Childbirth and Pelvic/Vulvar Pain

[Guest guest]

Hi. I've had pelvic pain (vulvar and rectal pain) for the last 3.5

years. I've had little luck with medical treatments, but have found

non-interventionist ways to help myself. I am actually now about 15

weeks pregnant and starting to think about planning for childbirth.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find much info out there about

childbirth and pelvic/vulvar pain.

Does anyone have any info or any personal experience? I'm curious about

various natural methods and pain meds that may or may not improve the

experience for me and its aftermath. Unfortunatley, my ob doesn't have

much info on this.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (!!!!!!) don't send me your horror stories or

stories about how childbirth caused or worsened your pain. Obviously,

there is nothing I can do about it now -- it is going to happen.

Helpful info about things you know or did to control

childbirth/pregnancy pain, improve your outcome, ensure easy birth, use

various methods, etc. would be greatly greatly appreciated!!!!

Z.

[Guest guest]

in brief bc i have to get my kids to bed:

1) no episiotomy unless the baby is in serious distress and must be born immediately. it has the potential to totally mess up your pelvic floor and cause long-term pain.

2) ditto with 'directed pushing' or 'purple-faced pushing' - i.e. pushing when *they* tell you to push and how hard and for a very long ten seconds holding your breath and not when *you* have the urge to push. this has been shown to cause strain on the pelvic floor which can lead to various prolapses. if you choose an epidural, considering having it turned OFF before beginning to push and do not push one moment *before* you feel a very strong urge to push. as an aside, natural childbirth is safest and least likely to lead to a cesarean birth. it's not for everyone, but i am a total wuss about pain and i went drug-free the second time, and it was great and the recovery was definitely easier than the first time - no numbness, no lingering discomfort from the catheter, no backache after delivery. i highly recommend the support of a doula if you think you want to have a natural childbirth.

3) don't go for a scheduled c-section unless medically necessary. any pelvic surgery has the potential for worsening pelvic pain.

4) in the same vein, your best bet at avoiding an unnecessary c-section is to have your care provided by a midwife. i did this for my second birth and it was the best thing i ever did. my dr. for my first baby cut an episiotomy for a 7 pound baby and my midwife did not for my 8 pound baby and i had only a small tear. hmmm... who was wrong?

Good luck, ! Your pain may even get better for a while after the birth because tight pelvic floor muscles tend to get looser through vaginal birth.

Childbirth and Pelvic/Vulvar Pain

Hi. I've had pelvic pain (vulvar and rectal pain) for the last 3.5 years. I've had little luck with medical treatments, but have found non-interventionist ways to help myself. I am actually now about 15 weeks pregnant and starting to think about planning for childbirth. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find much info out there about childbirth and pelvic/vulvar pain. Does anyone have any info or any personal experience? I'm curious about various natural methods and pain meds that may or may not improve the experience for me and its aftermath. Unfortunatley, my ob doesn't have much info on this.PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (!!!!!!) don't send me your horror stories or stories about how childbirth caused or worsened your pain. Obviously, there is nothing I can do about it now -- it is going to happen. Helpful info about things you know or did to control childbirth/pregnancy pain, improve your outcome, ensure easy birth, use various methods, etc. would be greatly greatly appreciated!!!! Z.

[Guest guest]

,

I had 2 children and delivered vaginally. I have had VV for years. I was actually a whole lot better during my pregancies and giving birth did not make me worse. My son (youngest) is 14 months old now and I hadn't had any pain until about 3 months ago. Now it is back. I think I am getting ready to get off the pill and see if that helps.

Subject: Childbirth and Pelvic/Vulvar PainTo: VulvarDisorders Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2008, 11:38 PM

Hi. I've had pelvic pain (vulvar and rectal pain) for the last 3.5 years. I've had little luck with medical treatments, but have found non-interventionist ways to help myself. I am actually now about 15 weeks pregnant and starting to think about planning for childbirth. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find much info out there about childbirth and pelvic/vulvar pain. Does anyone have any info or any personal experience? I'm curious about various natural methods and pain meds that may or may not improve the experience for me and its aftermath. Unfortunatley, my ob doesn't have much info on this.PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (!!!!!!) don't send me your horror stories or stories about how childbirth caused or worsened your pain. Obviously, there is nothing I can do about it now -- it is going to happen. Helpful info about things you know or did to control childbirth/pregnanc y pain, improve

your outcome, ensure easy birth, use various methods, etc. would be greatly greatly appreciated! !!! Z.

