Vaginal tear after delivery: recovery and warning signs

Tears can involve the vaginal wall, the opening of the vagina, or the perineum between the vagina and anus. The care team checks the location and depth after birth. A small tear may be allowed to heal with supportive care, while a deeper tear may be repaired with dissolvable stitches. Swelling, soreness, bruising, and stinging when urine touches the area can occur during early recovery.

Healing needs time and should gradually become more comfortable. Pain that is worsening, new difficulty controlling urine or stool, or an opening in the stitched area should be reported rather than treated as a normal part of recovery.

Keep the area clean with plain warm water, change maternity pads regularly, wash your hands before and after pad changes, and pat dry gently. Follow the prescribed pain-relief plan, rest when possible, drink fluids, and eat fibre-rich foods to reduce straining. A cold pack wrapped in cloth can ease swelling for short periods. Avoid inserting anything into the vagina until your maternity team says healing is adequate.

Tell your clinician if sitting, walking, passing urine, or bowel movements remain difficult. Feeding support is available through a [Lactation Consultation](/treatments/pregnancy-and-birth-care/lactation-consultation/), especially when discomfort makes positioning challenging.

Contact urgent maternity care for rapidly increasing pain or swelling, heavy bleeding, fever, foul-smelling discharge, pus, wound separation, faintness, or trouble passing urine. Seek immediate help for severe weakness, breathing difficulty, or uncontrolled bleeding. Arrange follow-up if pain is not easing, sex remains painful after healing, or bowel or bladder control changes.

Ask: Where is the tear and how deep is it? Were stitches needed? How should I manage pain and bowel movements? When can I bathe, exercise, have sex, and drive? Which symptoms suggest infection or wound separation?