irritated perineum postpartum

[caedmyn]

Cross-posting in health & healing...DS3 was born 3.5 weeks ago.  I had a first degree tear that we left unstitched.  It seemed like it was healing fine but about a a week ago everything down there started feeling really irritated and sore.  There's a lot of redness, more on the side where the tear is/was.  This happened after DS1 was born too, with a 2nd degree tear that was stitched and took 10 weeks to stop feeling so irritated.  I don't think anything is actually infected as the midwife did a culture when this happened last time and there was no infection.  I've never had a yeast infection.  Any ideas why things feel so irritated and what I can do about it?

[phathui5]

Do you know what kind of suture was used?

Have you talked to your midwife? What did she say?

Are you using any herbs? Sitz baths?

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Maybe it's that irritation that sometimes comes when cuts start into that next drying/healing phase? Have you tried some sort of soothing salve? 

[caedmyn]

I wonder if it isn't a yeast infection, even though it's not itchy and I don't have any weird discharge.  It's not really much the tear itself that's the problem.  Any suggestions on how to treat a yeast infection postpartum?  Seems like all the treatments involve inserting something and I'm not sure that's a good idea at less than a month PP.