“I know so many women deal with this quietly. You’re not alone,” she wrote

NEED TO KNOW

• A fitness influencer documented her journey of getting a labiaplasty to repair a “tear during birth” that wasn’t stitched properly
• “If you’re pregnant or planning to be ASK QUESTIONS before you’re in that moment because once it happens, you’re trusting someone else to make those decisions for your body,” she wrote
• Following the procedure, the new mom deemed the recovery process “easier than I expected”

A fitness influencer shared her journey of getting a labiaplasty after a “tear during birth” wasn't stitched properly. 

On March 19, Niki Zoumpouli revealed that she underwent “surgery to fix a tear that wasn't stitched properly after birth.” And along with sharing insight into the healing process, she shared the one thing she wished someone had told her before becoming a mom. 

“Most women tear during birth and the repair is often done quickly,” she wrote on Instagram. “OBs are focused on closing the tear, not always restoring structure, symmetry and long term function. If you're pregnant or planning to be ASK QUESTIONS before you're in that moment because once it happens, you're trusting someone else to make those decisions for your body.”

“Most of the time you're sent home, cleared at your postpartum visit and that's it,” she continued. “No real guidance on what healing should actually feel like. So when something feels off later, like discomfort, pain or just knowing something isn't right, a lot of women assume it's normal or just part of motherhood. It's not.”

In her case, Zoumpouli underwent a labiaplasty in an attempt to rebuild “the woman who gave everything” to bring her baby into the world. 

In documenting her experience, the influencer said that the procedure was “quick and easy,” noting that the only pain during the actual surgery came from the “local anesthesia.”

When she got home from the doctor's office, however, Zoumpouli's pain increased significantly once the anesthesia wore off. 

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“First hours home: felt like superwoman..until the anesthesia wore off,” she wrote over a photo of her lying down while covering her face. “Pain spiked 8/10. My whole body was shaking: take your pain meds before it hits.”

While she said that she “woke up feeling way better” two days after the procedure, Zoumpouli went on to warn other women that they would need help for at least 48 hours after undergoing surgery. 

“My brother moved in and became my nurse,” she wrote alongside a sweet photo of her brother bringing her coffee and a meal. “I was mostly in bed.”

Aside from feeling “extremely bloated” due to the medications and lack of movement, Zoumpouli said that the overall experience was “easier” than she expected.

“I know so many women deal with this quietly,” she concluded in her post. “You're not alone.”

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