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January 2016 Moms
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Episiotomies and sitting again..

jencook25jencook25 member
in January 2016 Moms
After a long, difficult birth I ended up with an episiotomy and vacuum delivery. I swear I've also damaged my coccyx. I gave birth 11 days ago and still can't fathom sitting upright. Just today I sneezed twice without bracing my peri, and now my epi site is slightly bleeding. The skin at the centre has split slightly, though my midwife says it's looking good still. I've had a lot of trouble breastfeeding as my milk doesn't flow very quickly laying on my side, but I couldn't possible feed any other way. Consequently I also express and bottle feed to fill my little man up after he has had 10 or 15 mins/side. Just wondering if others with epis have taken so long to recover?? How long until you could sit again? 
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Re: Episiotomies and sitting again..

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    willashbabywillashbaby member
    That's a long recovery. I tore near my urethra and had a episiotomy and was sitting upright carefully on an egg crate the next day. By two weeks out I basically felt 75% back to normal and was out shopping and taking baby on pretty long walks. For the first week I heavily used medicated tucks pads, peri ice packs, dermoplast,  and a numbing cream. I think they helped immensely. 
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    kmo8986kmo8986 member
    Sitz baths help as well.  I had a 2nd degree tear and am 2 weeks out and feel nearly normal again.  I would say that to be in that much pain that you can't sit should go away pretty soon or I would be concerned.  Also are you taking any meds? My doctor told me to take 800 mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours, that may help.
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    willashbabywillashbaby member
    Yes to the ibuprofen, I forgot abut that! They gave me a sitz bath as well but I never actually used it. The ointment for numbing was dibucaine, they gave it in the hospital and just showed me to squirt it all over the pad, I did this every time I went to the bathroom for about a week. I would also put it on the tucks and apply very directly. You can buy it in CVS or any drugstore. I also really loved the dermoplast, make sure to get the blue lidded one not the red. 
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    Becky012016Becky012016 member
    Sitz baths work wonders for the tearing and hemis. I too hurt my coccyx during delivery and the only relief I've found is taking ibuprofen every 8 hours and very light stretching (child's pose). I sat on my boppy for the first week to help alleviate the pain. It does get better but it'll take time. 
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    EbiejayEbiejay member
    I didn't know episiotomies came in different degrees but mine was a second, maybe yours was higher? I'm a week out and just now able to sit on cushioned seats with not too much pain. I've been using both ibuprofen and acetaminophen, taking the opposite every 2 hours so I'm always covered. I was using the witch hazel pads but I kept feeling like they were sliding into cracks! The dermoplast spray has helped me too. Sitting on the boppy was my best sitting relief. 

    I hope you feel better soon, I really didn't expect recovery to be so painful.
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    kelnate22kelnate22 member
    Third degree here and having the same issues with sitting almost 3 weeks later. 
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    nackienackie member
    I only 6 days out, but I had an episiotomy and tore on top of that.  I can manage to sit up for breastfeeding with the help of the ibuprofen, witch hazel pads and dermoplast, but just barely.  I was hoping it wouldn't be too much longer before I could sit comfortably, but now I'm rethinking that :(
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    fishee333fishee333 member
    Sounds like you are in more pain than me, but I just want to complain that it still really hurts for me. Ibuprofen helps me tolerate it a little easier though. Breastfeeding and being a mom in general is going to be so much better once I'm not in pain, I can't wait! 
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    jencook25jencook25 member
    oh goodness @fishee333 I feel like life will be a breeze once I can sit again too! And @kelnate22 as much as I hate to hear you're in pain, it's nice to know I'm not the only one taking so long to recover! Because of my post partum haemorrhage I wasn't even allowed to sit up at all until 9am the morning after I gave birth (which was 2pm!), so I was amazed to see women in the maternity ward sitting right after giving birth! I am taking pain meds every 4 hours, alternating 1 ibuprofen and 1 panadol at one 4 hour block, and the next 4 hour block 2 panadol. No sitz baths (not even sure what that is..?!) as the thought of sitting in the hard bath is scary as hell! Plus my bath is dirty and I have no energy to clean it out. I am using the showerhead to wash my epi site 2 times a day though, as well as dabbing salt water on it a few times a day too. A few unexpected sneezes put a slight split in my epi site 2 days ago, but I think it's finally started to heal now. I spoke to my midwife too, who said if I'm not sitting in a week she will send me for an x-ray on my coccyx, but that at 2 weeks pp it's probably too early, and at this stage they assume it is just tissue damage to my coccyx.
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    AchaeAchae member
    @Ebiejay the way my dr explained it was a tear all the way to the rectum is considered 4th degree. I thought episiotomy referred to the actual cut made by the doctor to assist in delivery. So it's possible you had the cut and also had a second degree tear?
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