Not enough Litocain for stitches after birth?

lalamakita · August 2013

So, I arrive at hospital in transition and got the on-call doc and a resident - neither of whom I knew at all. The resident herself was pregnant and from what my doula said - she was very hesitant to come close to me b/c she thought I'd kick her (my doula said I gave no reason for the resident to think this) but she did step up (again my doula was about to insist on another doctor if she couldn't do the job), so after the birth which was just moments later, I had to be stitched up - and I was given a shot of litocain (sp?) to numb the area. Well, it was still very painful and I felt the resident was being very rough w me. After jumping through the roof on several passes of the needle, I say, "Can I have more medicine?!?!" and "how long till you're done?!?" neither got much of a response. My doula later said she heard the resident say something to the effect of "without an epidural you won't get complete numbness" and worse "you wanted a natural birth..." My doula was aghast - God help me, I'm so glad I didn't hear these comments, I might have kicked her.

Has anyone had this kind of attitude from a doctor after a natural birth? While I'm mostly one to just say 'it's over, and I'm past it" I'm going to talk to my OB and explain what happened, I know he's one of the docs who train the residents.

hamiltks10 · August 2013

I didn't have that attitude from my midwife, but getting stitched up DID hurt like a son of a bitch. I, too, asked if she was almost done. It was not pleasant.

From what I've read here, that seems to be common. Not sure if it is right (if they could give more medicine to numb the area), but I've heard a lot of women say that getting the stitches done was worse than the act of giving birth.

SarahinMD · August 2013

Had a great midwife deliver DD, and she tried several doses of med to numb me for stitches, but even a good bit of it didn't do the job completely. Was totally the most painful part of it, but didn't last forever, and all things considered, could've been worse. Hurt like a B though. Even though they gave me several shots of it.

MrsP7309 · August 2013

I didn't feel any of the stitches after my birth... just some pressure. I would definitely report that comment to your OB. That was completely unacceptable.

barista411 · August 2013

I didn't have any issues. I went with a MW though. I did have severe tearing and they called in an OB from the same practice to help stitch me back together. My MW warned me he had poor bedside manor but that he was the best. He did say to my MW quite loudly "What did you do to this poor girl" and shoved a mirror down between my legs and said "you gotta see how bad this is. I haven't seen anything like this before." It was a wonderful sentiment from a surgeon but I didn't take it too seriously. I was also begging them not to give me meds while they were sewing me up because I didn't want them in my system when I started BFing but my MW insisted on lidocaine and nubane directly in my vein. My MW was wonderful about looking out for my best interest but still know what I wanted out of my birthing experience.

aylafsu88 · August 2013

That is horrible! I feel really bad for you. Getting stitches is a huge PITA because you want to cuddle with the baby. It makes it even worse to have an ass of a doctor stitching you up.
I had a few stitches without lidocain. My tear was larger than the on call OB from the practice thought. He ended up going into an area that was not numb. I screamed and yelled from the pain (it was worse than a contraction or pushing the baby out). He apologized but told me that it was only one more stitch so I sucked it up. My regular OB was a bit odd. When discharging me she said "I am glad you got the natural birth you wanted. Was it worth it?" My H and I thought it was odd for her to say this but I told her it was great and the best thing I ever did.

tokenhoser · August 2013

They used a shit-ton of freezing on me and there were still parts I felt. My tears were multiple, third degree, and "deep". There really are situations where you are not going to get full freezing down there, regardless of their intent. The shots also hurt like a b*tch, so I was honestly good with just getting it over with rather than continuing to try to freeze me.

That said, her comments were inappropriate and should be reported to her supervising doctor. If she wants to be a doctor, she needs to know she can't say sh*t like that.

sschwege · August 2013

This should be reported.

That being said, even with the gentlest of hands it can still be painful. With my first it wasn't bad, though my MW did go outside the numb area once and I felt that. For whatever reason with my second, my MW couldn't get me numb enough. I asked for more litocain, which she did, but even then it was painful. I finally just decided to suck it up because the shots weren't much fun either. Being stitched up is the absolute worst part for me.

stever · August 2013

I didn't get the attitude, but I did feel the stitches both times. Especially after DS1.

cattynine · August 2013

I had a similar situation. OB on call was a jerk with no bedside manner (I had never met him). He gave me a numbing shot and started stitching. I practically jumped off the bed at the first one. I asked for more meds and he grumbled about me already having plenty, but did give me another shot. It still hurt like hell and he didn't seem particularly concerned about it. I spent the first 15 minutes of DD's life gripping the hands of the nurses on either side of me as he stitched while DH got to cuddle with DD on the other side of the room. Definitely the worst part!

JCWhitey · August 2013

Wow, I'd report. The state of mind of some people in the medical field these days astonishes me! I didn't tear so I didn't experience any stitches to give you feedback on that, but the comments she made seem very, very inappropriate! So I'd definitely speak up and say that your experience with her was less than ideal and you'd like that to be recorded. Not that much will come of it, but at least you did your part and got it off your chest!

nosoup4u · August 2013

Oooh, yell your OB. We had some run in with residents when our older son was hospitalized, they can be really jerky. Sorry you went through that.

Arielle27 · August 2013

Wow, I've never heard if that kind of response or attitude! How awful, Im so sorry!

However, I just wanted to share that after my first (unmedicated) birth they gave me something to numb the area before stitching up my episiotomy and it only worked on one side! So I didn't feel the needle going in, but felt it coming out each time... Not pleasant at all!

lalamakita · August 2013

Thanks ladies. I'm glad to get your perspectives. I'm definitely going to talk to my OB about her.

huntjul · August 2013

If you think she was out of line, you should also file a written complaint with the hospital, not just mention it to the OB. A written complaint will be reviewed with the offending doctor/resident and go in their employment file. It is the only way to document repeated issues.

opheliainwaders · September 2013

Agreed with everyone here. I had a shot of something to numb me for stitches for a relatively minor tear, and I definitely felt them (they were pinchy, but not horribly painful). That said, my MW certainly didn't give me attitude about it! I'd report your experience.

nicholssquared · September 2013

This doctor has their priorities way out of line. It's not appropriate to prioritize feeling inconvenienced because the patient isn't holding perfectly still because they're not completely numb, over doing their job and answering the patient's questions promptly, sensitively, and honestly.

tndalles · September 2013

As someone who works in the medical field, I completely agree.

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