Scared and pregnant

Submitted by Katherine on November 18, 2004 - 2:32pm
Body: 

Hi All,

I've visited this site many times since April when I was diagnosed with first degree uterovaginal prolapse. I have spoken with a few of you and I am practicing the posture and doing my best to practice the whole lifestyle. Though I have not seen much improvement in my prolapse, It had not gotten any worse either.

I just found out four weeks ago I am pregnant. I turned Ten weeks yesterday and also had first prenatal exam and ultrasound. My concern is that my pregnant uterus has gone from first degree to second degree prolapse. I tried to talk with my doctor ,nurse practitioner, and even ultrasound tech. about what affect my prolapsed uterus might have on the pregnancy, and what could be done to ensure this baby is carried to term. No one wanted to answer my questions and just dismissed it alltogether. After persistantly demanding some answers My nurse practitioner said soon the baby would be drawn up into the abdomen and everthing would be fine.

I've learned from experience when doctors and nurses shroud something with secrecy, Everything is not fine.

My sister in-law who had exactly the same problem lost her baby to preterm labor at six and a half months. From what I understand when she was 12 weeks and the cervix was dropping out, her doctor manipulted the uterus into the abdomin and placed a pessary to keep it in place until large enough to stay there on its own. But at six and a half months it fell again and She went into preterm labor. Her baby died four hours after it was born.

She has begged me to force the doctors to do something. She says if I just ignore it with my cervix at the opening I am a risk of cervical infection, damage to the cervix, losing the mucous plug, and not so likely but possibly trapping the baby in pelvic if it does not draw up.

After doing some research I have learned that most pregnant women with significant prolapse do have pessaries and such until the second trimester when the uterus is large enough to stay up on it's own but that's all the information I can find.

I don't have any health insurance and I'm recieving medical assistance and I don't have a choice what doctor I see. I am so scared now I don't what is fact or myth. I can't get answers from the doctor and I don't know what to do. I so despertely want to keep this baby and if I just had information, I could go to my doctor and demand neccesary treatments.

Any information or advice would be helpfull at this point.

thank in advance,
katherine

fullofgrace

November 18, 2004 - 3:03pm

Katherine,
I am so sorry that you have to have all of these fears during what should be such a joyous time. I am a person of faith and will pray for the protection of your baby and for your peace.

I do not know what grade my prolapse was prior to my pregnancy (I birthed my son 10-31-04) as I have universal prolapse. My cervix is about two digits of my first finger from the outlet. I know nothing either about the risks to pregnancy with profound prolapse, but it seems that what I have read is that it is not a threat to the pregnancy and prolapse gets better throughout the pregnancy. However, with having someone close to you having had a problem I can understand your fear. I wonder how much of a part the dr. messing around with the cervix played?

I do know that all of my prolapses got better as the pregnancy progressed and eventually my cervix was way out of reach and my bladder followed the rise up. (I had a c/s birth with my first two child and two vaginal births since--I believe I have adhesions that have "cemented" my bladder to my uterus so where one goes so goes the other).

I am sorry I can't offer much information or comfort, but I wanted to reply because you will have support here and maybe someone will know something. Perhaps even though you have no choice of dr. maybe another doc. that specializes in such issues would be available for a free consultation about your situation.

Christine

November 18, 2004 - 4:01pm

Dear Katherine,

I'm glad Jane responded to you first, as I tend to express my anger at an obstetric system that should have a well-defined and widely practiced protocol for the pregnant and prolapsed woman. When I began this forum I had no idea how common this problem was among very young mothers. I've been so busy developing the body of work that I've not yet done much research into this area, but I believe that within a very few years there IS going to be such a protocol.

The website http://groups.msn.com/ChoiceforProlapse/1welcometouprise.msnw has a pregnancy forum and I've read accounts there of women carrying their babies very low all the way to term with no issue.

Wishing you well,

Christine

shantela

November 18, 2004 - 7:04pm

I suffered from the very same thing this year with the pregnancy of my scond child. My doctor/nurse practioner ordered a pessary for me which I used all of 3 weeks. I carried my son to term on Oct. 12, 2004. I really didn't have much problems with the prolaspe except at the beginning and with hard bowel movements. Eat a healthy diet that promotes soft stools (leafy greens). I haven't gone in for my 6 week check yet but do fear the prolase is back and worse now but the fact remains that I had a healthy baby boy and was only 2 days early. Have faith. Do not worry about worst case because that stress isn't good for the baby. I made it through and I will be praying that you do as well.

Amy

JulieJ

November 18, 2004 - 7:41pm

Hi Katherine,

Welcome to STWW. I don't have any personal experience to offer, I just know that my ob/gyn said that my having future children if I wished should not be any problem at all, except for some added discomfort in the first trimester until the uterus moves up.

I have found Jane's story to be very encouraging.

Please try not to be scared and anxious, but I do understand.

Hope you'll hang around here for a while. :)

Julie

Katherine

November 18, 2004 - 9:51pm

Thank you Jane, Christine, Amy,and Julie. I do have a renewed sense of hope having heard from you all especially Jane and Amy as they both have experienced a good outcome.

