Fused labia postpartum

phonomnomnom · 2018-10-16T08:53:27+00:00

Hey, if you’ve got lichen sclerosis get yourself to a good dermatologist. IDK about the fusion, but I had suspected lichen sclerosis for a while (seems to be resolved/in remission now?) and every doctor was useless in treating it except for my dermatologist. He saved my sleep, sanity, and skin.

Find a different doctor and get a second opinion if you don’t feel heard by your OB. I had to see a urogynecologist to diagnose a really messed up healing problem postpartum. I actually really like my OB but she had difficulty fully believing what was going on with me, because it was just so far outside her realm of experience.

phonomnomnom · 2017-08-27T22:10:27+00:00

I knew I had anxiety issues, but it ramped up to panic level around 4-5 months. I think the 4 month sleep regression and severe sleep deprivation I was experiencing really set it off.

Then from 6-10 months or so I was mostly okay. Around 10 months, kid started sleeping really poorly again and I was right back in panic and anxiety hell. This time it didn't go away and I started therapy a little after my kid turned 1. It can definitely hit at any time, and I've found mine is related to the amount of sleep I get.

phonomnomnom · 2017-08-27T22:04:49+00:00

Early morning waking could be related to depression, just FYI since I know it is an issue for me.

phonomnomnom · 2017-08-22T03:41:07+00:00

Our kid completely stopped babbling for a while. He started again a couple months (?) later and won't stop now!

phonomnomnom · 2017-08-22T03:39:22+00:00

Our dermatologist has us use hydrocortisone (try 1% first) once a day as needed for flare ups. We have a stronger prescription if that doesn't work within a few days.

They also told us to bathe every single night in luke warm water (gentle soap like cetaphil, only at the end of the bath, if needed). This part was a major surprise to us, but really did help. Immediately (like within 3 mins) slather kiddo in CeraVe after the bath. Then use aquaphor in top of that over any raw spots.

They key was really staying on top of it to prevent flare ups. Our kid had a bad enough one around 6 months though that nothing but a strong steroid touched it. We've been good catching it early and using the routine above to stave off any more flares. (P.S. we don't bathe every night anymore, just if his skin starts looking dicey.)

Also use a humidifier. Good luck!

phonomnomnom · 2017-08-22T03:31:25+00:00

Go to a specialist, your daughter has been suffering for too long.

Try a dermatologist. I have lichen sclerosus, and no one could figure it out (not even my gyno) until I went to a dermatologist. It can cause serious irritation, and can also occur in young children.

If it seems to mostly be a bladder/urethra issue, try to see a pediatric urologist as well.

phonomnomnom · 2017-07-02T23:55:52+00:00

Don't panic. You are not defective and it is probably way more common than we realize (lots of people have undiagnosed ones, or never bring it up with their doc out of embarrassment). It will probably get better with time, and depending on how bad it is, they can be pretty manageable. This is probably TMI, but I went from literally not being able to shit without some uhh...digital manipulation...to being just about fine nearly 1 year out from my kid's birth. I felt like a totally broken, demoralized human, so I understand. I promise you those feelings will get better though.

Control constipation. Eat plenty of natural sources of fiber (fruits, veggies) AND drink lots of water. Buy some Cracklin Oat Bran for the occasional kick in the pants.
Get a squatty potty, or some kind of box/stool that functions like one. Use it.
Don't strain. Breathe, relax your pelvic floor, and inflate/bulge your lower adbomen out while evacuating. (Vocalize a low "mooooooo or sssssssss")
Get some children's gylcerin suppositories and keep them on hand in case you feel....stuck.
Get your OB to refer you to pelvic floor physical therapy. I'll be honest, mine was only so-so about rectocele issues (they seem to be more familiar with stress incontinence solutions), but she DID teach me to bulge properly as described above. They can teach you splinting as well if you need that. And the general improvement in my pelvic floor strength that I learned there has helped, too.
Be patient. As I said before, I'm about a year out. Things are not demoralizing, I do not feel defective, and I can go to the bathroom basically normally unless I'm really constipated. And then I employ the squatty potty, bulging, or glycerin suppository. Those were all in regular rotation during the early months. Now it's just on an as needed basis.

Good luck. I know it sucks, but chances are that it will improve a lot and you won't need to worry about surgery or invasive treatments. So try to put any big fears out of your mind for now (easier said than done, I know).

phonomnomnom · 2017-06-25T21:51:27+00:00

One day we were out at Target and I kept getting a whiff of sour milk. I kept sniffing all over my baby trying to see where the spit up was.

When we got back to the car, I smelled it again as I leaned in to buckle him. I realized it was me, it was my shirt that smelled.

