Cervix a little lower after birth ?

Hi Cammis,
Since no one has posted yet I thought I would "second" the question. I think my cervix was lower after giving birth too as well as my daughter's who has a 19 month old and an 8 wk old. My daughter says that she doesn't have a prolapse but mine sure has been acting up since I've been helping her care for her two young ones. Neither of us have used tampons effectively since giving birth,the reason being the cervix isn't where it used to be. We need enlightenment on this topic.

Hi Cammis and Happyheart

I think some women's cervixes, maybe all, do become lower after pregnancy and birth, probably even if they have CS. It is the pregnancy that causes the stretching. Yes, vaginal birth adds a different dimension to stretching too. However, if you don't notice it, as the research tells us many women don't, you are not going to report it.

Prolapse is not like measles or pregnancy (where you either have it or you don't). It can exist in many degrees of measurement by palpation, and by many degrees of symptoms. When does a lower cervix become a prolapsed uterus? When it is described as such. To a doctor who often sees big, longstanding bulges, a lower cervix does not represent prolapse of the uterus, but to a woman who experiences her lower cervix rubbing against the side of her vagina when it has not done that previously, or not being able to retain a tampon, it is a prolapse.

To a woman who has birthed recently, everything in the abdominal and pelvic areas is a bit saggy and out of place, but given 12 months of natural reversion she may no longer be saggy, probably just a bit. What happens in the interim is a bit of luck, a bit of genetic disposition and a bit of management. To the younger women, try not to judge your body's degree of POP until 12 months pp. Just manage it as best you can and be patient, and prepared for temporary setbacks.

Happyheart, as an older woman who is long recovered from childbirth, your body has had a bit more wear and tear, and nearing menopause brings further changes which may or may not worsen it. However, it is likely that you will experience other changes in the vaginal area which may draw your attention to the state of your cervix, and your POP may be being aggravated by the child care and lifting you are now doing. Your POPs may groan if you lift your grandbabies the way you lifted your own babies all those years ago. Try to learn new ways of 'doing' child care, ie get down to them, and get them to climb up to you. Do your baby caring with the baby at a higher level, or you sitting upright, so you don't have to bend from the waist, but can bend from the hip joints to prevent the bearing down that comes from increased intraabdominal pressure, that results from the abdominal bracing that results from bending at the waist. Whew! Get to know the mechanics of lifting; what parts of your skeleton move where; which muscles are stretching, which are contracting. What reinforces and what tears apart. What sucks in and what pushes out. What gravity does, and in what direction, etc.

eg I found that a folding change table would give me backache and vulva pressure, and make me bend from the waist. My solution was to sit astride a dining chair or lowish stool, at the end of the changetable with the baby lying at chest height. I could carry baby high on my chest, let her down onto the changetable, then lift her again high onto my chest. I could use my knees to rise to standing again. Learning to use all my leg muscles and all my leg joints has taken the pressure off my lower back, and reduced the need to brace my abs so strongly, so my pelvic organs could stay forwards.

Cheers

Louise

Very good information. Just today I have been experimenting with ways to move differently so as not to put pressure on that area. I will put your tips into practice. I'm eagerly awaiting my book and DVD. But for now this site is getting me started. Many thanks.

Hi Cammis

This shows that it is possible for your cervix to go up again. It will always be prone to coming down again, because intraabdominal forces from breathing and moving will always push it to where it goes easiest. In WW posture it is kind of pinned forward by the sacrum, and in that position the right angle in the vagina protects its position because intraabdominal forces are pressing downwards on the top of the uterus and sideways on the vagina, holding it closed.

If the underside of the sacrum rises up, it allows the uterus and bladder to rise up off the abdominal wall and slide back and down, pushed by the intraabdominal forces.

Eventually, with good WW posture in place at all times there seems to be a repositioning of all the abdominal contents that keeps the pelvic organs well-packed in their positions, so they are less likely to move. It is only by keeping them forward that they are kept out of the way of these forces. It is not known whether or not the fascia can mend themselves, but they certainly know where their best positioning is. All we can do is use our bodies in a way that allows the fascia that support the pelvic organs to support them in their proper positions.

Once you get WW posture working well you will find that there are times when you are not aware of your POPs because your bladder and uterus are indeed in better position. These times become more frequent and more longlasting until you hardly notice your POPs. This is what is possible for me and many others. Everybody's body is differently affected. It is just a matter of using all the tools available to you to let your body do what it is meant to do.

You will have temporary setbacks, but you will recover from them and eventually trust your body to work. Hopefully you will experience this degree of comfort eventually. It's not perfect, but much better IMO than going for the surgical fix.

BTW, even getting up off the toilet can send it down again. The answer to that is to learn to stand up with lumbar curve in place and rise into WW posture. This may help. There are so many sides to it. You kind of need to learn to attend to everything at once. Understanding the mechanics of it is usually the first step. You will also learn nauli and firebreathing and other ways to reposition them. The rest is just practice - monitor - adjust - practice. Eventually it becomes intuitive and a lot less annoying.

Cheers

Louise

IMHO it is normal. Louise gave a greatly detailed info (thanks)!
I have a low-ish cervix too, but with Nauli I can succesfully pull it up, these days it started to stay up more and more. A fingerlength is totaly normal IMO. I mean I am fine with that! :)
Liv