TMI Please help. How do you clean yourself down there after giving birth?

Question

(Im 5 days pp) and i have stitches after delivering vaginally. I was told to spray my area with warm water with my peri bottle, and not to wipe, but to pat dry after every bathroom trip... so thats what ive been doing. I spray and pat dry my entire area.
Well, i still feel dirty after this. I feel like there is old blood and sweat trapped in my folds down there, since i cant wipe. And i think it starting to smell. 
Since im 5says pp, ive been able to shower 2 times so far. I am in a lot of pain, barely being able to move and am instructed to take is easy after losing almost all of my blood, and needing several sutures.
In the shower Ive just been wiping down my whole body, letting the water run down in my vaginal are and my butt, as well as my feet. Since im in too much pain to bend and since i cant wipe my bottom
Im just so disgusted with myself and feel so dirty. I want to be able to clean myself as best as possible. And i feel like some water and a pat dry isnt cutting it for me...
Any tips ladies?

Answer

You're doing great, as long as you're cleaning down there with water like you are, don't worry about not feeling clean etc, just take it slow and in a few days time you will be less sore and more mobile x

Answer

we all got through that in the beginning . im almost 10days pp & still dont feel like im getting everything right but when i do clean too aggressively im in more pain so its best to just do what they said until it feels more comfortable down there .

Answer

What about getting a shower hose. I thought of doing that to make sure I can get more water down there instead of just what a little bottle can spray,

Answer

I haven't given birth this time yet, but when I had stitches with my first, I was told to use a neutral pH soap/gel down there when showering (so once a day), rinse and pat dry.

Answer

I have bathed immediately after going home with all six of my babies￼ and will after this one. There’s some really nice sits baths so she can get to help ease the discomfort and pain due to the trauma of birth. Look online. ￼￼￼

Answer

So with my first I had stitches. I was told I can use soap everywhere except the area that was stitched. Plus the showers in the hospital had detachable hose shower head so I used that to get ‘down there’ and clean everything out.
I also used wet washers and very gently patted the area in and around the stitches to get all the blood and whatnot out. (This also helped the fact it got a little infected and helped it stay very clean)
I was instructed to keep things as dry as possible and shower 3-5 times a day if I felt dirty.
I used the same ‘pat’ technique with a dry washed afterward. I didn’t wipe for about two weeks but this seemed to suffice until I was comfortable enough to wipe.
With my second that I just had, I didn’t need to do such drastic measures as I tore but didn’t require stitches. I’ve been able to get ‘all up in there’ with the shower head and soap and wipe clean and dry etc without pain.
It’s scary for first time round. I remember thinking ‘god, what if I rip a stitch or tug on the sensitive flesh and bleed’
I think the fear itself was worse than the slight pain there was regarding cleaning and drying.
You could try baby wipes? They’re wet and gentle. Then use a dry washer or soft toilet paper to pat dry afterwards. Same go for the shower but use washers or something instead. Xx

Answer

Just wanted to say I agree with everything that's been said. I'm currently 6DPP and have stitches from epi and tearing. 
Using a hand held mirror might help you see what's going on. Its definitely helped me to feel more confident with patting the area dry. 
After I use the bath room I get everything in order. Then I have a little station set up on the vanity with a towel on the floor, salty water spray bottle, hand mirror, hair dryer and toilet paper. I stand in a squat as much as is comfortable and spray the entire area with the salty water, then use the toilet paper folded and the hand mirror to pat dry. With the mirror its easier to seperate and lift to see if there is dried blood etc hiding that can be easily removed with out the fear of hurting yourself. 
After all of that I use the hair dryer on the lowest settings, holding about 8 inches away or knee height to thourghly dry out the area.
Wishing you all the best! You've got this Mumma!

Answer

I feel your pain! I am now 19 days postpartum and finally able to fully clean down there. I was in so much pain i could hardly stand in the shower. To clean down there i ended up using qtips and baby wipes to clesn the outside. Also i dont know if it was just me,but whenever i would use warm water in my peri bottle it would sting. So i tried cool water and it felt sooo much better

TMI Please help. How do you clean yourself down there after giving birth?

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