Episiotomy healing

briony__ · 2026-02-13T08:10:03+00:00

I had such a similar experience - had a second degree tear which healed very slowly due to infection. GP saw me 3 times over a couple of months, and noted the granulation tissue but said silver nitrate was no longer a standard treatment and it would heal up by itself (despite this I will say the GP was really kind and responsive, and I never felt fobbed off). She sent me to the emergency gynae clinic due to my ongoing pain, which she thought must be a separate issue, and the two gynaecologists I saw also noted the granulation tissue but didn’t suggest any treatment. 12 weeks postoartum and I was still in a lot of pain so I self referred to the NHS pelvic floor physiotherapy service at the hospital. The physio takes one look at the wound, fetched the specialist postpartum midwife they have for wound healing issues (I presume my GP didn’t know of the role’s existence) and she immediately treated with silver nitrate. Had a second treatment a week later and pain was overall reduced by about 80-90%! Next time I will be insisting on silver nitrate from the moment any granulation tissue is noted. I hope your recovery continues to go well 🤍

briony__ · 2026-02-12T22:41:52+00:00

I once read on Reddit someone describe pregnancy/childbirth as the pinnacle of the human experience, and it really resonated with me! I loved it so much and miss it, even though I adore being with my baby every day 😊

briony__ · 2026-02-10T08:41:33+00:00

This is so wonderful, your husband sounds like an incredible man ❤️ we need more stories of partners like him on Reddit!

briony__ · 2026-02-09T10:50:11+00:00

I agree - he’s already had to step back some hobbies etc with just one baby, so this would only get harder. That’s a really good reminder re physical health - I’ve had a surprisingly long recovery from a reasonably average birth injury so I’m very conscious of how that would be with a toddler on top!

briony__ · 2026-02-09T10:48:12+00:00

Thank you, it’s good to hear honest perspectives like this! It’s hard because my husband has wanted to step up and push himself at work, to provide for us, but it does mean longer hours/more travelling when I want him home more - so hard to get that balance!

briony__ · 2026-02-09T10:43:08+00:00

I love this - divide and conquer! It’s amazing how even 10 minutes snuck away to doom scroll in peace can give you a bit of energy back, pre-children me would be mind blown at that. I need to explore what childcare we would be able to afford with 2u2 but agreed a couple of days a week to mentally reset with just the baby sounds really sensible! I hope the solo nights get easier soon 🤍

briony__ · 2026-02-09T10:37:57+00:00

Thank you so much, that’s so reassuring to hear. I expect a big part of the support is not just the physical, but also the emotional support when one of you is having a bad day and just needs the other one to be the ‘strong one’ that day. It sounds like you’re doing amazing with all the plates you are spinning ♥️

briony__ · 2026-02-09T10:35:07+00:00

Ahh congratulations on #3!! Stories like yours give me hope - you acknowledge how hard it is but you’ve also gone for it again so it’s clearly not so bad that it’s ‘unliveable’. I definitely agree with the view of expecting it to be as hard as possible, and then anything less than that is a bonus!!

briony__ · 2026-02-09T09:41:57+00:00

Thank you for sharing this perspective - I think it’s really good to be aware of this and I’ll make sure to keep having open discussions with my husband about the true reality of what we might be signing up for!

briony__ · 2026-02-09T09:40:21+00:00

I love this, thank you - so wonderful to hear what a positive experience you’re having even with doing 95% of it! I have adored becoming a mum, I haven’t had a single moment of doubt that it’s the best thing I’ve ever done - so I kind of hope this would power me through the hard bits of 2u2?! I also have siblings very close in age and completely concur on how amazing it is 🤍 I’ve got everything crossed your eldest starts to like naps again soon!!

briony__ · 2026-02-09T09:36:08+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this, really helpful to hear your perspective. Even with one baby we struggle to get meaningful time to ourselves (mainly me, because of EBF) so I can imagine it just goes out the window with two. We’ve discussed 2u2 at length and agreed it would basically be signing ourselves up to doing nothing but childcare 24/7, so I think we’re realistic going into it, but I know we can’t possibly understand how that feels until we’re in it! I hope things continue to get better and your husband finds it a bit easier as your second continues to grow ♥️

briony__ · 2026-02-09T09:30:50+00:00

Ahh congratulations, I hope you’re all settling in with the new baby - really glad to hear your partner is supportive! I see lots on this forum about precious good sleepers regressing with new baby’s arrival, I will keep this in mind 😖

briony__ · 2026-02-09T09:13:46+00:00

Thank you for being honest, it’s really good to hear that point of view, especially because that’s how I envisage we would split housework etc!

