Vaginal stitches broke open! Help!

[TaraD.]

I just gave birth to our son last Wednesday. I had an excellent natural labor and delivery but ended up having second degree tearing in a few different spots. One tear was on the inside part of my labia and is about an inch long. Well, the stitches have broken open and I am left with a gaping wound that hurts so badly. I called my OB and her nurse said that the wound will heal, I just need to keep my legs together and take sitz baths 3-4 times per day. I asked her how long it will take to heal, and she said that it may take up to 3-4 weeks!!! It hurts to move at all, it feeling like my skin is ripping open down there (which, it looks like it is). I'm missing out on more sleep due to the pain of that one tear than restlessness/nursing my new baby. All of the other stitches look like they've healed nicely and don't hurt at all. But this one is just so painful and I can't imagine keeping my legs together for 3-4 weeks! I feel like a wimp for making it through childbirth without meds and now I'm crying over one tear. Also, per the doctor's instructions, I have been taking 800mg of motrin every 8 hours. She said that it shouldn't cross over into my breastmilk, but I really hate the thought of taking so much pain medication while I'm breastfeeding. Plus, it really only takes the edge off the pain for about an hour.

Are there any natural remedies/suppliments that I can take to speed up the healing process or help with the pain? Any advice? I just feel like crying. . .

(I also x-posted this in Birth and Beyond and in Health and Healing, but thought that you girls may be able to help me out. You always have such good advice!)

[kjoy2]

Oh wow that sounds awful

I've heard that comfrey speeds healing? Make sure that's in your sitz bath, or you could use a comfrey spray or salve, maybe?

[Chinese Pistache]

Oh my, ouch! That sounds so painful. I'm actually surprised they aren't willing to restitch or something. 3-4 weeks to keep your legs together?? That's really impractical. Would one of those superglue type wound care things help? You basically glue the skin together. They sell it in any pharmacy. Good luck.

[xekomaya]

Ouch! Do you think there could be an infection starting?
I would call back and see if you can talk to someone else. If you can't sleep you think they'd at least see you and discuss options.

Its also a little strange they'd tell you to take 800mg ibuprophen every 8 hours. 400mg every 4-6 hours is the normal dose, and the "prescription" dose is usually 800mg every 4-6 hours. Not that you want to take more medicine, but perhaps spacing it every 4 hours would make it feel like its lasting longer? Just a thought though if you feel like its not working.

[Jennisee]

Ouch, that sounds awful. Personally, I'd call back and insist on being seen. If they refuse, I'd try my family doctor. There is no reason for making someone suffer through a gaping wound that leaves her crying.

[pink gal]

Oh I feel your pain! The same thing happened to me with my first DD. It did take a while to heal but the pain lessened considerably after a few days. After a week or so my OB had me pack mine with gauze which for some reason did seem to help the healing.

Hang in there it will get better!

[Molliejo]

You might want to try using a hairdryer on no heat to help it heal. I had tearing and stitches with my son Sam and the hairdryer really helped.

, mama. I hope you feel better soon.

[BensMom]

Yeah, I would insist on going back if you are in that much pain. They might just think you are exaggerating or something ("sure, all women are in pain after childbirth" YK?). Let them take a look and see if anything can be done.

I apparently popped some of my external stitches, according to my MW when she came back on day 3. But she said the internal one (the one that mattered, according to her) was holding well. And she said that the skin had already started to heal together, despite the popped stitches. I havent felt any more pain than from the beginning, so I am hoping its all healing. If I was in as much pain as you, I would be calling her back in a heartbeat.

Hugs, mama!

[celestialdreamer]

I had that happen when my 2yo was born. I had a nasty tear that was sutured, then the outer layer reopened a week later. I had my MW look at it and she told me it would heal better if left alone at that point. I was really skeptical and did have a lot of pain from it, but I do agree that it was the right decision. If you have it resutured it very well might pop open again due to the inflammatory process that broke it open in the first place, not to mention resuturing it would most likely require cutting the edges to open them also (yikes!).

Definitely if you are in that much pain, you should still insist on being seen even if you don't want it resutured. You need to make sure that any inner tissue is still secured even if the outer layer is open. Please keep taking the ibuprofen if you are hurting that bad. I ended up with an emergency c/s this time and I'm still taking ibuprofen 2 weeks pp which I hate doing. I understand not wanting to take meds (I'm the same way which is why I got off the narcotic pain killers ASAP) but there really is a time and place for medications. Honestly my recovery from my tear with my last birth was much more painful for much longer than it was to recover from a c-section! So sorry you are dealing with that.

[2xshy]

i feel your pain. i had several 2nd degree tears that were sutured and they got infected. i ended up in the ER 4 days PP barely able to move. if your ure there is no infection then i suggest resting as much as you can and maybe take tylenol and motrin together. i took the tylenol every 6 hours and the motrin every 8 hours. sitz bath help too, i actually used a nlow dryer when i was done to make sure the area was dry so the infection didnt get worse.
i'm 15 days pp now and its much better, still sore but tolerable.
sending you healing vibes...

[~NewMa~]

ouch!
I had a first degree tear but my sutures fell out too after only 3 days.
The one midwife said she wasn't going to resuture and it would heal on it's own and the other midwife said it definetly needed to be resutured and she put in twice as many sutures and said if she hadn't resutured it would have taken weeks to heal and may have developed keloids and become super sensitive due to scar tissue.
I was resutured my 5th day pp and we're now 17 days pp and I STILL haven't healed!
I was doing sitz baths twice a day up until this weekend but they didn't seem to do much as far as healing, although they were soothing.
I think mine's taking so long because it's awkward to get in and out of our super high bed, even though I have a step to get in now, it's hard to hold the baby and get in and out.
Good luck to you! Hope you heal completely soon!