[Guest guest]

Hi, , If you go to www.nva.org there was a study that was done that polled women about v pain and vaginal vs. c-section birth and it discussed the pros and the cons. On a happy note...I spoke with a woman I "met" online who just had her second baby vaginally after struggling for a long time and the v pain is basically all cleared up. She said she had some exacerbation during breast feeding, but with estrogen cream it was soothed. I asked my MD about estrogen cream during pregnancy and he said it was fine, "Like pissing in the ocean." Ie-it's such a tiny amount (pea-sized amount applied to the vestibule) he said the baby wouldn't be harmed. Lindsey

[Guest guest]

I am 24 weeks pregnant with my first. I seriously recommend

Hypnobirthing to EVERYONE - the classes are amazing and they teach you

self-hypnosis and deep relaxation, and perineal massage so you don't

tear...EVERYONE I have talked to that used this method had success - no

tearing, and no sensation of pain whatsoever, only pressure. I am very

pleased and wanted to get it out there. You can find a teacher of it

near you on their website. One thing is, the recommend a lot of kegels

and my PT said to skip those due to my muscles already being tight -

but the rest is amazing.

Melinda

[Guest guest]

I had my son 10 weeks ago and have had VVS for 4 years. I was so

worried about the pain, or making it worse. I had an epidural, which

totally numbed the pain and I didn't feel a thing in terms of VVS

pain. It was wonderful. I actually had a really good experience with

delivery. I did have a second degree tear (my son was 8lb 11oz), but

it healed very nicely. It didn't make my VVS any worse... or any

better. But I was happy with my delivery. And I recommend the epidural

if you're looking for a no-pain solution. I was allergic to to the

Dermaplast that they tell you to spray on during the first few days

after delivery, so I swelled up. But after I stopped using it, I was

fine.

[Guest guest]

When I had my children, over 40 years ago, we were given no

information on birthing or delivery. Barely any prenatal care - at that time it

was a big deal on weight gain, nothing over 25lbs, but other than that, I did not

have a clue of what was going to happen. Sometimes when I read all the

information that is given now, I am glad that I did not know what was going to

happen. My children were over 9lbs and 10lbs, delivered by forceps and I was

given gas (mask over the mouth). I didn’t even see my children for over

18 hours after delivery. I had tears (multiple stitches) from one end to the

other, and at that time they gave you a heat lamp to put under the covers to

make the stitches heal faster – that was it. I was in the hospital three

days, with the babies in a nursery and brought to me to try and nurse (no

instructions on nursing), and then I went home. And now, I am just amazed how

much women know and the information that they are given beforehand …

nne

From:

VulvarDisorders [mailto:VulvarDisorders ] On

Behalf Of Hueber

Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 8:52 PM

To: VulvarDisorders

Subject: Re: Childbirth and Pelvic/Vulvar Pain

I had my son 10 weeks ago and have had VVS for

4 years. I was so

worried about the pain, or making it worse. I had an epidural, which

totally numbed the pain and I didn't feel a thing in terms of VVS

pain. It was wonderful. I actually had a really good experience with

delivery. I did have a second degree tear (my son was 8lb 11oz), but

it healed very nicely. It didn't make my VVS any worse... or any

better. But I was happy with my delivery. And I recommend the epidural

if you're looking for a no-pain solution. I was allergic to to the

Dermaplast that they tell you to spray on during the first few days

after delivery, so I swelled up. But after I stopped using it, I was

fine.

[Guest guest]

nne your delivery sounds like mine.. the same exact things I went thru too.

That gawd awful episiotomy was 100X's worse than the delivery any day. I didn't even have one labor pain if you can believe it. Nothing more than a little harder menstrual cramps to me, but they came every minute or so LOL but that was it. And I was knocked out too, didn't come to till probably 5 hrs later and was so groggy.

