Someone PLEASE tell me this gets better...

AshleyMF1983 · July 2011

Hi all, This is my first post on the 0-3m board (home board was July 2011 moms). Just had my beautiful baby girl on Tuesday the 26th. This 5'2" (115 lb pre-pregnancy) mama pushed out all 8 lbs and 15 ounces of her. The doctor did not do an episiotomy, but I ended up having a 2nd degree tear that was stitched up...plus hemorrhoids. Because of those two things, my life has been hell. I cannot have a bowel movement because I am not physically able to push even the slightest bit (and Colace has not helped at all). I am doing Sitz baths, using numbing spray given to me in the hospital, Tucks pads, and this foamy medication. I can barely walk, sitting is horrible, and I just feel so helpless. I can barely move. Has anyone had an experience like this, and when does it start to get better? (Feel free to offer any tips!) Thanks so much!

meg1974 · July 2011

I didn't have a tear, but I did have constipation after DD #1's birth. I didn't go for 10 days or so. I tried everything (prune juice, fiber one bars, etc.), but nothing worked. I ended up using an enema. It was very painful, but at least it got things moving, and I got regular shortly after that.

This time, I used a suppository a few days after the birth. It made me go almost immediately. It was hard and painful the first two times, but I have been regular ever since.

andreaholt11 · July 2011

The same thing happened to me I went 8 days without a bowl movement. I had to end up using a suppository to go. I was ready to go to the hospital because it was so bad. It does get better but you might have to help it along.

As far as the hemorrhoids just keep doing what you're doing. It gets better.

katiewhompus · July 2011

I'm right there with you ( 3rd degree off an episiotomy + roids). BM's are still not fun but after about day 5 I was able to move around better and feel more human. Just keep looking at that precious baby and tell yourself this will pass.

kaydogger · July 2011

Do you have a bobby pillow? Sit on that so your vajayjay/butt isn't actually sitting on the couch/chair. I'm also had a 2nd degree tear and honestly, it didn't get better until about week 3. You just have to power through!

dunvilles · July 2011

put witch hazel & some water on a pad and freeze it. It helps a lot with the soreness. You're doing all the right things!! It will get better!

MrsI · July 2011

Hi! Fellow July 2011 Bumpie here I didn't have a BM for a few days, I think mostly out of fear of the pain. I just kept taking the colace (2 pills at a time) and then one day when I was leaning over to fill up my peri bottle I couldn't not go. It wasn't nearly as painful as I imagined and felt sooo much better. I couln't tell you how many times I went in to have a BM and chickened out before this, and my stomach pains were excruciating. I wish I had just forced my self to go because the stomach pains were so much worse than just going.

Not sure if that was any help... But GL! and it does get better!!! I promise!

emma_stegall19 · July 2011

First of all congrats on your baby girl! 8lbs and 15oz such a big baby girl! The pain will be over soon enough, and it is so worth it!

The good news is it does get better. The bad news it that it may take a week or two. I had a 9lb baby and a episiotomy, and i was sore for about 2 weeks. I didn't have a bowel movement for 8 days after, I finally gave in and took a laxaitive. Take a laxaitive, keep doing the sitz baths, and sprays, and using the tucks pads. Also try getting a water bottle, and feeling it up with warm water, and spray it while you use the bathroom. That helped me. Good Luck, and I hope you feel better soon!

Gen & Joel · July 2011

I just stopped by to ask a question but i couldn't help but help you! I was just as small when i had LO and he was 8lbs 22 in i had a bad tear and i had hemmorhoids so bad that i thought i was going to have to get them surgically removed!! the best thing that helped was the sits baths and cream multiple times a day and the tucks pads and spray were very cooling. the first week i had no time for sitz baths and didn't think they worked but you have to make the water extremely hot, that's what makes them shrink. after the 1st week i started to feel relief. good luck...and you will forget this! I'm PG for LO#2 and i had forgotten about this until i read your post.

oh and maybe you can take more of the colace, i was taking 2 pills at one point

chatty6176 · July 2011

Sounds exactly like me this time. My first was 9 lbs 5 oz. (i too am 5' 2"). I got hemorrhoids with my first and they came back full force this time. I also had a small 2nd degree tear. I couldn't even sit from the hemorrhoids. I couldn't sit comfortably to nurse, etc. I laid down alot and nursed in bed on my side to keep the pressure off. Do the sitz baths (they actually helped with the BM's). Colace didn't do anything for me...I used Miralax...that works wonders. Keep doing what you are doing....dermoplast, tucks pads and also I did the preparation H and cooling gel. Keep the tucks pads in until the next time you go to the bathroom. I did use ice packs as well from the hospital. It took almost 3 weeks before I felt normal and could go about normal routines....including sitting. Hang in there!

