newbie - shopping trolley pushed me over :-(

Oh tillymama, I can see what you are up against.

I have sewing to do, and my sewing machine has chucked a hyssy fit and had to go to hospital for 3 weeks. I broke a needle on my overlocker the other day, and the little allen key I use to change the needle dropped on the floor amongst all the bits of fabric and unfinished jobs, and I cannot find it without a major spring clean. My new computer security software is blocking my printer, and I need to setup my home network again to make my printer work. My Mum, who has been at a new nursing home for a few weeks needs another 15 pairs of knickers with name tags, next week and I am on the last 5 tags of the old batch, and have to order more from the Eastern States, which will take about two weeks.

Everything needs attention at once, and it is all going to take time to sort out. Nothing is impossible, progress will be just one step at a time. What is the most important thing to do first???? Have a good laugh.

However, I can see that you are not really in the mood for laughing, and it must be much more difficult for you to work out where to start.

You have done the first step, which is describing it all for us. Well done.

Your shopping trolley incident probably did cascade you into full blown POP, which if you are realistic, would have probably happened eventually, anyway. We cannot wrap ourselves in cotton wool 24/7, nor would we want to. Stuff happens in our lives and we just have to deal with it. With a five month old baby and a young child you are at an energetic and demanding time of your life, and it will be gettng moreso as they grow.

Forgive yourself, my dear tillymama.This is your fairy godmother (aka The Sugar Plump Fairy, another of my many identities) telling you that something horrible has happened, which you didn't bring upon yourself. It would have been hiding away in your pelvis just waiting for the straw to break the camel's back. You cannot turn back the clock, but it is not too late to get some healing happening. Unfortunately my wand doesn't work for the healing task required, but you can heal yourself to a great degree, and make your body obey some healing rules, which is much better than having me calling the tune, because as you can see, I am in Sewing Dilemma Mode.

I just posted for AustralianJanelle about a very similar situation that she is in. Read my post to Janelle as a first step.

It is all about overhauling your posture and adopting new ways of using yourr body which will direct intraabdominal pressure in directions that will not result in pushing your bladder and uterus straight down your vagina.

Every time I hear a newbie exclaim that they just tried WW posture, and they noticed some difference straight away, I am once again in awe about how amazing the effects of WW posture can be in such a short time. The first few times it works is just the beginning. It is slow and persistent work that gets results over months, and all women experience temporary setbacks along the way.

My POPs hardly worry me at all these days, but I still have the odd setback where I feel my bladder in my vulva for a couple of days when I overdo things, which is my inescapable habit. The difference is that I have been doing this for about 6 years, and I now trust my body to regain its composure every time. My fear has left me, and I am confident that I can deal with it. Hopefully, so it will be with you in a year or so. Fairy Godmother says, "Be patient and be kind to yourself".

Tall, proud posture, clothing that doesn't compress your abdomen, healthy, non-constipating diet, exercising appropriately, using your body in ways that reinforce your body's ability to position its organs properly. Bend from the hips (not from the waist) when lifting loads. Relax your butt muscles and your hamstrings to untuck your butt, let your belly go and lift your chest to bring your belly back in to where it needs to be, so it leaves a little pozzy on your lower abdominal wall for your bladder and uterus to rest against, while sitting on top of your pubic bones, instead of on top of your vagina. That is not all in the right order, but you get the picture?

It seems like you are tackling a heap of different things that have gone wrong, but they are probably all symptoms that arise from the same root problem, that your pelvic bones, bladder and uterus are not in the right relationship with each other. If you can adapt the ways you use your body to get them into correct relationship with each other and learn how to hitch them up again when they wander, you will solve 90% of the problem.

Call back when you have made a start on this. Comment on your progress or lack thereof, and ask more questions. We will see what we can do to help you progress.