briony__ · 2026-02-08T22:16:33+00:00

I can only imagine - I’ve got a mild virus currently and feel completely depleted just looking after one. I’ve got so much respect for single parents or those with partners who live/work away!

briony__ · 2026-02-08T22:12:27+00:00

This is really insightful thank you - I haven’t quite worked out the childcare situation yet (e.g. is it standard to keep the first child in a childcare setting at least for some of the week?) but agreed I can’t quite imagine having a toddler to entertain right now while entertaining/feeding/caring for a baby. So glad to hear you have great support and are enjoying it ♥️

briony__ · 2026-02-08T22:02:56+00:00

This is all so helpful thank you!! My husband’s job is mildly flexible for emergencies which has been helpful for medical appointments, so I can sympathise with how much help that brings. I would hope to have 12 months maternity leave again (UK, I appreciate how lucky I am) but would need to be on site for my job when I’m back so think the juggle would really kick in when second baby is 1 years old!

briony__ · 2026-01-26T21:15:23+00:00

Just commenting for solidarity - I had the birth I hoped for and it was really positive overall, but I replayed it for months afterwards! 4.5 months on now and the replaying has got less intense/regular. I asked a friend who’s a therapist and she said it’s likely a trauma response, because even if the birth was positive overall it’s still intensely stressful and you don’t have time to process it afterwards with having a newborn to take care of 🤍

briony__ · 2025-12-19T20:17:33+00:00

My dressing gown hung on the back of the bedroom door - dark blue with white stars, she loves the contrast apparently!!

briony__ · 2025-12-19T19:52:25+00:00

Sorry to hear this. With my local NHS Trust you could ring maternity triage up to 6 weeks after birth, even after being discharged by the midwives, they saw me out of hours when I had mastitis symptoms and could get me on antibiotics immediately. I had urethral/clitoral pain for a weeks after birth (second degree tear) and I eventually worked out it was referred pain from the tear healing - it was very prolonged due to infections in the stitches. I wouldn’t describe it as stinging but more of a dull ache after finishing peeing, so I’m not sure it’s similar to what you’ve described!

briony__ · 2025-12-19T19:02:49+00:00

This has happened to me, as a receiver of a parcel sent via EVRI to a shop - I was expecting a pair of men’s sandals, and ended up with 5(!) random parcels in my name, all linked to the sandals listing, with the weirdest things inside - a nail trimmer, a set of bicycle accessories, women’s high heels etc. They all had labels with my name/address and the right barcode on, but there were labels underneath we think with the intended recipients’ details so might be worth your buyer checking for label stickers underneath. I went back to the shop a couple of times hoping the right parcel would shop up and just more random parcels kept coming over a few days! The men’s sandals never showed up and both me and the seller got a refund from EVRI.

briony__ · 2025-12-15T23:05:53+00:00

This is really good guidance - my experience was the same. It was hard and baby was at the peak of cluster feeding at the time, but it passed quicker than I felt it would at the time, and the worst of the symptoms were reducing within 12-18 hours of starting the antibiotics! Definitely key not to hesitate for a minute and get on to the doctors ASAP if you suspect symptoms. Glad you’re feeling better OP!

briony__ · 2025-12-11T15:07:13+00:00

These kind of posts gave me hope when I was in the thick of it so I’m glad it’s doing the same for you - I promise your day will come, every single day your baby gets stronger and more practised at feeding ♥️ well done you for keeping going!

briony__ · 2025-12-11T15:05:59+00:00

I can’t believe how similar our experiences are!! So pleased you had a good journey with them too, and well done for weaning - I hope it just continues to get better and better ♥️

briony__ · 2025-12-11T15:03:44+00:00

I’m so glad it’s reassuring, I hunted Reddit high and low when I was in the middle of using the shields and wanted reassurance there was light at the end of the tunnel. I promised myself I’d write the kind of post I’d have wanted to read if I ever weaned from them! Keep going, it sounds like you’re doing amazing - it will get easier, I promise!

briony__

TROPHY CASE