can find a mirror.

I just want realistic expectations for myself. DH is going back to work on Monday and I am a little scared of being with a 2 week old and 3 year old by myself if I can barely get off the couch. I also live in a townhome and I have limited my stair climbing but come Monday, that is going to be harder to do (especially with laundry in the basement and bedrooms on the top level of a total of 3 levels).

Thoughts?

[MsBlack]

Even without the tear, you should really not be climbing stairs with laundry if you can avoid it.  Have dh do the carrying up and down.  You can go down there to wash, dry, sort, whatever, but do not carry those loads!

Tears heal in varying amounts of time.  The more you are laying around, the less you are sitting or standing, the better.  Even going for a little walk is better than sitting straight up or standing for long periods.  Don't use a donut pillow to reduce the discomfort of sitting, because then you will just be concealing the bad effects of  gravity on the tear (if this applies).  Lay around, or sit back in a recliner instead.

 Have you used ice packs at all on your peri?  Has your mw taken a look at it lately?  If it still hurts then you either still have some swelling in the wound, or some minor infection.  Smell your next pad before tossing it out--notice any foul odor.  Not pee, sweat or blood, but foul--which would indicate infection.  If it's not infection, then ice packs for 15-20min at a time, a few days a week should help.  Reducing the swelling should help it heal faster.  Also, you need some drying time--I suggest sleeping on a chux pad, with no fem pad or undies on--give your peri a good airing every night, that will also help with healing.

Back to your mw--she ought to have a look at it soon, to assess the healing.  Healing time does vary, but if it still hurts, is still swollen, it may need some further help. 

[Climbergirl]

Thanks!  So how long do I need to wait before I carry loads up and down?  We are going through a ton of laundry with cloth dipes (and right now only on the newborn since he pees through the sposie newborn dipes so fast) and my cloth.  I have been trying to limit my going up and down the stairs and only go up to the bedroom level no more the twice (so I can do the bath with the herbs).  But I hate that DH is having to run around like a maniac while I just sit there.

I am feeling better today.  Still a little burning, but overall better.  It does not have a foul odor, so I don't think it is infected.  Maybe I am just healing slow because I was sick for almost 3 weeks and one of those weeks was DS2's first week of life.  I am trying to just lay around, which is easy enough with people around, but once the help leaves tomorrow, and DH goes back to work on Monday, I will be by myself with my 3 year old until the 13th.  I guess we will be watching a bunch of movies.  I hate doing that, but I am not sure what else we can do to keep me from having to run after him.

I only use the donut at the table when I eat.  I just had a hard time eating on the couch.  I will probably take it with me when I drive to the pediatrician's office on Monday.  I hope that will not be too much of an outing.  We have to get DS2 another PKU test because the nurse messed up at the 24 hour visit and did the PKU instead of the bilirubin test.

I have used the peri ice packs.  I guess I should do more of it.  DH went and bought 10 for me and I think there is about 5 left.  So, maybe once a day at night and then airing out?  I can definitely do that tonight.

My mw saw me at 72 hours (because she had to give me Rhogam), and the assistant saw me 2 days later.  When the mw saw me, she said I was still a bit swollen and the assistant said things looked ok, but the labia tear looked almost like a skid mark as well and that the tear was still a little open.  I am not supposed to see the mw again until 6 weeks, but I am sure I can call her and see if she could come look if she is in the area.

Sadly, this is still better than my c-section recovery!

[WifeofAnt]

I didn't have a tear, just a 'skid mark' but it still burned when I used the bathroom until about 2 and a half weeks.  I'm not totally back to normal (dang hemorrhoids) but I am feeling a lot better than before.

[Qbear'smama]

I was doing pads soaked (well not super soaked, but wet in the area that matters!) with witch hazel and frozen. They were sooooo soothing and because the witch hazel was soaked into the pads, it didn't feel too cold. Hope you feel better soon!!