With that episiotomy they cut clean back thru the perinium to a little around the anus and all those stitches, (lucky no anal problems afterwards from what I've read with some. *whew* ) It was that damn surgery, that took the full 6 weeks to heal believe me, then the idiot doctor says he gave me a few extra stitches so I'd be like a virgin again and my husband would love it. YEAH RIGHT..who cares about me, it was the guy he was concerned with!

I had to restretch everything with first time trying to having sex again, it was terrible, as it took a while to where it didn't hurt, but TG it finally healed ok. Today they don't do the episiotomy's that much (or rarely I would hope).

I remember that heat lamp and the sitz baths too but I was in the hosptial for a week as were most of the other new moms back then at least in my town. Today its in and out and home almost. Same with the nursing, LOL I had no idea of what to do and some nurse acted as if I was so stupid and shoved my daughter to my breasts and that was it. DUH....good things babies know whats what.. haha

HugsDee

[Guest guest]

Yep, we had the same experiences! I forgot about the sitz baths,

and my second daughter came so fast she was almost delivered by a neurologist

who was the only doctor on call that evening! I had no labor pains, just one

cramp and a twenty minute drive to the hospital – and that was the ten pounder!

The doctor that gave me the few “extra” stitches was after my

vaginal hysterectomy. Same thing, a little “tighter for my husband”! I had to

re-stretch too!

Oh what memories we share Dee! The good ole days!

nne

From:

VulvarDisorders [mailto:VulvarDisorders ] On

Behalf Of Dee Troll

Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 2:25 AM

To: VulvarDisorders

Subject: Re: Re: Childbirth and Pelvic/Vulvar Pain

nne your delivery sounds like mine.. the same exact

things I went thru too.

That gawd awful episiotomy was 100X's worse than the

delivery any day. I didn't even have one labor pain if you can

believe it. Nothing more than a little harder menstrual cramps to me, but

they came every minute or so LOL but that was it. And I was knocked

out too, didn't come to till probably 5 hrs later and was so groggy.

With that episiotomy they cut clean back thru the perinium

to a little around the anus and all those stitches, (lucky no anal

problems afterwards from what I've read with some. *whew* ) It was that damn

surgery, that took the full 6 weeks to heal believe me, then

the idiot doctor says he gave me a few extra stitches so I'd be like a

virgin again and my husband would love it. YEAH RIGHT..who cares

about me, it was the guy he was concerned with!

I had to restretch everything with first time

trying to having sex again, it was terrible, as it took a while to where it

didn't hurt, but TG it finally healed ok. Today they don't do the

episiotomy's that much (or rarely I would hope).

I remember that heat lamp and the sitz baths too but I

was in the hosptial for a week as were most of the other new moms back

then at least in my town. Today its in and out and home almost.

Same with the nursing, LOL I had no idea of what to do and some nurse acted as

if I was so stupid and shoved my daughter to my breasts and that was it.

DUH....good things babies know whats what.. haha

Hugs

Dee

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I was not diagnosed with VVS before my daughter was born. I wanted

to do a totally natural route and had no drugs. It was extremely

painful when she was pressing on the vestibules...I was motivated to

push her out faster though ;p. If I was to do it again, and wanted

to stay nonepidural...I would try lidocaine injections before the

pushing happened. My vestibule pain is all gone now, so I don't

think that I would have to due that, but I wish that I would have had

something to help with the pain that wouldn't effect the baby. Just

my 2 cents. Congrats on your pregnancy.

in IL

>

> Hi, ,

> If you go to www.nva.org there was a study that was done that

polled women about v pain and vaginal vs. c-section birth and it

discussed the pros and the cons. On a happy note...I spoke with a

woman I " met " online who just had her second baby vaginally after

struggling for a long time and the v pain is basically all cleared

up. She said she had some exacerbation during breast feeding, but

with estrogen cream it was soothed. I asked my MD about estrogen

cream during pregnancy and he said it was fine, " Like pissing in the

ocean. " Ie-it's such a tiny amount (pea-sized amount applied to the

vestibule) he said the baby wouldn't be harmed.

> Lindsey

>