3rd Degree Tear – Helping Recovery
Suffering a 3rd or 4th degree tear during childbirth can be a pretty distressing experience. You will want a swift recovery so that you can get on with caring for your baby.
Suffering a 3rd degree tear
If you delivered your baby via a vaginal birth, you were probably given a thorough vaginal and rectal examination afterwards. If you received a severe perineal tear during childbirth, you are likely to have had your tear repaired under anaesthetic in an operating theatre.
A 3rd or 4th degree tear can have a significantly greater impact than a smaller, more superficial tear because it will affect the anal sphincter, therefore damaging the functioning of the bowels and your ability to control your bowel movements.
Recovering from a 3rd degree tear
Although some symptoms and pain can continue for up to a year, most women make a good recovery from a severe tear. Of course, you will want to do all you can to make your recovery as quick and successful as possible. There are a number of ways you can help this process.
Avoiding infection
Until your tear has repaired, it is important to try to avoid getting infections in the perineal area.
- After going to the toilet, wash the area thoroughly and gently, avoiding transferring germs from the bowel area forward to the perineum
- Change any sanitary wear regularly
Caring for your stitches
Your stitches should dissolve naturally but it is important to look after the region of the stitches until they do.
- You may wish to take laxatives to ease the passing of stools so that there is less pressure on your stitches when you open your bowels.
- Do not use tampons and replace sanitary towels regularly to reduce irritation
- Keep the area cool with water or air to try to reduce swelling
- You may wish to take pain relief
Maintaining good health
Remaining generally healthy will help your healing process and help your body to respond to any infections, should you develop any.
- Avoid smoking
- Eat a balanced diet, including fruit, vegetables, cereals
- Drink plenty of water
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Pelvic floor exercises are exercises to improve the quality and tone of the muscles around the pelvic region, such as contracting the muscles around the anus.
Pelvic floor exercises can help the recovery process in a number of ways:
- By increasing blood supply to the damaged area
- By reducing the likelihood of incontinence
- By strengthening the pelvic organs
Possible Complications
If your stitches are not repairing or symptoms such as wind and faecal incontinence continue, you need to speak to your GP or midwife. It is possible that your tear has not been adequately repaired.
If a woman receives a severe tear, a prompt diagnosis and repair is very important to promoting the best possible long-term outcome. If this has not occurred and your tear has either been misdiagnosed or poorly repaired, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation for medical negligence.
Speak to a solicitor
Glynns Solicitors specialises in medical negligence and has extensive experience of supporting claims for compensation for birth injuries, especially 3rd and 4th degree tears. Contact us to discuss your circumstances if you have on-going symptoms from a poorly treated severe tear.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
Make An Enquiry
Why Choose Us
- Specialist medical negligence solicitors
- Free initial enquiries
- No win, no fee available
Reviews
Our Expertise
Helping Clients Across England & Wales
