Damaged from 2 Births, Time to Do Something About It. Las Vegas, NV

I've appreciated everyone sharing their experiences, so I thought I should add mine. My issue was thin, protruding strips of inner labia that I believe was caused by the hormonal shifts in pregnancy and two vaginal deliveries. I never noticed anything before kids, and after I started to think that it looked like a dog panting with these floppy things hanging down. The discomfort in yoga pants and other tight clothing was annoying, and the strips sent pee in all directions, making hygiene a pain. My goal was not to look like Barbie, as I don't mind a little juicy fullness. I was more concerned with the doctor removing too much and reducing sensation. I considered a plastic surgeon but went with an OB b/c the OB had more experience and would also be far more familiar with a vagina/vulva IMHO. Anyway, we decided together what was to be done, primarily removing the floppy strips but only evening things out with the rest. So, I didn't get cut from end to end, and we avoided going near the clitoris. She also touched up an area in the back that had stretched and tried to stitch it a little tighter. I am hopeful for how that makes sex feel for my husband.

My procedure was yesterday, and it was expensive b/c it had to be done in a hospital under general. It was nice to not feel anything and just have it feel like it was done in a blink of an eye. I opted for no antibiotics (gives me yeast and messes up my gut biome) or pain meds (lest what was given at the hospital), and so far so good. The anesthesia made me nauseated and itchy, but it also helped me have an amazing sleep when I got home and throughout the first night. I'm trying hard to stay in bed almost 100% of the time so things can heal up as quickly as possible. I'm icing, but I'm not super duper swollen yet. There was A LOT of bright red blood on the first day whenever I went to the bathroom and I wondered if something was wrong, but I'm happy to report that after one night there is no blood when going to the bathroom and just teeny bits of red on the pad. I'm not using any antibiotic cream (don't want a yeast infection) and simply rinse with a squirt bottle of diluted hibiclens soap and water and blot dry with toilet paper.

So, in summary, 1 day out and no pain except a little stinging, not too much swelling, and I LOVE the results! No more dog tongue panting out of my vj and I could not be happier. I am not looking closely and can see it's swollen, but it does look like I have a reasonable amount of inner labia left, no bumps, and I feel like it looks younger and sexier. It's a lot to go through and a lot of money (and a very patient husband), but just having that stupid stuff gone is really worth it to me. Oh, this is a bit creepy but actually I'm glad to have an opinion…. The anesthesiologist was male and friendly before the procedure. After he told me, "you're gonna like the way you look!" which is kind of weird for him to acknowledge that yes, he saw everything, but also good to know that a man approves. I don't think guys really care at all and I did it just for me, but if given a choice between before and after, I think it looks a lot better after.

Slept great again last night and couldn't stay in bed another day so I got up and made myself breakfast. No pain except a teeny bit of stinging and only a little fresh blood on my TP but nothing going into the toilet. I took a peek and there does seem to be a inch or so that looks open, but I've seen incredible healing with deep cuts before where the skin starts to bind in the deeper levels, eventually bringing the nice closed surface to the top. I expect the same to happen here. I did notice a few hard bumps which I assume is the body reacting to the stitches. I didn't want the doctor to cut everything off, and one advantage may be that the cut area is actually kind of curling up and healthy, intact tissue is what shows. It feels a little more protected this way and may hide the scalloping better. I'm not too critical, as I don't think there is a perfect way for things to look, and so long as I'm more comfortable, I'm happy.

I wish I could be moving more. I did 50 inclined push-ups yesterday being very careful to stabilize my core, but I really want to go for a run. I know it may be some time before that, and I dread how the swelling is going to increase once I start moving around more. When did you start exercising hard again after your procedure?

Well yesterday I couldn't stand being in bed all day, so I got up, cooked food, did laundry, stood at my desk, and basically had a normalish day. There is no bleeding but everything is tender and feels raw. I iced some and today am trying compression, wearing two pairs of underwear and sometimes slipping a gel pack in between. I have driven, seen people, and feel basically back to my old self. I miss exercising but can do planks and push ups w/o any issues to keep up my strength. Despite moving slowly and being a slug, I'm sleeping really well which tells me that my body is working hard to repair itself. I strongly recommend taking it easy and feeding your body well to speed your recovery.

I had questions about whether or not things will soften up again. I'm not very swollen, and the sutured areas feel really hard like the rubber on the bottom of a boot. Please tell me that things will be soft and slippery once again someday! Only 4 days post, it seems too early to use coconut oil. I'm still basically putting nothing down there and rinsing with diluted hibiclens. I haven't looked at myself, partly b/c I can't find my hand mirror! I ordered another one which should arrive today. I think I have bumps from the stitches, and definitely feels like rubber tread. I hope someone can reassure me that this is not permanent. My doctor just said that things "heal nicely" in this area.

Since I'm sitting around a lot, I was reading all the blogs and articles against labiaplasty calling it "female mutilation." I am amused by the hypocrisy where certain body modifications are ok while others are not. Why have an opinion on what someone else wants to do, especially when I'm sure most of these people are very ill-informed? I can't tell you how happy it makes me to pee in a straight stream now and not get anything caught in my undies!! Things people don't understand and some even think we are mentally ill and/or succumbing to societal pressure. The best are those who doubt that anyone could possibly be uncomfortable with large labia and that we are just making that part up. Yes, people are idiots, but we knew that. I hope none of you are feeling down at all by all the negativity.

Oh, this is kind of silly, but I was really worried about gaining weight but have lost 2 lbs. since surgery. Again my body must be using energy to repair, and I've been very careful to eat well and less since I'm burning zero calories moving. Just wanted to let others know that this fear isn't one to worry about. I just had pancakes and am going to bake now, so maybe I'll gain it back today. :-)