Does it get better?

Submitted by RoseBud11 on June 2, 2015 - 7:06pm
Body: 

First, I want to say that this website has already provided me with more useful information on prolapse than I can find anywhere else, and I am a scientist with no shortage of available resources to research this condition. So I appreciate the women here being helpful and candid. I have learned so much. I am 3 months postpartum with my first child in my early 20's. At 4 weeks postpartum, I realized that something was bulging out of my vagina, very close to the entrance. I realized it was prolapse. So it appears that I have a cystocele and uterine prolapse, but I occasionally have rectocele symptoms, so I believe I am dealing with laxity of my entire pelvic floor. I stopped lifting things, tried to do kegels, and paid even more attention than usual to my bowel habits and constipation, upping my already high fiber intake. I saw drastic improvement from weeks 6-12 or so. This past week, which will mark 13 weeks postpartum, my original symptoms have come back much worse. I have a painful, swollen urethra, a constant urge to urinate, the feeling of something being "in there", inability to completely empty my bladder, and general pelvic and back pain, sometimes shooting, sudden pain. I did return to work this week, which has been a bit stressful, but not as bad as I was anticipating. I am wondering what could have worsened my symptoms (and brought about new ones). I know hormonally things are changing, and that could be the cause, but I really thought that I was done dealing with this, and that I didn't really have prolapse after all. I don't know what I'm asking. I guess for encouragement. It seems like a constant struggle to feel normal with this problem, and I can't imagine how it happened with youth, an easy delivery, and good health on my side. I pushed for no more than 30 minutes, and had no tearing and a relatively easy labor. I want more children (several more) but it terrifies me to think of dealing with this full force again. Does it ever get better? 

Forum:

Kp1

June 2, 2015 - 8:51pm

I would also like to know the same answers you are looking for. I too am I my 20s, first baby and I am struggling to know will my life be the same ever again. I didn't know this could happen at such a young age with an uncomplicated delivery x

Miss Diagnosed

June 2, 2015 - 10:00pm

In my case I came here at 3.5 months pp. for me that was my lowest point. I too felt improvement between 6-12 weeks then a sudden worsening and this all coincided with the onset of pp hair loss so I am 100 percent convinced of the hormonal connection and in both of your situations you already assert that stress plays a significant role in making things worse.
By 8 months pp things for me are better. Are they perfect? No. But I've been able to live more fully than I felt I could do a few months ago and have for the most part understood why Ive felt like it's on my recent bad days. A day in skinny jeans, a long car journey, too much sugar. I have to wake up to the fact that my body is changed but if I treat it with more respect it will respond in kind.
Both of you are in such early stages just now. I think Rosebud you'll see improvements or a return to your baseline soon. kp1, many of us have a slight worsening around 12 weeks pp but you may or may not experience this. It takes time to get a handle on things emotionally. Be kind to yourselves.

Surviving60

June 3, 2015 - 4:04am

Hi and welcome. Your post is typical of post-partum stories that we hear over and over and over again on this forum, so if you have been reading, you probably have figured out that much by now. Of course it will get better.....you have two years of healing after a birth. But there is much that you can do to help.

It is very significant that prolapse appears not immediately after childbirth, but in the weeks and months that follow. This is because it is not birth damage as such, but very much a function of what we do (and don't do) for our bodies AFTER we give birth.

So please do give very serious consideration to taking up the Whole Woman postural work as soon as you can. There is a wealth of information around this site to get you started. Good luck on the journey - it has been life-changing for me and countless others. - Surviving

RoseBud11

June 3, 2015 - 7:41am

Thank you both. I am particularly interested in something you said, Surviving60. What is it that we can do (and not do) after birth that can contribute to prolapse? I wonder not only because I'd like to know how this could have happened, but also because I would like to have more children, and will likely deal with this again. I actually first noticed the bulge a few days after doing some heavy lifting around my apartment, so I have no doubt that could have contributed in my case.

Surviving60

June 3, 2015 - 8:11am

That is what the Whole Woman work is all about. It's about your posture and how you have to learn to stand, move, sit, bend, and lift as you go throughout your day. Learn the posture and go from there. Here is something to get you started:
https://wholewoman.com/newpages/video/ww101.html