Will My Vagina Return to Normal After Birth?

Having a vaginal birth can be both a wonderful and terrifying experience. It's natural to worry about something so large coming out of something so small, but remember, our bodies are designed to stretch and cope with this experience. While some people have smooth and non-traumatic labours with just some soreness afterwards, others may experience an episiotomy or tear while giving birth, resulting in a longer recovery time and damage to the vaginal area.

What happens straight after birth?

Immediately after a vaginal birth, your vagina will remain stretched open and is likely to be bruised and swollen. During the following days, swelling will start to reduce and go down and your vagina will begin to regain its muscle tone. Over the next few weeks, your vagina will gradually shrink. If you had a tear or an episiotomy, your perineum will need time to repair itself and heal. If it was a small tear or cut, you may not have had stitches and these kinds of wounds can sometimes take just as long (or longer) than if you have had stitches to repair the area.

What factors determine how my vagina will change?

Whether your vagina returns to its pre-birth size or not depends on several factors. The number of babies you previously delivered, the size of your baby and whether you perform Kegel or pelvic floor exercises regularly will all determine how much your vagina will return to normal after birth. It is quite normal for your vagina to remain larger than it was before delivery, especially if you have delivered a big baby, have delivered several children, or do not do regular Kegel exercises.

As you give birth, the pelvic floor muscles relax. Each subsequent birth will cause these muscles to lose their tone, but pelvic floor exercises will help to tighten them up again. It is highly recommended that you begin Kegel exercises, which involve the tightening of the perineum (the area between the vagina and anus), as soon as possible. Strengthening this musculature while pregnant will help you recover muscle tone quickly after the birth.

The pelvic floor muscles are the ones that stop you peeing mid-stream. By contracting the muscles for a few seconds a few times a day, you will begin to strengthen them. Gradually increase the number of contractions and the time you hold each Kegel. Build up to sets of ten and try and hold them for ten seconds each. Repeat the sets three or four times a day. This can be done while watching TV, sitting at red traffic lights or even feeding the baby. Not only will you be improving your vagina's muscular tone, but by exercising your pelvic floor muscles, you will also be helping to prevent any future urinary incontinence.

Check before you have sex

It is recommended you wait till your postpartum check-up with your healthcare worker before having sex again. If you are experiencing any soreness or tenderness in the vaginal area, delay intercourse until you feel fully healed and ready. When you are both emotionally and physically ready to have sex again, be sure to go slow. You may well find that your normal vaginal lubrication has dried up a bit. This is due to lower levels of oestrogen. If you are breastfeeding, you may find you are even dryer, as nursing reduces oestrogen levels even further. Use a water-based lubricant if you are using barrier method contraception, as oil-based ones can weaken latex or destroy a diaphragm.

Discharge?

Many women will experience vaginal discharge for a month or two after delivering their baby. This is called lochia and it consists of a mixture of sloughed-off tissue and blood from the uterus lining. For the immediate few days after delivery, the lochia contains a large amount of blood. It is therefore bright red and resembles a heavy menstrual bleed. As each day passes, the amount of discharge should diminish and after two to four days, the lochia will become more watery and pink, rather than red, in colour. After around ten days, you should only be getting a small amount of yellow or white discharge which will eventually taper off to nothing after two to four weeks. Some women may experience scant or intermittent spotting for several weeks after this. Whether you have a vaginal birth or a caesarean section, you will bleed after the birth. This is from the wound that now exists from where your placenta was attached to your uterus.

You may or may not discover that your vagina returns to normal after giving birth. The most constructive thing you can do to help it recover as much as possible is to perform regular Kegel exercises before and after delivery. This will help to develop and recover musculature tone to the area, speeding up and enhancing recovery. Remember to allow your body time to heal itself properly. Don't rush into strenuous exercise or intercourse, as it can push back your recovery time. In most cases, giving birth is a major trauma on the body and time and rest are the best ways of helping your body regain its original abilities. Fortunately, women have an uncanny way of forgetting the trauma pretty soon after the birth and with a baby to hold in your arms, all the pain and unpleasant experiences just seem to fade away.