In the first few days after giving birth, you may feel pain or burning when you urinate (pee). Or you may try to urinate but find that you can't. Sometimes you may not be able to stop urinating. This is called incontinence.
Painful urination after a vaginal birth
It can take three to six weeks for soreness and tearing-related pain to fully ease up. But the worst of the discomfort when you pee should gradually go away within a couple of days and then disappear altogether.
Your perineum may tear naturally during vaginal birth. Pain/burning when you pee, increased urination or pain in your lower back or side. You may have a urinary tract infection (also called UTI), including a bladder infection (cystitis) or a kidney infection (pyelonephritis).
Childbirth places pressure on your bladder and pelvic floor and perineal tear(s), particularly where these are close to the urethra (the opening where the urine comes out), or an episiotomy can leave everything feeling uncomfortable and sore.
Leaking urine (called 'urinary incontinence') after childbirth is very common. One in 3 women who have had a baby may experience leakage at some point. Some new mother may leak urine when they laugh, sneezes, coughs or exercises. This is known as stress incontinence.
If you are unable to fully empty your bladder when it is full you are experiencing postnatal urinary retention (also known as voiding dysfunction). This is a common problem in the first day or two following childbirth. About 1 in 500 women may have a problem with bladder emptying which lasts longer than 3 days.
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common postpartum infection occurring in 2%–4% of all deliveries. Although postpartum UTI is usually a mild infection, it is associated with discomfort, prolonged hospital stay and readmission and has been associated with an increased risk of discontinued breast feeding.
Some common causes are: Vaginitis: when your vagina or vulva has an infection or irritation. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): an infection in your urinary tract, including your bladder and urethra. Certain STDs (like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes).
Urinary retention can cause over stretching and damage to the bladder and may be caused by: • pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor during delivery • swelling, bruising and/or pain in the pelvic area, particularly around the urethra (urine tube). Bladder pain or discomfort. No sensation to empty the bladder.
How long does it take a vaginal tear to heal? Most women feel relief from any pain caused by a vaginal tear in about two weeks. If your tear required stitches, they will dissolve within six weeks.
If your postnatal bleeding (lochia) gets heavier or changes colour (becomes pink or red) after activity, you could be overdoing it. You're also likely to feel very tired. Listen to your body. Pace yourself and make sure you get plenty of rest too.
In most cases, the symptoms should resolve in a week or two and you should not need further treatmentIf you have had sex or did not take the medication as directed, or have persistent symptoms for longer than two weeks, you should consult a doctor.
A burning feeling after peeing is not always due to an infection. Other possible causes include painful bladder syndrome, urethral stricture disease, prostatitis, and kidney disease. The cause of a urinary tract infection (UTI) is usually bacteria from the body, rather than an external cause of infection.
Keep hydrated
By drinking enough water, you can ensure that your kidneys are passing enough urine to get rid of any foreign invaders that may be attached to the urinary tract. The burning sensation could be due to dehydration.
Interstitial Cystitis (IC) or Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS) or IC/BPS is an issue of long-term bladder pain. It may feel like a bladder or urinary tract infection, but it's not. It is a feeling of discomfort and pressure in the bladder area that lasts for six weeks or more with no infection or other clear cause.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Usually, doctors take a sample of urine and send it to be cultured and checked for bacteria. Occasionally, a blood sample is cultured. If the uterus is infected, women are usually given antibiotics intravenously until they have had no fever for 48 hours.
Pouring warm water over the outer area of your vagina as you pee may also help ease the discomfort. You may find squatting over the toilet, rather than sitting on it, reduces the stinging sensation when peeing.
An effect of epidural or spinal anaesthetic is that it blocks normal sensation from the bladder and interferes with the normal bladder filling and emptying function. Bladder function should be closely monitored if an epidural is used.
Doctors treat postpartum bladder and kidney infections with antibiotics. Your doctor may also have you drink plenty of fluids to help your kidneys work well and flush the bacteria out of your body. Doctors will do another urine test 6 to 8 weeks after your baby is born to make sure the infection is cured.
According to one study, around 35% of women who have recently given birth suffer from symptoms of prolapse. However, there are other causes like family history, obesity, and medical conditions. While prolapse is more common for women who've given birth than those who haven't, that doesn't mean it's destined to happen.
Most women will stop bleeding between four and six weeks after giving birth. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.
Sepsis is a severe infection which affects the entire body; the first signs are usually a rise in your temperature, heart rate and breathing. You may also feel unwell, have chills and flu-type symptoms, abdominal pain in your tummy and diarrhoea.