What Happens If You Don't Get Stitches After Birth? If your doctor failed to identify a tear and didn't stitch you, the tear will not heal properly. You could develop an infection and other problems. Failing to identify a tear or to stitch it could be medical malpractice.
Sometimes, a small tear won't be closed with stitches and will be allowed to heal on its own. You may place an ice pack against your perineum to ease pain and swelling. Recovery can be uncomfortable or painful, depending on how deep and long the tear is.
1st Degree Vaginal Tear
This is the least severe type of tear a person can experience during childbirth. First-degree tears only affect the perineal skin, which is the skin between the vaginal opening and the rectum. This type of tear might not require any stitches, and will heal within a few weeks' time.
Will I need stitches? It's perfectly natural to be a little nervous about requiring stitches after birth, try not to worry. Everyone's different and not all women need them. If you need any extra advice or reassurance about stitches, don't be afraid to speak to your midwife or GP.
Deliver in an upright, nonflat position.
There are a number of delivery positions that might reduce the risk of a vaginal tear during childbirth. Rather than lying down flat during delivery, deliver in an upright position. Your health care provider will help you find a comfortable and safe delivery position.
The Odds of Vaginal Tearing
First-time parents are more likely to experience tearing than those who have already delivered a baby. Other factors also contribute to your likelihood of lacerations, such as being overweight or having a fast birth, since the tissue has less time to adapt and stretch as the baby comes down.
If you have stitches after the birth of your baby, it is not unusual for them to feel uncomfortable initially, but this pain or discomfort should not continue long term. Initially stitches may mean that your perineum area may also be swollen or bruised.
Closing a puncture wound with stitches, staples, or skin adhesive may seal bacteria into it, which increases the risk of infection. If a puncture wound becomes infected, it will usually drain better and heal faster if it is not closed with stitches, staples, or skin adhesive.
If the wound is spread open, it will heal by filling in from the bottom and sides. A wound that is not stitched may take 1 to 4 weeks to heal, depending on the size of the opening. You will probably have a visible scar. You can discuss revision of the scar with your healthcare provider at a later time.
"Stitches can be left in too long," warns Dr. Yaakovian. "When this happens, the skin can grow over the stitches — making removal more difficult. It can also lead to more scarring."
Wiping can be especially painful, so try to stick to the spray and blot method for at least a week after birth.
Most women will stop bleeding between four and six weeks after giving birth. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.
A healed wound will usually look pink with closed edges. It should not feel painful, and there should be no blood or fluid coming from it. However, it is best for a person to check with a healthcare professional before removing their stitches at home.
Bleeding: Applying pressure on the wound should stop the bleeding. If the cut is still bleeding after 10 minutes of pressure, then it's important to seek medical care as soon as possible. Also, you likely need stitches if the blood spurts out of the wound or soaks through the bandage.
Some people describe the feeling as being like intense period cramps, others say it feels like a tightening or pounding feeling in your uterus or across your belly, others describe the feeling as being like very intense muscle cramps, while still other people describe contractions as being like the sort of wrenching ...
In some cases, an epidural may not give you enough pain relief. In other instances, epidurals can cause a drop in your blood pressure, slowing your baby's heart rate. Not being able to walk during labor is also a risk of epidurals.
Yes, childbirth is painful. But it's manageable. In fact, nearly half of first-time moms (46 percent) said the pain they experienced with their first child was better than they expected, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) in honor of Mother's Day.
Birthing in the side-lying position has been shown to reduce perineal tearing by allowing the presenting part to descend more slowly (Shorten, Donsante, & Shorten, 2002).
Due to the amount of pressure caused by your baby's head on your perineum, it is unlikely that you will feel any tearing. But everyone's birth is different and some women may find that they feel a lot of stinging, especially as the head is crowning (when your baby's head can be seen coming out of the birth canal).
Your risk of infection increases the longer the wound remains open. Most wounds that require closure should be stitched, stapled, or closed with skin adhesives (also called liquid stitches) within 6 to 8 hours after the injury.