Symptoms getting worse

..are you still having uti symptoms? Are you feeling increased bladder pressure?

I read a few of your older posts and you indicated positive results when tipping forward to empty your bladder and holding the posture. Without knowing specifics, I would point out that 8 months pp still leaves you will a full 16 months of healing to do yet. Also, you are early days in your WW work. My guess is that there are also hormones at play here, not to mention the inherent good/bad day aspect of prolapse we all have, but that can be particularly challenging to deal with early on.

I applaud you for committing to WW posture daily and doing the workouts, but I would also say that unless you have had a formal evaluation from Christine or another practitioner, at this early stage it's most likely that you don't have the posture 'perfected' yet. I know I didn't. In the 2+ years of this work, I've definitely had to make tweaks to the way I held my posture. Learning how to make those tweaks helped with improvements. And I'll bet that even now, if I had Christine evaluate me, there would be additional subtle things I could be doing better.

But I'd say the most important element of this work in terms of improvement is this: Time. I know it's not what people want to hear, but it's the truth. This work isn't a quick fix and it just takes time. I'm in my 3rd year of this work, and I continue to see improvements. I think it was Bad_Mirror who once said that tracking early progress is like watching an ice cube melt in the refrigerator. It can seem like nothing is happening until all of a sudden you look back and realize how much really has changed. It may be Wildstrawberry that that's just the place you are in.

Hi strawberry - I agree, you are only 3 months into this work. I still have improvements at 5 years. My posture was actually tweaked last year by Christine herself at the conference! We have no way to really know if you are doing things correctly or not, and in addition, there are lots of ways that PP moms can sabotage themselves because they believe that their healing period is over. Think of this: you prolapsed at 5 months, and you've been working at this for only 3. So keep working and keep improving your use of the tools that are there. Do you firebreathe? - Surviving

Hi Wildstrawberry

My symptoms have got worse over my first year of WW but it is because I have not had the posture quite right. In saying that they also got better too in areas with the positions for bladder emptying and bowel movements and when I sit and sleep thanks to WW work things go up a bit.

For me things are all falling into place now at the one year mark and my whole body is a lot better at holding the positions and sitting on the floor comfortably. There has been a lot for me to tweak and I have still been in too much of a neutral pelivs position without realising it as I adjust to the curvy shape of WW. Often I don't even realise this as I still look curvy compared to my old suck and tuck way.

To me it just goes to show how much I need WW posture as even a neutral pelivs has not been enough to stabilise me. I shudder to think how limited my quality of life would be if I still had my old posture of suck and tuck.

I believe in WW and know I am on the right track but admit I have had many hard days and frustration during this year. I kind of imagine myself climbing this giant bean stalk but I love that I have a system that works and will get to the top where I manage prolapse well.

Keep going and learning, best of luck.

Hi Wildstrawberry,
You are so early into this work and of course you need to go through the grieving process, as this is a loss of our "perceived" perfect self. Non of us knew that what we were practicing before whole woman was actually so unnatural.

I did some mourning myself early on, and kicking myself with disgust for not knowing better. I worked on it, and at first nothing would move anywhere. Having everything just sitting there and having it not budge was so frustrating. I know that feeling.

We are always throwing that word out there "time", but we are not doing it lightly because that really is what it takes to manage and get some relief from your symptoms.

And, don't worry that you don't have the posture down perfectly. Your body molds into it as you do the work. It shapes you, you don't force it. I feel that strongly about my experience with this work. I tried to force it so much in the beginning, but when I just gave in and let it take over, that's when I started seeing the results of my dedication to this work, slowly, but ever so surely.

So, chin up, dear strawberry, grieve for you loss as you need to, but also embrace your positive new future that whole woman can give you.

I've also seen the best results since I relaxed into the posture.

Best of luck with putting your story out there Wildstrawberry.

I've had trouble with my sacroiliac joint for years with regular chiropractic appointments for it, and it actually would go out on me putting me flat on my back numerous times. Not trying to make light of your concern, but I never had problems with urinary urgency during those times. The joint still nags me at times, but it hasn't been the problem it was in the past before I adopted whole woman posture.

I did have that urgency though when my prolapses were at their worst in the beginning. All the pressure of organs mashing against each other and my pubic bone more likely being the culprit.

As we always say, time and patience, and dedication to the work is what seems to relieve these symptoms most of the time.
Wishing the best for you that you can start to find some relief from that soon. I know it can be a nagging worrisome thing to have on your mind.

Dear Wildstrawberry,
Make sure that you are actually relaxing the lower belly.

I still have to consciously relax it as I very easily go about various activities and unconsciously pull it in - not as much as I did before WW, so goes easily unnoticed...

When I am walking I notice my relaxed lower belly is like a little trampoline, the intra - abdominal pressure "bouncing" the muscles and fascia slightly, and protecting the internal organs at the same time.

When I don't do this and do lifting etc, urinary urgency increases, and prolapse worsens. Tight clothing doesn't help either....

I am so glad you are having success with managing your rectocele.

With me it is an ongoing management process, and I am sharing what I have found in the hope that it helps.

When managing rectocele at the toilet, I have spoken to Louiseds, yesterday, commenting on her post with reference to the stance of a Sumo wrestler - be on the toilet seat with legs spread wide, so that your belly is relaxed, and internal organs are pulled forward. ( I think of whole woman child's pose, with the legs are apart to allow the belly room between them)

Then I come forward taking my weight off the seat and stand in a slight squat with my hands on thighs, belly fully relaxed. ( sometimes I can go straight to the standing position as I don't stop the original urge if I can get to the bathroom quickly).
My understanding is that this pulls all the organs forward and makes the way for the BM straighter and helps it come down and out more easily.
That is what I am practicing at the moment... before if the BM was sitting in the rectocele I didn't understand how leaning forward helps and this explanation really does clarify how we can defy gravity and also use it!

I have a propensity to pull my lower abs in when giving a push if I need to, so am working on relaxing and breathing through the process more, until I can isolate the anus/ sphincter more when needing to give a push.
I believe there is a "get it out"...."yuk factor" .... "do everything quickly"...."rush...rush"....with me, in case the urge and natural elimination process goes away, & in I can & often override it.
Having said that, sometimes there is a BM there and I get no sensation at all, perhaps nerve damage from forceps delivery and 3 episiotomy(s) disrupting the nerves' pathways.

I have found that is there if I relax and let it take over, it will eventually be there more to do most of, if not all the work...

I hope this helps,

Aussie Soul Sister