more bizarre insights and questions...

and not only for the entertainment factor!
we are the only ones talking about prolapse in this way. so all of our collective experiences are important right now. so please do continue to share

re new tissue...not sure what that could be

re burning....also not sure. you might want to avoid the irritants you mention for a bit and see if that helps. or ask your dr. I'm super paranoid about uti's these days

re tampons....I've used them without problems. never thought about pulling on the cysocele. maybe lean over when you pull it out? I would think that would move the cystocele out of the way

re pads.....personally, I hate pads. I find them irritating and uncomfortable. I made cloth pads for postpartum use this time around and omg, what a difference. I highly recommend.

I finally cut out caffeine two years ago (well, 2 years, one month and a week but who's counting).
aside from other benefits, I stopped having menstrual cramps. and I had never before had a period without cramps.

I love love love my coffee, and I miss it. not only the boost from the caffeine but the flavor, the experience. dh and I used to grind and brew a pot of coffee every morning. we took it very seriously, lol.
but now that I've seen how good I feel without it, I wouldn't go back.

just a thought..

alright I will give your questions a go. I think if I were seeing new tissue at the opening I would be freaking out- not wishful thinking. Have you done the self exam? I do not think new tissue forms anymore than the natural sloughing off of dead skin cells etc. I haven't responded to your stop breastfeeding plumper tissues because in the long run I think it is better to keep menstruation away as long as possible estrogen not withstanding. When I want to plump the tissues I increase blood flow. Estrogen plays a major role in healing of tissues but it can only go so far.
I get the burning sensation too. At the end of the day- goes away when I get in bed. funny- recently I thought my prolapse was worsening - because of the burning- and finally realized I was experiencing my first yeast infection. But I think the burning at the end of the day is due to stretching out of the delicate tissues.
I wouldn't use a tampon for support- try the search function for sea sponges- granolamom gave good advice on the leaning forward to prevent tugging on the tissue and the cotton pads.
You are so so early pp. 13 weeks is nothing. Give your body more time- I am talking years here. Enjoy your family. get lots of rest.

Could be the pads, or more specifically the buildup of urine on the pad, giving you 'nappy rash'. I have been told that nappy rash is actually caused by the ammonia in the urine reacting with faecal matter, producing an acid which does the burning. Make sure you change the pad regularly.

Sanitary napkins have different types of outer layers, some being perforated plastic, some kind of fibrous stuff. They also sometimes contain perfumes which may cause sensitivity. Incontinence pads may be the same. It would probably go away at night because your cystocele, and possibly urethral opening, is not resting on the pad, so is not contacting the concentrated urine deposit. Also you may not be leaking at night.

Could you go without the pad at night adn give your vulva a rest and some ventilation? Or make sure you install a new pad just before bedtime. Also you could try using a good thick nappy rash cream, or Wholewoman salve. You might find that you only need to use the cream early in the morning and afternoon, and it will keep it under control.

Good luck. It makes you realise why babies cry sometimes.

Cheers

Louise

your body has tendons, ligaments, muscle, bone, hormones, etc.....that change during pregnancy. the muscles in your abdomen separate by inches sometimes and the muscle fascia moves and stretches. your pelvis moves- your intestines rearrange- all sorts of crazy things happen. It takes quite some time for it all to go back. returning down: I believe this is in reference to the top of the uterus shrinking down in size to meet the bottom- not so much pushing down.
I am 11 months pp and my ab muscles still haven't knitted back together totally. I know they will with time though.
The work of the posture is to help everything align back into place pulled there by the crown of the head and the force of the breath.

Hi jsnyc,

I haven't much time here but search my numerous past posts if you like because for me my uterus certainly "rose up" in the weeks and months post partum after being at the vaginal opening originally. I think this is what is meant by post partum healing taking time. I no longer have a prolapsed uterus at all apparently which is of course good news!

I still have softish front and back vaginal walls which bulge somewhat when I bear down, but I have even seen improvement with the tone of the front wall the past few months after increasing various exercise. Who knows if this is still part of post partum healing? I am now 19 mos post partum.