cherokeemomma87 · July 2011

I know what you are going through. I was 118 lbs when I got preg with my first. He was born at 41 weeks and was 8lbs 9oz. I had an episiotomy and I tore. I don't even know how many stiches I needed. But I depended on the numbing spray as well as the tux pads to even get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. I took stool softners and they helped a little bit. It took me a good month to get back to normal. GL, and congrats on your new bundle of joy!

JDWNYC · July 2011

I didn't have the hemorrhoids, but had a pretty bad tear with my first child and felt like it sounds you feel for probably a week-10 days, and then things got better from there. The biggest tips I can give you are to lay down instead of sit up when possible, avoid sitting on super soft surfaces (even though they feel better than hard surfaces, sitting down on a too soft couch can spread your parts more and delay healing), don't go up stairs more than once a day if you can avoid it, keep up with ibuprofen but stay away from narcotic pain killers (if they gave them to you in the hospital to begin with get off of them - they make you constipated), keep up with the Colace, drink tons and tons of water, keep your fiber intake up (lots of veggies, and you can also do things like Activia yogurt with all bran), and make sure you do get up at least a few times a day to walk/shufffle for a few minutes. The movement will help you a lot - I remember feeling like I couldn't pick my feet up, but it only was worse when I just didn't try. I WILL get better, I promise. And if you have a second child it probably won't be as bad (my recovery from my second child was a piece of cake after the disaster recovery from my first).

kathrnn · July 2011

I am right there with you. I did tear while pushing, but it was fairly minor and didn't bother me too much, but also developed an anal tear (I was so numb I couldn't tell how hard I was pushing during the delivery) and ended up becoming very constipated. They basically said take stool softeners, drink plenty of water, Sitz baths and just grit through the pain- it was awful!

I can't think of anything to help ease the pain aside from warm baths. If you feel like you're about to have a bowel movement you could try soaking in warm water before or right after. For me, I always started the bath when I got on the toilet so when I was done I could plop right in the bath afterwards. I think for 'roids they suggest cold heat, but I'd try the warm since it's doesn't constrict the body. That and PLENTY of water (especially if you are BFing).

HTH and good luck!

iris427 · July 2011

It gets better as you heal. One of the things that really helped me with having the first few bowel movements was to sit with ice between my legs for a few hours. Then I would go to the bathroom while I was still kind of numb from the ice so that it didn't hurt as much.

Are you taking any pain meds?

Hang in there, you will start feeling better soon.

TessieF · July 2011

I had a similar experience - 2nd degree tear and couldn't have a BM for almost 9 days. I finally called my doctor to see if I should do a suppository and he suggested trying a fiber laxative (I had been taking stool softener and eating prunes, but that didn't help). The fiber laxative finally got things going and although it hurt a little, I felt soooooo much better afterwards. The swelling goes down gradually - I would say I started feeling normal again about 2 weeks pp, although my lady bits would still swell if I spent a lot of time on my feet until maybe week 4 pp.

JES0724 · July 2011

I can't offer any advice but just know that you're not alone. I tore in 3 spots, one of which was all the way down to my rectum nearly and combine that with a massive hemorrhoid and I am MISERABLE. I've just been doing the same kind of things you have been and trying to stay off my feet as much as possible. GL, I know it's not a pleasant experience.

catherine225 · July 2011

It DOES get better...and pretty quickly too. Your body was made to do it this way.

I had a bad tear and I was really scared to go #2 after the baby. I took a ridiculous amount of colace. Each day I would take the max dosage... and nothing! Things really didn't start moving until I was able to get up and moving a bit more. Take a walk around the block or your house if you can and drink a ton of water.

As for soothing that area, I found that the best thing was just taking a warm bath... but don't use bubble bath. I made that mistake and I felt a lot of stinging afterward.

Finally, stay away from sitting on very soft things. When you sit on something really soft (like the couch or a soft bed), your bottom stretches out... which hurts! Same goes for sitting on a doughnut... you don't want to sink into anything.

Feel better soon!!

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