Numbness & incontinence

Body: 

I'm 5 wks pp. About 3 wks ago I noticed a cystocele (probably grade 3) and have been doing kegels ever since. About 5 days ago I started to experience numbness in my pelvic area (including clitoris) and can no longer isolate the muscles for kegels very well. I'm also experiencing incontinence for the first time which seems to have coincided with this numbness. I can no longer stop urine midstream at all and also dribble a bit unknowingly. Does anyone have any idea what is happening to me and if this is likely to be transient or permanent? Is there any effective treatment for this problem? I am currently breadfeeding.

Hi New Mom and welcome,
congrats on your lovely 5 week old baby! I hope you are getting to enjoy your baby through all this...
How many kegels are you doing a day?
When i first got my cyst at 3 week pp i went to a physio who had me do 100's a day. i went numb too, and my muscles got much weaker. i'd completely over did them.
then, i went to another physio the surgeon recommended, who was great. 1. because she was like a therapist through all this, and 2. because she was evolved about kegels. she did have the classic veiw that they are the answer, but had me work up to 15 good ones that i could hold for 10 - 15 sec, that's it. not 100's. i instantly started feeling better.
these muscles aren't meant for weightlifting. they are meant to be exercised as we go through life.

have you found the posture on the FAQ page? that's the thing that I found made the biggest difference.
Have you ordered Christine's book (version 2!!!)? it explains all about our anatomy, the posture, and ways to support our bodies.
be sure you aren't constipated, and rest. 5 weeks is so early, and things improve so much. my little one just turned 2 and i'm still improving.
also christine has a new DVD out, but not sure how many weeks PP it's okay to start the exercises...

if you see a doctor they will possibly recommend surgery. read that book and you'll see why it's not the golden answer they seem to promise it to be. but the surgeon i saw who was rather evolved it seems, said he wouldn't see me again till 1 year PP and then later if i was still breastfeeding. he said there might be some improvement when i stopped feeding but feed all i want. the physio later said that actually when your periods come back your hormones are back to normal anyway, but thati might find i was a bit less vulnerable when i finally stop all together, but that stopping feeding isn't going to sort this so don't stop for this.

the surgeon also said that yes, surgery is an option, but that actually you're better off living with it if you can (and he's a top surgeon where i am!) so i was lucky no one was pushing surgery at me. and they were all right. i've improved so much--i went from grade 3 cyst and rec to "mild"...
so have faith that things will improve.

I had numbness after each of my births, and it went away. not sure when it started, but it was definitely there by 2 weeks pp.

definitely cut back on the kegels.

the incontinence and the numbness might be related to the cystocele and its exact position. if thats the cause then it can very well pass as the cystocele changes. get the book if you can, and learn the posture. the posture helps reposition everything. don't let yourself get constipated or strain on the toilet. make sure you are completely emptying your bladder at least once a day (getting on your hands and knees help)

is there an effective treatment? yes, you've found it here. my cystocele is much smaller than it used to be, I hardly notice it most days and it gives me no trouble. I still do have some areas where I have no sensation (not numbness, just nothing) but I think that's due to birth trauma and maybe helped cause the prolapse, not the other way around.

and congrats on the new baby!

oh and one more thing, just to clarify, kiki, when you write 'cyst' you mean 'cystocele' right? not an actual cyst? because a while back someone here did indeed have a cyst, don't remember if that was you or not.

Numbness in the genitals and an inability to control the bladder or bowel always demands immediate neurological investigation. Something could be compressing the spinal cord (herniated disk, hematoma, abscess, etc.)

you are right about that.

I've just been so used to the altered sensation, its become 'normal' for me. never even mentioned it to my mw.
I think I will.