Vagina opening after childbirth... Tell me the truth here... :-)

[CaliforniaMommy]

I had a wonderful HBAC 4 weeks ago. I did tear a little (not sure if it's a 1st or 2nd degree tear, but it required a few stiches). The stitches seem to be healing ok so far, although I'm feeling some constant rubbing down there when walking as if I had a tampon out of place; not sure if it's from the thread that hasn't fallen off yet, or from scar tissue... I haven't had my 6-week pp visit yet, so I'll find out then.

My concern though is the vagina opening itself... I checked with a mirror, and the opening seems quite a bit bigger than before. It used to look closed off, more like a sphincter, but now, the opening is well, open... Nothing is hanging out that I can see, but it looks different from before. 

I know this may sound weird, but I also get a little bit of air that gets trapped in that new gap between the labias and the vagina opening, which feels a bit funny at times. Nothing painful, but it's a different feeling than before...

Is this just cosmetic, or will it affect my partner and I when we try to DTD again? Will it close off again after I do a gazillion kegels, or will remain open?

Is it the result of tearing? If i hadn't torn, would it have returned to it's original closed appearance? Or is it just what happens with childbirth? For some reason, there is little talk about any of this beforehand...

Anyway, I just want to see if I should just get used to my new appearance, and this is the new me, or whether I should be concerned about anything at this point...

Thanks!

[greenmama66]

Mine looked different too after birth (6 children, all vaginal- no tearing) DH and I just DTD (I am 4 weeks postpartum) and he said everything felt normal.

[scottishmommy]

Yeah it's normal. Almost all women have minor pelvic organ prolapse after they deliver. Its totally normal and expected (severe prolapse is another story). On top of that your tissues are simply super stretched out from giving birth. You will heal in time, and feel a lot tighter in a few months. I was fairly loose for a few months, but after a while everything was nice a tight again. Honestly though, my vagina does not look the same as it did before I gave birth. Neither do my breasts, my tummy, my hips, my feet etc. This is just one of the many changes we go through. Sex is exactly the same, if not slightly more enjoyable!
There are some awesome resources out there that can help speed the process of healing.
Alot of moms love hab-it, and www.katysays.com. They have some great exercises to get your lady bits back in shape!
Seriiously, don't sweat it! Do some of the exercises to help you get back in shape, but don't feel like a freak or anything! We all look like that after birthin' babies. It's nothing to worry about.

[Springshowers]

Yes it took mine quite a few months to close up fully too.. now it feels as it did before. I had 2x1 degree tear and 1x 2nd degree tear in the muscle.

[coldandsleepy]

Yup... what they said.  I had a smallish 2nd degree tear and definitely felt like things were bigger at first, but by the time we got back to DTD (maybe around 3 months?  it was longer than six weeks) things were back to more or less normal.  If only I could say that about the rest of my body, ha ha.

[tracymom1]

I am 2 months postpartum with my 2nd vaginal birth. With this birth I had a tear that I did not have stitched up (no tearing with my first birth). I noticed a huge difference in how things felt and looked in and around my vaginal opening in the first 6 weeks or so. DH and I finally DTD this past weekend and everything worked just fine, no differences or strangeness - I was actually shocked that it felt as good as it did! I was fully expecting some irritation or uncomfortableness at the site of the tear, but all was well.

I think it really does take the body at least a couple of months to get back to a more *normal* state - your tissues are swollen for a while and all your parts need to be shifted back into place. I know we all think of 6 weeks as this magical time where everything should be healed, but for a lot of us, that is just not the case. Everything will get back to where it should be! Just give it some time

[CaliforniaMommy]

Thanks for the information, and suggestions. I haven't seen my OB yet, so I haven't been checked yet, but hopefully all is normal, based on the comments above. That's reassuring! :-)

[~Amy~]

Yep, it takes some time.  I just had my first post-partum check the other day (yes, my baby is 4 months old) and the doctor said that by just looking, she'd never know I'd ever given birth....everything looks 100% normal again.

[seawitch]

My younger child is now 3; both kids were born vaginally, neither one with any tearing. My vagina has never regained its... "closed" look that you're referring to. It doesn't feel any different to DTD. I asked DH about it and he also says he feels no difference, but I don't know if he's just being polite... Aroused is different anyway; it swells and such. When I'm just, um, sitting around... I have noticed that the outer parts are more... oh gosh. Flappy? But just by a little bit. Inside isn't different at all.

[nia82]

It takes some time to close up and heal, don't worry! With DS I had 2 2nd degree tears and stitches and it took a couple of months to heal - it closed up quickly but the tear developed granulated tissue which freaked me out but was taken care of. When DD was born I had no tears and it smoothed out the skin so to speak but it looked open like you described. Now that she's 7 months it's pretty much back to normal. It never impacted DTD at all. I also had a mild cystocele this time around but just like the midwife predicted it has resolved on its own by now :D

[JudiAU]

It will get better. Still early days yet.

DH says that he doesn't see/feel any different but after #2 I know it doesn't look the same. And I don't know that he would honest enough and/or in his mind dumb enough to say anything different. My labia are very stretched out looking to me. My last birth was two years ago so I don't think it is going to change. Annoying.

[woodensandals]

I had both the feelings you described after the birth of my first baby. The weird feeling like something is rubbing me the wrong way and the air getting trapped. The air thing went away after about four months. The imaginary tampon string persisted for two years . I also had painful sex for about a year +. I have a torn inner labia. I had some pretty odd tearing during birth and even though I was stitched up in a healthy way, it was not cosmetically perfect. I can't really say if it was done correctly, though my instincts tell me that she did the best she could, sewing for at least a half an hour.
Everything is not as it should be in my nether regions and I'm still coming to terms with it. Ive gotten a second opinion from an OB and there wasnt much he could do besides give me lidocaine gel and estrogen gel. I'm hoping after my next and last Baby that I can save up for plastic surgery. Still working on accepting my post baby body and I'm not sure if I will ever feel 100% okay with it, hence my desire for surgery.

So you are not alone in your concerns and it could be worse!

[katchup]

Thank you for posting your experience, it has really helped me. My muscles inside my vagina are tight and feel the same, but my inner labia is looser and shaped differently. Honestly it makes me feel self conscience and was wondering if it was just me. One of my inner labia is now quite a bit larger than the other and hangs outside my outer labia, able to be seen while I stand in front of a mirror, plus it rubs in my underwear. I often wonder if it contributes to me being prone to UTI'S. When I asked my DH if it looks different or feels different, he seemed stumped, saying he didn't notice anything. lol I guess that means he isn't turned off by it and makes no difference to our sex life. When you really think about it, it is not exactly a beautiful part to begin with.