It is different for everyone but it really is ludicrous for all the books to state the "6 week rule". There was no way things were as good as they are now for me then, or even at 13 weeks. Like Alemama said, it takes a while, sometimes a long while, and things will never be the same as they were before. Those babies do cause permanant changes but they are changes which we can learn to be OK with. Hope that helps a little! :)

first, I don't think a few hrs is a fair trial to see if its the caffeine. so if you still have the irritation before your am coffee, that doesn't mean its not the coffee. I'd think you'd need a few weeks without so the irritation could heal first. just my opinion.

I am severely sleep deprived as well. without the caffeine buzz I'm forced to nap when I can during the day and go to bed as early as possible. probably better for me that using a stimulant to get through the day

and yes, this baby is number four for us. I found my cystocele when our third was about a year and a half. I'm sure it was developing before that, but I didn't find it till then. I thought I wouldn't be able to have more children, or at least wouldn't be able to want to risk worsening of prolapse. but here's the amazing thing. even though I didn't improve much at all, I felt so much more confident in my body through implementing this posture that I felt certain that not only could I stabilize my prolapse but that even if it got a bit worse I'd be ok. goodness, that's an awkward sentence. sorry.

now that my baby is 4 months (yours is about the same if I recall correctly?) things are bulgier. but I'm not too worried this time, I know that its early. no worrying until baby's birthday!

on a very positive note, I started doing the ballet exercises in the book, not all of them as I am soooo out of shape, 3X per week and I am seeing a difference. I can feel things lift with the plie's and that makes my day : )

workout. Just want to echo my experience that the ballet workout is a treasure. I have used it consistently since it came out -- I mean I've done it consistently, like a few times per week. and, it makes a big difference in my symptoms the next day. I agree with you, granolamom about the plies. Yes, big difference. I'm going to the sporting good store to get weights for my arms to use with it. Any recommendations on how much weight to start with? Christine? Yes, my next goal is body-building... NOT. But, my midwife told me a story about a woman who reversed prolapse by becoming a body builder. It's been done!

Blessings to all for a great day,

Marie

jsnyc, I get that burning too. On and off. It starts suddenly for no apparent reason. Now I think about it, it seems to occur mainly towards the end of a day. Washing the area and sitting in a tepid or cool bath just before bed seems to help a bit.

I don't drink any caffeine at all. I do like Redbush tea (which is caffeine-free) although I suppose that may be acidic - I'm not sure. I try not to have foods that are too spicy, although a mild curry now and then seems to be okay. I take cranberry capsules to hopefully safeguard against UTIs. Seems to be working so far.

Laying down for a while helps.

Beejay

Dear Marie,

Sorry you had to ask twice about the weights. I hurriedly looked yesterday for the previous post where you asked and couldn’t find it. I’ve been sewing (organza – aaaaakkkk!!!) for a friend, which has put me over the top.

At the Center we do the barre program and then move to the center of the room where we do a series of exercises that build on those we learned at the barre, but emphasize balance and some locomotion. It is here that we use one pound ankle weights and the baton. We don’t add any more weight to the arms, as holding the baton overhead with straightened arms, shoulders down, and crown of head pulled up seems quite enough. We always have to stop periodically along the way to shake out the arms because this is quite strenuous exercise. I have a theory that for many of us our form has kind of oozed down and out and adding weight to the outstretched far extremities while doing exercise specifically designed to reinforce the posture helps to wind our muscles and viscera back up and in. That seems to be the effect, anyway, which you are experiencing as well. I take care that we do exercises that place little stress on our ankles while we have the weights on, because I think running and jumping around in ankle weights can risk injury. After about 15 minutes of this we remove the weights and baton and do a series of jumping, leaping, skipping, and dancing exercises – again all devised to reinforce the basic body posture learned at the barre. It feels really wonderful to compare the lightness and ease of moving in our unweighted body.

We use ballet music at the barre, but for the remainder of the program powerful Celtic, African, rock, etc. Maximum leg lifts closing in fourth position across the floor while trying to remain relaxed and pulled up into the posture yet move nothing but the working leg is very intense and beneficial exercise.

Hope this helps!

:-) Christine