Children after Prolapse?

my fourth baby was born after I found my prolapse and I am no worse off for it. in fact, I'm doing better now than I was before I got pg with him.

I'd recommend learning to stabilize and work with your body first. get to a place where you feel confident in your body's ability to carry and birth another child. get to a place where you feel confident that even if the prolapse worsens after the birth, you will successfully come back to your baseline.

I'd also recommend natural active labor and birth, in prolapse friendly positions and preferable at home or somewhere else where you will be able to be in control. this will help protect your pelvic organs during labor and the birth. also, line up as much help as possible for afterwards. the 6-week healing thing is a myth. it takes much longer than that.

so yes! you can have that dream, so long as you take good care of yourself.

Hi Elfear

(This is not a paid ad). As you are new to the site and want a large family I think you will benefit from both the new DVD and Christine's book, Saving the Wholewoman, edition 2. The book will explain a lot to you about how your pelvic area works, in everyday life, pregnancy and beyond. It is written for ordinary women. It demystifies the whole thing and will give you understanding of what has happened, and how you can prevent further damage. The DVD will show you what you can do about it in everyday life. I have been doing this Wholewoman stuff for nearly five years. My copy only arrived yesterday. Just watching it once I learnt new things. The animations and the studio workouts are very clear and easy to follow.

I think my prolapses started with my first labour and birth, which were 'fully managed' (Stirrups, forceps, the works! Not my choice!!). I had a giant episiotomy. I can see now that I had postpartum prolapse but it got much better over the next year or two. My second *pregnancy* worsened it (See my story in the Members Stories Forum). The labour and birth were straightforward. The third pregnancy and labour and birth were a dream. So yes, I have birthed two babies vaginally since realising I had POP, once since formal diagnosis of a falling cervix. I have also unknowingly abused my body since then with 'fitness industry' posture and straining through constipation, so they worsened over the following 15 years.

I wouldn't say I am limited in any way by POP now. Well, maybe a little. I don't do running for fitness (but I can run as far as I like). I can't hurry a poo by straining, cos that is now verbotten. I cannot slump in a lounge chair for hours without getting bladder symptoms for a bit. I dance, I jump. I wrestle big sheep. I build. I demolish. I shift rocks sensibly. etc etc.

Cheers

Louise

That you wrestle big sheep. Here in the American Rocky Mountains, we might say "wrastle" big sheep. Oh, my sides are aching! Thank you.

and have 3 kiddos and one on the way-
here is where it gets tricky. I did not have a formal diagnosis of my prolapse until after the 3rd birth-
but after the second birth my husband noticed it (at the suggestion of the midwife to take a look at the stitches from my tear) and we just decided it was normal swelling or something- I didn't even think to ask about it- then it was simply gone (in other words I could not see a bulge when I looked in a mirror and in all my prenatal vaginal checks with #3 no one noticed it).
So then I went on to have #3 and had an unstitched tear that bothered me (stitches tore out the first day) and complained about achy feelings in my perineum to the midwife who told me that I had a "cele"-

At this point I have an awareness of my body that I never had before- I stopped having symptoms of prolapse before my baby was 1- I could still physically feel a bulge with my fingers if I reached in there but that was all- I could not see the bulge from the outside.

So I figure I had a rectocele since the birth of my first child- I had the same pain in the perineum after that birth (and massive stitch job) for about 8 months. I guess it probably didn't get any worse after the second birth and subsequent tear- but that the third pregnancy in 3 years and third tear in 3 years pretty much sealed the deal-
I became pregnant this time on my second opportunity (all the others I got pregnant the first time I ovulated)- and funny enough I was talking with my dh about another baby and if we would be ready etc for about a month before my fertility returned- and my prolapse was non-existent- and I was ready.
So now I am about a month from my due date and the prolapse was slightly noticeable the first trimester and my anterior wall softened significantly- gone for the second trimester-and now I couldn't have a cystocele if I wanted one, the baby's head is so deep in the canal I can feel it if I palpate the anterior vaginal wall and the rectocele stays happy as long as I eat well.

I am not concerned at all about the delivery or the early postpartum- I know all will be well- I had worried that the extra weight of the pregnancy would make things worse but it has not- and I am actually looking forward to healing even more this time than before.

so ya. as long as my recovery this time is as good as the last time I will plan to go on an have more.....if 4 doesn't turn out to be too much for me that is :)

...and with it the other prolapsed organs as well. Thank you, Alemama, for emphasizing this point. The prego uterus is just an exaggeration of normal female anatomy. Once you understand that we have a horizontal pelvis, it's pretty easy to see how a hugely pregnant uterus would pull everything else out front too. And it does! IT IS THE SAME anatomy in the non-pregnant state, just less pronounced and we have to work a little harder to keep the uterus out front where it belongs.

One of the things that bugs me most is to hear uneducated prolapsed women talking about how their uterus "pushes down" on their bladder, or the postpartum woman who blames prolapse on her pregnant uterus "pushing everything down". It just doesn't work that way!!

I'm encouraged by your story Alemama. I discovered my prolapse after baby number 4 (currently 4 months). I'm not ready to plan for another one now, but one of the saddest things was feeling like it wasn't even an option. I'm so happy to hear you are doing well, and hope you have an easy time postpartum, for your sake. I hope your baby number four is as much of an angel as mine. She is so laid back and go with the flow, and loves to watch her sisters run all around her. I know we love them even when they fuss, but it is so nice to have a peaceful babe. Good luck!