You might think that labour and delivery are the most painful part of childbirth. But you may experience considerable pain even after the birthing experience. A baby can weigh around 6 to 8 pounds (2.5 – 3.5kgs) and might find it difficult in passing through a narrow opening, leading to vaginal tears or some form of discomfort in the perineal area.
The perineum lies between the vagina and the anus, and it undergoes a lot of stretching and immense pressure during delivery. The intensity of pain coupled with the recovery time varies on the method of delivery. If you had a vaginal birth without any tears (episiotomy), discomfort in your perineal region might last for about 3-5 weeks. The pain could last for as long as 6 weeks if you underwent an episiotomy. Some perineal discomfort may be felt even after a C-section delivery, depending on how long you pushed.
To relive vaginal pain after birth, you can resort to the following measures.
In a vaginal birth, compression on the perineum is immense because it needs to be stretched for the head of the baby to be accommodated. During the process of birth, the perineum is prone to wear or tear, or your doctor may suggest an incision, creating a wider opening for your baby’s head. This procedure is termed as an episiotomy, and you will encounter immense soreness after birth if you are required to go through one.
As discussed earlier, if the birth is accomplished without a tear or episiotomy, chances are there that the perineum could be tender or swollen afterwards. It may heal in a week, or it could take a couple of more days to get back to normal. The healing period is longer if you went through an episiotomy.
The process of healing varies from one woman to another. The deeper the cut, the longer the recovery procedure is expected to be. A tear of first-degree means more skin is involved than muscles, and you may not even need stitches. First-degree tears are known to cause a minimum amount of discomfort, as they tend to heal quickly.
When it is a second-degree tear, then both muscle and skin are involved. This requires stitches, and would need a couple of weeks to heal. During this time, the stitches dry out, and some women experience pain for a few days, whereas for others it may stretch to months as well.
If it’s a third or fourth-degree laceration, deeper sutures are required, and the pain could stretch to more than a month. Any individual could experience these tears, but chances will increase if you have had an episiotomy. After a few days of birth, you are likely to experience difficulty in bowel movements or urinating. There could be chances of an increase in passing motion and gas, which could prevail for several months.
Perineal pain after delivery is an inevitable part of the childbirth process, and as your hormone levels will be fluctuating, you might feel highly emotional during this time. An emotional counselor would be of immense help now. As a golden rule, if you feel that things are not on the right track as far as you and the baby are concerned, immediately seek the expert advice of a doctor.
Seek the doctor’s help if you encounter the following symptoms:
Your doctor is the right person to figure out the underlying causes of the above-mentioned symptoms. It is possible that you could have an infection.
Childbirth can be a painful process. There might be chances of developing anal fissures and haemorrhoids while pushing the baby out. This can be highly uncomfortable and at times extremely painful. But with good care, hygiene and time, perineal pain can heal quickly.