Stitches after the birth

Cary was 33 years old and was concerned that she and her husband were still unable to have sexual intercourse after the birth of her baby 6 months ago. She had stitches following the birth, and this area was still  tender when they tried when her baby was 4 months old. A friend suggested that she go to see the physiotherapist who saw postnatal women for treatment, as she had heard this could help.

When the physio checked, the scar from the stitches was tender and not as flexible as the area should be, and said that ultrasound treatment would help. The treatment was not painful, and after 3 sessions over several weeks, the scar area felt much better and was more flexible. After one more follow up treatment the scar was no longer tender and there was no discomfort with sexual intercourse.

Cary also found that when seeing the physiotherapist, her pelvic floor muscles were not yet strong after the birth, and she was only able to hold the muscles for 2-3 seconds at a time. Working on her pelvic floor muscles between visits to the physio, she was able to build her hold time up to 6 seconds each time, and she also felt that her muscle strength was improving. This was a good opportunity to get a check up, improving Cary's confidence in her own ability to do her pelvic floor muscle exercises.

Cary was advised by the physio, that if she had stitches next time, she could have ultrasound treatment much earlier, both on the maternity ward and then around 6-8 weeks following the birth, rather than waiting for so long. 

To find out more read   How should my stitches feel after the birth?

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