18 month update

Wow! So very glad to hear of your improvement! As I too look to having baby #2, I can honestly say that I share your fear of the worsening. I can do just fine as I am now, but it would be a huge deal to me if my nightmares ever came true. I can see that the thought of a C/S is giving you a lot of comfort, so I don't want to come across totally negative, but I'm afraid that is exactly how this will sound. I have watched several in nursing school, and to me, it makes no logical sense to that end. Did your Dr. tell you that they actually pull your uterus out of your body during a c/s? Yep. They pull it right out of you, set it on your belly and flop it around, twist it, poke it, and dry it off. Then it's sutured and stuffed back in. How do they know they even get it placed back right? It's such an inexact science -- if they "tie tubes" ( which is really just snipping them in two) they have to send tissue samples to the lab to confirm they cut the right thing!! What else could be cut by mistake? I just don't see how all of that is more protective than an all fours birth, pops well out of the way, letting the body work the way it was designed, and then having a very well thought out recovery plan. But this is purely my take on it, you of course will come to a decision right for you. Happy continued healing and many good baby thoughts!

hi there! so glad to hear you are doing well.
you know my story by now, two more pg's and no worse off for it. and you're right, mine is just one anecdotal story, not much of a predictive study. I think that even prolapse itself is not easily studied, as we all treat our bodies differently, have different genetic tendencies and health histories. add to that all the variables surrounding pg and birth, and my story doesn't really tell you how you will fare with pg and birth.
I think that most dr's will say that prolapse tends to get worse. and I think they are right...a prolapse that is not managed properly will likely get worse with time and even with additional pregnancies and births.
however, no one has systematically studied what happens in women who manage their prolapses in this WW way. what happens to a woman who stabilizes her prolapse (and possibly even reverses it) and then becomes pg and births another baby? its not just 'most damage incurred during first pg' but that now this woman has the knowlege and the tools to protect her pelvic organs.
the dr you went to was probably being completely honest, I believe he truly has your best interests in mind when he says he would recommend his wife have a c/s. problem is, he doesn't know much about WW and probably hasn't seen too many women like me who are able to stabilize a prolapse and have more babies. I know I am just N=1, but we all know that so much of medicine is not only the science of studies but the art of experience. unfortunately there isnt much of either in terms of this kind of prolapse management out there.

c/sections scare the daylights out of me. personally, I would rather risk worsening my prolapse during natural vaginal hb than taking the surgical risks of c/s.
and personally, I just couldn't let go of my dreams of growing our family just because of the fear of the prolapse getting worse. I kept thinking how awful it would be if I didn't have that baby and the prolapse got worse anyway. that would be more unbearable for me than having the baby and worsening the prolapse. because there are no guarantees either way.
so you go about collecting your data and advice and then I think everyone's got to follow their heart on these issues. because no matter what *I* think, you are the one who will live with your choices. these arent' easy choices, but I think that if you spend some time listening your inner wisdom will guide you, and you will feel at peace with that which is right for you.

If you don't mind some advice from an old-timer, here goes. I wasn't told I had prolapsed after #1 Son. I was told I had one leg longer than another, pinched nerve, sciatica among other things. But, looking back it was a prolapse after an 18 hour labor and a forceps aided, face up birth of a 9 lb 14 ounce baby. It took me months before you could touch my lower back without me climbing the other wall. I think my tailbone was misaligned or broken. Anyway, the point is, at age 24 I healed and had #2 Daughter two years later at age 26. She weighed 9 lb 11 ounces and came out easy on the second push after a 10 hour labor. Really easy recovery and not any prolapse trouble until menopause last year at age 55. You will probably do just fine, because you know so much more than I did. I don't think it matters how may vaginal births you have, as long as you use the posture, exercise, diet, and rest to recover! Avoid a surgery you know will cut through muscle you will need later in life. My two cents.
Melly

I agree with bad_mirror, having seen numerous sections in several different countries, the trauma to the reproductive organs is not something I would choose unless it was a life-saving operation. I do not understand the logic at all that this prevents or lessens damage. Just because surgical extraction has been normalised does not make it logical to damage the body in the hopes of preventing damage.
Having said that, ultimately this is between you, your baby, and your POP...best wishes finding your way through all this!

"I really thought this doctor was very informative because he had nothing to gain by doing surgery because he was at a teaching hospital."

the unfortunate reality is that your doctor has his educational studies behind him. years and years of them (often funded by different pharma companies). So while he was honest- it doesn't make him right.
If you are interested in statistics I suggest looking at the statistics associated with death, injury, and other unfavorable outcomes associated with c-sections. What you are going to find is that vaginal birth comes out the leader in safety in non-emergency births every single time. There is no refuting it. Vaginal birth is safer for you and for your baby.

now then- pregnancy, prolapse, what comes first the chicken or the egg right?
I have no idea. I believe that there are vaginal changes associated with pregnancy itself. I also believe that as the body matures things sag- this is true for men and women and the inside and the outside both sag. Lastly I believe that birth trauma will make an existing prolapse worse and can set the stage for initial onset of prolapse symptoms.

So there you go- pregnancy, birth and aging are all risky. But what can you do? Stop living is about all.
I know what it's like to fear the unknown. It can be paralyzing. I try every day to not allow fear to govern my choices.
You know you have a prolapse. You know it was worse 12 months ago. You know that you have brought your body and mind to a better place. I know you can do it again if you need to.

and as for my n=1 well, during my pregnancy last time, my prolapse got more noticeable if I went looking and every once in a while I was bugged by it. I wished I could nauli. I did lots of knees and elbows at the end. But as soon as the baby was out of there and I was able to get up and around it got better- and progressed much as it did after my other pregnancies. And now I'm asymptomatic.

I hope that you get your home water birth. Birth is wonderful that way (the aquadural).

and nope I don't know anyone who had it better after a c-section. In fact you can research the statistics about women with prolapse after c-section only and I think they are pretty comparable numbers (to vaginal births).