Anybody with 4th degree tear

Suji, hugs. That can't be fun... but congrats on your LO. I had an episiotomy that did not heal well. I still have a lot of scarring. I was on sitz bath till 1 month and had lactulose all the time, given how prone I was to a log jam (not necessarily constipated). Hope you heal well soon, suji

 

Suji, I went through 4th degree tear too and it wasn't a fun ride. So hugs to you. I think the tearing is the worst part of my whole pregnancy/labor ordeal (trust me when I say, I would go through the medication free 13 hour labor again and again if it promises no tearing).

I did sitz bath for a month, three times a day, followed by dibucaine ointment application on medicated pads, so the stitches won't rub against each other. I also took lactulose which gave me and my baby some bad gas for a looong time. :hide:

I used to sit on the boppy pillow for a month since it hurt to sit anywhere else. I refused to take painkillers since I was worried it will hurt my baby somehow (I am not a big fan of painkillers anyway), so it hurt like crazy. It still gives me the chills when I think of that time. I couldn't even hold or cuddle my baby for the first couple weeks since I was in a lot of pain and couldn't sit other than while breastfeeding. :-(

As for diet, I don't remember eating anything different or leaving anything out of my diet because of the stitches.

I hope you heal well, and take care.

Raj

 

Hi Suji,

First of all, congrats on having your beautiful baby. I hope you and the baby are doing fine.

I didnt have a fourth degree tear but a third degree tear. I had a difficult labor as well and ended up with the tear.

I was advised not to lift anything heavy (apart from the baby) and also that I SHOULD NOT BE CONSTIPATED as this would make matters worse. I was given laxatives and was told to take them everyday so that the bowel movements would be smooth. I was checked by the midwife and doctor on a regular basis.

Try and have good fibre in your diet as well as plenty of water so that you can pass stools without straining. Also have as much rest as possible. My mum used to not include any brinjals or potatoes in my diet. I dont know if this has any scientific significance or no but I was not in any state to argue with her. Maybe you can try it. Remember to always keep the area clean by washing with water at least four times a day. My stitches are all healed now.

Because of the tear, the doctor also advised me not to have another child for at least a year.

Good luck. Hope this helps

Love, Riya

 

I had episiotomy stitches and used sitz bath thrice a day until it completely healed. I took Colase, stool softener - especially because we consume a lot of rice and use spices. Prunes and spinach were part of my diet. I used to sit on rubber tube used for patients with hemorroids. I used witch hazel medicated pads with a little bit of epifoam (steroidal foam used for comfort in episiotomies - you need prescription for this). But this I started reducing the amount as I started to heal. Good luck, hope you feel better soon.

-L.

 

Yes, Tucks is what I used too. Suji, I know how hard it can be with a new baby and all. I also moved my sitz bath at the end of the list to do, but trust me, if you do it, it will help you with faster healing, and it also helps with the pain. I used to do it right before my bath. Even 5 minutes of it is better than none at all...

Hang in there, and do take care.

Raj

 

I think lactulose does the same thing as colase, prevent constipation. So you are doing great.
Try and work in sitz bath after your morning potty, bath, after dinner - just 15 minutes to yourself. I was told to add a few drops of Povidine, so that there was no infection - I dont know if it is the done thing. It does get terribly hectic with a newborn and most mothers prioritise themselves last. But you need this time to heal well and quickly. So Hugs Suji.

 

Suji, you go girl!! :thumbsup

I have been thinking of doing the same thing with our second child. Riya refused to take a bottle no matter what, but I am hoping that the second one will so I can pump and have hubby do a couple feedings while I rest or finish a meal! That's the plan, we'll see how that works out.