If during childbirth you've had a tear or your doctor or midwife has made a cut, you will probably need stitches.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Fleming EM, Hagen S, Niven C.
Does perineal suturing make a difference? The SUNS trial.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2003; 110: 684-689.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ The stitches close the wound and put your skin and muscle back together in the right place to help them heal quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Fleming EM, Hagen S, Niven C.
Does perineal suturing make a difference? The SUNS trial.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2003; 110: 684-689.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

Doctors and midwives are trained to stitch tears and cuts. They'll probably do the stitches as soon as possible after your baby is born, most likely right in the delivery room. You'll have a shot of

 

 

 

 

 

local anesthetic
Local anesthetic is a painkiller for one area of your body. You usually get it as a shot. It makes that area numb. An example is the novocaine you get when your dentist fills a cavity.

 

 

 

 

 

local anesthetic to make the area numb so the stitches won't hurt.

If you've had a bad tear (third-degree or fourth-degree), you may have to go to the operating room. You may be given medication to make you sleep (a

 

 

 

 

 

general anesthetic
You may have a type of medication called a general anesthetic when you have surgery. It's given to make you unconscious so you don't feel pain.

 

 

 

 

 

general anesthetic) or you may be given an injection to numb just the lower part of your body (an

 

 

 

 

 

epidural
There are a few layers of tissue that cover your brain and your spinal cord. The epidural space is between two of these layers. Sometimes for a surgery or procedure, you might be given pain medicine in the epidural space of your spinal cord. You'll have no feeling in your body below where the medicine was injected.

 

 

 

 

 

epidural).

Most women heal within a few weeks of having stitches.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Fleming EM, Hagen S, Niven C.
Does perineal suturing make a difference? The SUNS trial.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2003; 110: 684-689.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ But in the meantime:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
McCandlish R, Bowler U, van Asten H, et al.
A randomised controlled trial of care of the perineum during second stage of normal labour.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1998; 105: 1262-1272.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Glazener CMA, Abdalla M, Stroud P, et al.
Postnatal maternal morbidity: extent, causes, prevention and treatment.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1995; 102: 286-287.

 

 

 

 

 

³

To help with any discomfort, you could try:

There hasn't been any research on these simple treatments, but some women say they help.

Most women feel better quite soon, especially if they've had a small or medium-sized tear (a first-degree or second-degree tear). But in one study, about 1 in 10 women were still sore after three months, and 1 in 6 said it still hurt to have sex.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kettle C, Johanson RB.
Absorbable synthetic versus catgut suture material for perineal repair (Cochrane review).
In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2008. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ In another study, about 1 in 10 women said it still hurt to have sex one year after a small or medium-sized tear.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mackrodt C, Gordon B, Fern E, et al.
The Ipswich Childbirth study: 2. A randomised comparison of polyglactin 910 with chromic catgut for after birth perineal repair.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1998; 105: 441-445.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Grant A, Gordon B, Mackrodt C, et al.
The Ipswich childbirth study: one year follow up of alternative methods used in perineal repair.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2001; 108: 34-40.

 

 

 

 

 

⁶

If your problems drag on, they can make you feel miserable, stop you from breastfeeding and interfere with your social life or sex life.

Bad tears can make you feel worse for longer. If the tear extends backward into the ring of muscle around your anal opening, you might have trouble controlling gas or you might leak small amounts of loose bowel movement (liquid stool).

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Sleep J, Grant A.
Pelvic floor exercises in postnatal care.
British Journal of Midwifery. 1987; 3: 158-164.

 

 

 

 

 

⁷

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Sultan AH, Kamm MA, Hudson CN.
Anal sphincter disruption during vaginal delivery.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1993; 329: 1905-1911.

 

 

 

 

 

⁸ If this happens, you may need further treatment. Your family doctor or obstetrician will be able to help.

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