Louise

welcome to the site and congrats on the new baby!

not much I can add to louise's brilliant post. but maybe another story to raise your hopes a bit?
I developed my prolapse seemingly overnight when my third child was 18 mo. in reality, looking back, it was just waiting for that proverbial straw, but whatever.
stage 3 cystocele/urethrocele. like you I felt gutted and spiraled into mourning the woman and mother I was/wanted to be.
fast forward 5.5 years.... I am the woman/mother I was/want to be. I've had two more babies. I run around with my kids, lift them, play with them. I garden. I cook. I do the laundry and housework. I am fully continent, have no pain, sex is fabulous.
you can manage this, you are not damaged. you can be ok. it is possible, and I am proof.
{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}

I can't add much either, just more reassurance!
But you are still very early on in your healing, and it will get so much better. there will be set backs upon the way, but they will be less and less. i had a stage 3 cyst which got better to reveal a rect + i had a mild uterine prolapse. it was horrible on every level. but 3.5 years on, it is mild and manageable. i can't do everything, but i do lots. today i went to dance class with my little one and danced around, played, lifted...no problems.
it will get better, it will improve.
homeopathically i found Helonius 30 very helpful. i still take it if i overdo things. maybe i don't need to, but makes me feel better to know i'm helping it.

so hang in there...WW will improve things so much!!!

Hi there! Just saying hello and thanks for your comment on my earlier post - it really is comforting knowing that I am not alone.

I had a shocking cough throughout my pregnancy that I put down to getting constant colds which I am sure really contributed to my prolapse. I finally went to my GP/doctor and she suggested that I may have developed asthma that just comes on when I get a cold, apparently its a common issue when pregnant. So I tried some ventolin and IN MINUTES FROM MY FIRST DOSE my cough went away - I was so happy and was able to see out the final weeks of my pregnancy without the cough, but I was also really annoyed that the damage was already done. The only way the doctor said we would know if it was asthma was if the ventolin worked - I had no other asthma symptoms, no wheezing or shortness of breath, just a cough that got worse at night. I keep my puffer on hand in case my cough comes back, although I haven't had to use it for a while.

Anyway, maybe it might be worth you checking that out about your cough? It may not be that for you but I just thought I would tell you about it.

Also I had almost the exact thing happen with a shopping trolley a couple of weeks ago with my 3 month old and my nearly 4 year old (I had the baby in a sling and then I lifted my 4 year old into the trolley and was pushing it)....BAD IDEA - I also had a rapid onset of needing to wee all the time and never feeling like I had emptied my bladder after that. I already knew I had a stage 2 POP so I was really annoyed that I had been so stupid as it really made my symptoms worse.

I was so depressed about my situation too but am feeling so much better about things since my post and the lovely responses and also since I commenced the WW workout (the DVD is GREAT!!!, I have had it for months and only just watched it 3 days ago) and posture. Lets hope we both continue to improve....

Regards, Janelle (australianjanelle)

Hi Tillymama

You are just the sort of woman that I think will get benefit from Kegels, after finding that you can't get much movement out of your pelvic floor muscles at six months postpartum.

I was in a similar position after my second pregnancy, which was difficult, though the birth was really good. I needed some electrical stimulation of these muscles to wake the nerves up. This was done by a physio and I only had a few sessions before I was able to get these muscles moving myself. After that it was up to me, and they eventually recovered 'fully'. I no longer do Kegels at all, except for fun.

If you cannot get any movement out of these muscles after a couple of weeks I would be asking the physio if there is anything she can do to help them to wake up again.

Louise

OMG the urge to pee drives me insane, and I have that same little twitch/spasm you've mentioned before. I always feel like there's something tickling my urethra. However, at only 7 weeks postpartum, which is when I had my first physio appointment, I was told that me PFM strength was really good (3 out of 5). My physio also told me that she thought my posterior wall was worse, though the urogyne told me he thought it was milder. Who knows at this point. I was also told that my prolapses were really mild but my symptoms are so bad I just can't figure it out. I feel confused by all this: how can they be mild when I feel so lousy? I have never heard of anyone with these same symptoms.