5 months pregnant and counting

Submitted by alemama on November 3, 2008 - 10:17pm
Body: 

It has been a while since I shared how my pregnancy and prolapse are doing - so here is the update.
I am about 20 weeks now. The baby is active and my other children are able to feel the movement which is fun. The second trimester has set in and I feel so energetic. I recently had a flare up of my SI joint pain after a long car trip (45 hours)- so I have been off my feet for about 12 days now- resting and icing as much as I can. The first trimester I saw an increase in the size of my rectocele bulge and I am happy to report that it has not gotten any bigger- thanks in the most part to my front wall- which has softened and moved in to support the back wall very nicely.
My cervix is super high- can't reach it.
I still feel very confident that as soon as I can start working on it after the birth I will be able to reverse it to the extent that I did before.
As suggested I was doing the plies and I do think it helps.

This is the least active pregnancy I have ever had. I was wiped the first 3 months and now that I am feeling better my SI joint won't let me-but as soon as it calms down I am going to start walking again and will do the big arm movements.
My nutrition is fantastic and my digestion is in great shape. The only symptom I have so far is the bulge- which is still inside- but I can see it if I look for it. Still no incontinence or stress incontinence- no problem with incomplete emptying of the bowel- no tailbone pain-

When I am on my feet for a long time I can get achy- but not every time
well that is all I can think of for now-

Love2boys

November 4, 2008 - 4:00am

Hi,
I am a new member and while lurking read alot of your posts. I didn't know you were pregnant, congratulations! I haven't been officially diagnosed with prolapse yet, infact, i don't know exactly what i have but i had an episiotomy repair 3 months ago and my OB said that my vaginal wall was sagging cause i had a lump there so she was going to repair it during the surgery. After the surgery she said that she tightened my vaginal wall and i asked her if i had a vaginal vault proplapse and she said no, it was more like a rectocele. I said so i had a prolapse? and she said no. But the other day i saw the lump in there again and that got me worried and sad about it again...but i still did feel the heavy sensation down there sometimes so i knew it wasn't totally repaired.
Anyway, I am glad to see people with rectoceles can still get pregnant. I was worried that i can't have more children in the future cause i really want another child oneday. Are you going to have a vaginal delivery? did your doctor say it could get worst? The bulge i get is the size of a smarties candy. I really don't know if it's a rectocele cause all the photos i've seen of it doesn't look like mine. But i do get that heavy sensation and the weird tampon inserted oddly feeling down there so i know i have a prolapse of some sort. I will see my new OB in a few weeks to find out exactly. But i am excited to hear more about your pregnancy as time goes on. How many children do you have? I have 2 boys...almost 3 yrs and a 7 months old. My first was a csection, second was vbac with 3rd degree tears.
Has your bulge ever came out of the vaginal entrance? the one i have comes out furthest to the entrance of the vagina but not out of it and also mostly is deeper in.
I'm glad that you are feeling good besides the joint pain.

Trai

alemama

November 4, 2008 - 2:10pm

I have 3 children- 5,4, and 2-
after my third was born the bulge could be outside the labia minora- but never any farther- I managed to reverse my cystocele and my rectocele was on it's way out too- going from the size of a large marble to the size of a m&m.
This is my 4th pregnancy- and I don't like the bulge increasing but it is worth it- and I will be able to get rid of it again in no time- I knew what I was in for when I decided to get preggers-

Love2boys

November 5, 2008 - 3:15am

So the bulge from a cystocele and rectocele can be the size of a marble or m&m? yesterday i was looking at photos of prolapses and thought maybe what i have is a urethracele...a urethral prolapse cause mine is small...about the size of a m&m to marble size.
The rectocele photos looked like alot bigger bulges...so now i'm not sure what i have. But it seems to be from the front wall of the vagina. Has yours ever been bigger like walnut sizes that i see in the photos? also if you have two types of prolapses, does that mean you see two bulges? I was thinking today that i might have a urethral prolapse and bladder prolapse...but i won't know for sure til i see my new OB.

kiki

November 5, 2008 - 1:57pm

first of all alemama, thanks for the update. i am so sorry you are in pain and not mobile at the moment, but you have the most amazing attitude and i know you'll get to the other side of this bit very quickly! you are absolutely an inspiration for other women with POPs wanting more children. thank you!

Trai--have you seen the prolapse self exam, on the main wholewoman page -->resources -->articles
it's very useful
prolapses really vary depending on how severe they are and where they are--the pictures you find online are usually of quite severe ones, but a lot of women have much smaller ones. it also depends how you are looking--are you standing up and squatting or lying down? and what time of day--first thing in the morning my rect is barely there, by the end of the day it's saying hello! but even then if i lie down it goes and hides now--but before it would still be there.

if you haven't, have a look at the self exam. it's very useful.

kiki

Love2boys

November 5, 2008 - 6:42pm

Kiki, i haven't seen the self exam page yet. I tried to open it just now and i couldn't. I'm going to try my other computer upstairs...if it doesn't work i'll ask my husband to help me, he's very comp. literate, lol.
Thank you!

Christine

November 6, 2008 - 6:24pm

Thanks for the update, Alemama...sounds like a very healthy pregnancy. Those first months are so hard, but you have prevailed. xC.