rectocele and bowel movements

Hi Maxhar – I’ll give you my thoughts, and hopefully others may chime in with observations of their own.

I have rectocele and also very sensitive bowels and a diet that ranges from OK to not great. I often have multiple BMs early in the day. I don’t think that the quantity of stool or frequency of going has anything to do with the rectocele itself. Incomplete emptying probably does, and rectocele that is unmanaged can also manifest as a feeling of having to go when you don’t really have to (i.e., the heaviness fools you).

I think it was Louise who once observed, don’t worry if it doesn’t all come out the first time; eventually it will.

How are you doing with the WW work? It should over time relieve some of this heavy feeling. Of course you will continue to have fluctuations in this throughout the day. - Surviving

Hi Maxhar I have the same as you. I cannot give any answers as my screen always freezes when I try to reply here

Hi Maxhar,
Immediately after my baby was born for about a month I'd say, I was going 2/3 times every day which I knew was not 'me'. Now I am at nearly six months pp and down to mostly one trip to the loo a day but there are mornings where I'm not emptying and have to go again which I hate because the pressure is so horrible.
I have upped my fruit and fresh veggies a lot since having the baby because 1 - I was worried about pp hemmorhoids and 2 - I was feeling prone to constipation after the birth. I now know of course that I have a rectocele and cystocele but my point here is that some days I'm so paranoid about not being able to go that I overload on things that will make me go easily. The lighter I eat these days the better and sometimes the pressure of a full or heavvy stomach makes my bowels feel full when I doubt they are ready to empty - it's downward pressure squishing everything and a walk in posture helps me to alleviate this.
It's interersting to read up on. For example if you google search 'post partum IBS' you will find dozens of women complaining of changes to bowel habits after having a a baby. Maybe it is IBS, or maybe these women, or at least some of them, have undiagnosed rectoceles....
I truly sympathise though...the things our bodies go through!
Have you tried keeping a food diary? There are foods that our body processes too quickly which could be problematic in terms of intestinal transit.

I too had major changes in my elimination patterns, during pregnancy, postpartum and nursing. Most of these changes remained. For example, I never again went back to having just one (or maybe two) BMs a day. I don't think this had anything to do with prolapse as such, but I can't know for sure. - Surviving

My mother also claims to have developed ibs like symptoms after her second baby and doesn't think she has a rectocele. She had cognitive behavioural therapy to help with anxiety which helped with the symptoms but she is bad when anxious (apparently all this started post partum).
Even pre-baby I'd have jumpy bowels when stressed. Any possibility of anxiety playing a part too?

I am quite certain it does in my case. I can feel things start to turn flip flops when I am suddenly stressed and have been known to make a beeline for the ladies room in those instances. - Surviving