9 days post partum and concerned. Need encouragement.

Hi MommaL and welcome. Nine days PP is so very early; I hope you are taking good care of yourself and getting as much rest as your life allows (yeah, right!). You have a very long recovery ahead of you, so don’t get overly concerned yet. You may have the beginnings of a rectocele there, or what you are experiencing could resolve itself entirely or partially as you get stronger. Either way, adopting a posture change is called for. Whole Woman posture will help you start to train your organs to move forward into the rounded lower belly, instead of pushing down into the vagina. It’s a change worth making, and now is a really good time to start. Have you looked at any of this information yet? Lots of info on the Forum and WW website. - Surviving

Just want to say that I remember the exact same situation when I was 32 after the second delivery ...
I panicked and was told it would recede and to continue with pelvic floor exercises (kegels).

It did in fact recede and it wasn't until twenty years later post menopause that things went south. Perhaps they did so sooner but I was not preoccupied with it and perhaps didn't see the signals and prevent the damage.

Anyway it has only been in the last 12-18 months that I have been diagnosed with all prolapses.

I am 52 years of age .. so with luck and good posture and awareness you will have decades more experience than most of us with being more in tune with your body.

One more thing - stress I believe makes everything 'drop' ... so try not to worry - lots of advice here - be positive, take good care and read up on what not to do and enjoy that beautiful baby.

Best wishes

Hi MommaL and welcome!! What Takecare has just posted happened to me also. I was 26 years old when I had my second baby and Dr's told me I had a Cystecele (dropped bladder). They just dismissed it and said very casually someday when you donot have a uterus we can just tack up your bladder. It never gave me a problem and I had no incontinence so I just ignored it and forgot about it. It wasn't until 39 years later post-menapausal that mine went south. Diagnosed with cystecele and rectocele. I began to have symptoms. So if I had found this site say when it began I could have prevented this from getting any worse. I had been doing all the wrong exercises, etc, etc. So you are very fortunate to have found this information so young into it. Just look at all this wealth of information that is here. Thank your luck stars!!! As Christine Kent says "Honor your Lumbar Curve." Best wishes to you!!! You are in the right place.

Hugs, Jaylove

Hi MoomaL,
Welcome to WW - and congratulations on the birth of your baby.
Your body has just been through a period of massive change & challenge with pregnancy and birth. Perhaps it's not so surprising that so many post partum women experience some form of prolapse. In many cases post partum prolapse symptoms naturally reduce or even disappear after a while, so things may improve to some degree naturally anyway. However, thankfully at WW you have a huge amount of resources and support to improve your symptoms asap. Not only that you will have the WW knowledge to maintain pelvic organ support and general health for the rest of your life.
You may find it helpful to view Room 101 at the WW theater for the basic WW theory, if you haven't already. Also the WW yoga dvd wheel 2 is recommended for post partum women. You may not have much time just for a while :) but if you can, it's probably a really good investment. I follow it regularly - and I'm 55 - so it offers a long life of service!
Most importantly find out and put into practice the WW posture. If you bear in mind WW postural principles as often as you can, (after a while it becomes 2nd nature), then that will really help.
If you have a WW teacher near you, (a long shot!), then a consultation would probably be very helpful re this.
Lie down and get as much rest as you fel you need - if you can! The iintra-abdominal pressure is different when you lie down, so you don't have to worry about how you're lieing etc.
I found lieing down and listening to mindfulness tapes wonderfully relaxing and de-stressing when I initially experienced my prolapse and was very upset. Stress doesn't help, so finding things that help you feel calm, happy - and healthy! - are all welcome.
Wishing you and your baby all the very best - and let us know how you get on.
Love and hugs.
xwholewomanuk

I find walking is great, it's one of the things I can do when my prolapse is bothering me!
I'm 21 years old and had a prolapse develop after the birth of my son. I don't always feel it. But on the days that I do, it's pretty awful and uncomfortable. I've found going for a half an hour brisk walk is enough to put everything back in place.
You would think it would make it worse, but I was suprised to find it was the opposite! Taking long, relaxed strides and deep breaths into my belly is enough to gently activate all the right muscles to pull everything up where it should be.
Although I walk alone, not pushing a pram or carrying my son. Unless your pram is particularly good to push (mine is terrible!) or you have a baby carrier which works for you, it may or may not work for you. The only way is to try and see!
If you feel good, keep walking. If it aggravates your condition, put your feet up, (or find other gentle exercise) :)
It's very early days for you I think (my son is three!) but I find the search tab on this forum SO helpful when ever I have specific questions arise.

Hi MommaL,
I remember that feeling well of just not knowing what you can do! Rest assured WW posture is very consistent and once you've understood the underlying principles, you can apply it with confidence to all that you do in daily life.
As Earthworm says (I just love the ww pseudonymns!) walking is great - and positively beneficial for WW work and prolapse recovery. Walk with your head held high from the crown up, with relaxed shoulders and relaxed abdomen, raise your chest, take comfortably long strides and allow the back leg to stay in contact with the ground as long as is comfortable (stretches the psoas muscles amongst other things). I love Louiseds suggestion of standing and walking as if you were a Queen surveying and looking down upon all her minions.
BTW: The WW posture/walk may feel quite different at first, psychologically as well as physically. You really do feel tall and uplifted in this posture. It's not a diminutive, submissive posture but a lovely upright and open posture/walk. It took me some time to get used to it!
The rule of thumb re. the WW to perform daily acitivites and exercise is if your upper body shape is at right angles or less to the floor (eg in a forward bend), then the pelvic organs are well supported. However if you're upper body makes an obtuse angle; between 90 - 180 degrees, then this puts a strain on the pelvic organ support sytem (eg it's easy to be in this position whilst pushing the hoover along). So the general aim is to either be in WW posture (head and chest held high, lumbar curve inplace, abdomen relaxed etc) or in a 90 degree angle or less (eg bending forwards to wipe something). So to answer your question re hoovering, in the dvd Ist Aid to Prolapse, there is a sequence where Nikelle demonstrates using an upright hoover with the hoover to the side of her rather than in front of her, so that maintains a good WW posture. Likewise with cycling, walking, running, pushing a pram - so long as you maintain WW posture - these activities are genreally accessible. )Of course there may be individual circumstances/conditions where these activities may not be appropriate).
You may find it helpful to look at the 1st Aid to Prolapse dvd which introduces the key principles of WW posture and principles.
Many women find it helpful to check in with themselves throughout the day - just to mentally check whether they're in WW posture or working within WW principles. Some people find remembering the motto "Change the posture; change the symptom" a useful reminder. After a time (which varies from woman to woman) the WW posture and way of doing things become automatic so you don't have to be so conscious about being in WW posture.
Feeling calm, rested and relaxed are all helpful to prolapse recovery, so do take the opportunity to get the rest you need if/when you can.
Best wishes to you and baby,
xwholewomanuk

I developed a bladder prolapse at 28 after the birth of my first. Posture is a great way to start. Also, make sure you aren't straining when you go to the bathroom. Take a supplement if you need to for awhile to help soften things up. Straining, like you said, makes things worse.

Brisk walking also gives your whole pelvic region a good shake about. As you walk the two sides of your pelvis alternately tip forward and back. Your sacrum and coccyx shift from side to side. It is a like a gentle wash cycle in there. You might find that half an hour after a brisk walk your insides are better aligned, you have burned off a bit of adrenalin, and feel good and relaxed all over. Then you want a poo.

:-)