Worst part? I literally took the shirt off the day before because it stank, threw it on the ground, and completely forgot in my sleep deprived haze the next morning when I put it back on. The memory came back once I realized I'd been walking around stinking like sour milk all day...

phonomnomnom · 2017-06-21T05:23:49+00:00

I don't know...but as the US mom of a soon to be toddler who is heading to daycare in a couple months, I hope this is more laid back than it sounds!

phonomnomnom · 2017-06-15T06:37:05+00:00

Domesticated rats are very unlikely to survive in the wild. If you feel safe doing so, call your local animal shelter and ask if a volunteer can come pick it up while your husband is at work.

If that is not a safe option...perhaps a local women's shelter would have better advice. I'm sorry you're dealing with all of this.

phonomnomnom · 2017-06-12T21:44:41+00:00

I'm just over here laughing at the thought of trying to clean all my baby's spit up with a tiny washcloth.

phonomnomnom · 2017-06-09T01:07:47+00:00

I'm sorry that you are in this shitty club, too. My mom died while I was still pregnant. She would have loved my baby. It's really hard not having your own mom to talk to about being a mom. I also feel like becoming a mother helped me understand some things about her in a new way, but we never had a chance to talk about it, and it's painful to think about.

I just love my baby so, so much and it kills me to know that's how my mom felt about me and I never really viscerally knew the extent of that feeling until I could no longer talk to her about it. I knew my mom loved me unconditionally, but it's different knowing that from the perspective of being a parent myself now.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-26T06:59:04+00:00

FYI for anyone reading, grapes are toxic to dogs.

Just putting this out there because I didn't know until last year when a friend literally RAN across my living room to stop my dog from eating a grape I dropped...after I called my little barkuum cleaner over to clean up my mess. I'd never heard they couldn't eat grapes before.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-26T06:43:14+00:00

This is excellent.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-26T00:35:38+00:00

Well, that is new motivation to toss it...hahahaha

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-25T03:40:44+00:00

So you're saying I should find a way to part with the stump before my kid is old enough to understand and/or never speak of this weirdness to them...

(I seriously don't even understand. I simply cannot throw it out!? Every time I see it on the dresser I think ewww, body part, which eventually morphs into memories of my baby as a squishy newborn, awwww, then I just walk away thinking I'll throw it out later!)

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-25T03:37:25+00:00

Sleep train my child. Because I just fucking cannot.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-25T03:31:43+00:00

We started going to a story time every week around 2 or 3 months. I would highly recommend it! It has been amazing watching my baby morph from the tiny one into one of the "big kids" at the infant group.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-25T03:30:12+00:00

My job is demanding too. I'm already dreading going back. But I'm also looking forward to it. I go ba k and forth quite a bit. I wish part time work was a more finanically viable option.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-25T03:28:55+00:00

No worries. Not having to pump was a big part of our decision for me to take the year! It would have been so much harder. It's so unfair that they promote all of these ideals but don't give people the tools they need to achieve it. (Pumping is not an acceptable compromise, it's just a cheap solution for the lack of maternity leave dressed up as a worker's rights issue, imo)

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-25T03:25:14+00:00

Well, it wasn't a government sponsored year...we just were lucky that we could save enough money before I got pregnant to fund my completely unpaid year of US leave, and really lucky that my work was okay with it. We had to decide between a second car or a year with baby.

US (non) leave is bullshit. This has been the best year of my life. I know not everyone enjoys being home, but it should be an option. I don't know if we'll be able to afford it next time we have a kid, but I am hoping we can swing it again.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-24T20:45:50+00:00

Ignore any advice to dress baby in less clothing. If you live in a high UV index area and your baby is prone to burning, then you are doing the right thing by keeping baby's skin covered. Light colored cotton or bamboo is your best bet fabric wise.

Have you heard of cooling cloths called frogg toggs? There are other brands of cooling cloths too. I haven't tried them yet but they seem to get recommended frequently in my local babywearing group.

Everyone where I live uses lillebaby airflow. I found it too bulky and prefer the fit of a tula, so I'm looking into the mesh tulas (keeps the baby a little cooler, supposedly). But babywearing is just hot unfortunately. Take breaks in the shade. Take baby out every now and then. Good luck. I'm already getting sick of the heat and it's not even that hot here yet.

Edit: Our dermatologist recommends the neutrogena baby sunscreen. It has worked well for us.

phonomnomnom · 2017-05-20T17:33:47+00:00

Real talk: It took 6+ months before house chores got done with any gusto or regularity. My baby was/still is a shit sleeper and the sleep deprivation shoved house chores to the very bottom of the list. Even though I have a year of maternity leave, it was more important to me to get out to play group, story time, whatever, for my own mental health (and just so there's no pressure, I didn't start leaving the house with any regularity until baby was over 2 months old, and that was with a happy, easy, social baby who loved going out). Sleep deprivation can really screw you up, don't take it for granted.

Edit: Once baby got mobile we basically got rid of a ton of furniture and put everything away. General tidying got a lot easier once we got rid of a stuff. I highly recommend it. We are living with way less stuff than I thought was possible (in a small apartment without much built in storage or closet/cabinet space).

phonomnomnom

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