I think Christine is right. There really does need to be some universal protocol to deal with pregnancy and prolapse. At the very least some real research. It would have helped me so much if my doctor could have said something along the lines of "Well here are some of the risks, these are possible outcomes and this is what we can do to minimize the risks." But instead he seemed to know nothing and certainly didn't offer any hope or advice.

One of the good things is that since I found this website I have adopted a much healthier lifestyle and even quit smoking just four months ago. Having done so, I believe my body is better prepare for pregnancy.

Once again thank you all so much for your encouragement and prayers, I really do feel better,

Katherine

P.S. Christine,
what about your new video "First Aid For Prolapse" and are the postures the same throughout pregnancy?

P.S.S.
Congratulations Jane and Amy! Wish you both much joy with new babies.

Christine

November 19, 2004 - 7:10am

Sigh....:-)...what a blessing the wisdom of women is...just sharing our courage and experience is enough to get the ball of change rolling.

Katherine, as Jane shared with us in an earlier post, it's very difficult to "try" to hold this posture in advanced pregnancy only because the body is already IN the posture to a great degree and the spine eventually has to pull back to prevent the body from toppling over.

Please relax and know your body is doing just what it's supposed to do, however, continue to be mindful of the posture from the shoulders up. I worry that I haven't said it distinctly enough or often enough, but the head really IS the primary control, and when it is in the correct position, chances are that everything else is, too.

Do try to create a special place to sit where you relax most of the time...probably the living room. In your favorite chair place pillows in such a way that you can sit comfortably with your spine supported and your knees lower than your bottom. If you have a kneeling chair to use some of the time so that you can keep using your back muscles, so much the better.

Another baby....:D

Christine

fullofgrace

November 19, 2004 - 4:37pm

Katherine, I think Christine has said not to use the video if pregnant, but trying to keep the posture in early pregnancy is possible and desireable. I walked a lot during the second trimester and was able to keep the posture. Third trimester I rested a lot and laid down a lot as NO position other than tailor sitting on the floor was comfortable for me.

On another note...
I would like to echo Christine that we MUST LISTEN TO OUR BODIES> I think there is are important reasons why we feel tired during the first and third trimesters...so we REST. I also believe that those awesome endorphins during the weeks after birth are not to help us clean our houses, but to give us the energy to take care of our baby's very simple needs. Needs that can be met for the most part while lying in bed cuddling our babies. diaper changes would be the only reason to sit up. Even now at almost 3 weeks post partum, I take that nursing time to lie down with my baby. I think that's another reason babies eat so often, so mother has to REST while feeding baby. It's a great time to do isolation excercises on the abs and other muscles that have been stressed by pregnancy. I am not going to lift anything heavier than my baby until at least 6 weeks pp, when I am certain that my organs have all gone back to their places and my muscles have recovered enough from the pregnancy to handle a heavier load. Besides, I hate doing laundry! :) My husband is and has been since I was about 34 weeks, slinging the baskets up and down the stairs and it's been a great experience for him ;).

meri3

December 21, 2004 - 1:41pm

Jane, did you have a vaginal or c-section?

Dear scared and pregnant. I am also pregnant, 15 weeks, and at 12 weeks had a prolapse. My cervix began to slowly come out and by 13 weeks the whole cervix was out. I was so scared but now that I am learning more about it and how to care for myself I feel better. I am ordering the video, but someone just mentioned not to do the excercises while pregnant. I was just fitted yesterday with a pessary and it does feel better. I don't fall out when I use the bathroom. I do think that it is too big because I feel it pushing my rectum and feel like I have to have a bowl movement and gas is hard to pass. I have to learn more about the pessary since I notice on this forum it's not totally recommended. My doctor recommended that I be on bedrest and lie horizontally on my back the most I can. What do you all think of this? Christine, please help.

I also understand your insurance concerns. My husband is self employed and I quit my job w/ it's wonderful health benefits to stay home. We have no insurance and my husband is desperate to get covered now. I have my insurance covered through AIM and am not sure how difficult it will be for me to see someone with more experience. I really like my doctor but she has only had 1 other patient with this problem. Her patient was ok after the birth of the baby.

I am debating whether or not to have a vaginal birth. Will the prolapse get worse. Its second degree now. Will my whole uterus fall out after the birth? I feel I want to risk complications and have a c-sections. My mom had three and she's fine. My other births were vaginal. What organs are moved during a c-section?

Who else had prolapse during pregnancy. My lower back on my left side is starting to hurt me. Thank you for all your comments. I am 30 years old, in my third pregnancy with two children ages 5 and 7.

God bless you all. I will pray for you and myself. I continually say in my mind, "By His stripes i AM HEALED". I am working on becoming more healthy as I feel it is my fault this happened to me.

One more question for Christine. How about stairs. Should you climb them with the prolapse?

Meri, young mother of 2 and one on the way!

fullofgrace

December 22, 2004 - 6:51am

i had a vaginal! :) i am sooooo glad that i did. look back at my past posts. you can do a search for jane or fullofgrace. have a merry christmas!