Post Partum Prolapse

Hi nhmommy3

I just wanted to say hello and how sorry I am to read your story.

I am very new to the world of prolapse myself and have yet to come to terms with what has happened to me so I can’t answer your questions, but there are lots of lovely ladies on here that will be able to offer you support and advice. My daughter is now 16 months old and I have only just discovered my prolapse and believe me I know what it feels like to be an emotional mess!

There are ladies on here who have gone on to have another baby after discovering their prolapses and I know they say it takes time for your body to heal. Granolamom is one of the ladies that springs to mind so you may want to search her name and read some of her posts. You are only 3 weeks post partum so please do not rush into surgery.

Take care of yourself.

A

Hi NHMommy,
First of all congrats on your new baby!
I am so sorry you've had to find this site, but so glad you did. there are an amazing number of women here who are living well with prolapses without surgery, and so much support.
Finding a prolapse post birth is horrible--you have enough going on without this!!! You want to enjoy your amazing baby and need to look after you and your family, and instead this takes over. I know!!! But know there is so much room for recovery--it is amazing what your body can do.

I found a severe (stage 3?) bladder prolapse at 3 weeks, and then a uterine (mild) and bowel (also severe). Luckily all the doctors were very reassuring, and assured me that I would have huge improvement over the coming year w/o surgery. And I have!!! to be honest I barely notice them now, as long as I eat very very well and do lots of walking.

So, to answer your questions...it probably won't go "back." but you can expect a huge amount of improvement, to the point where you can live life--with a few changes, but not necessarily bad ones.

Physio--i do do it, and really it's just around kegels (i think a few people on here have physios who do more). Christine's theory is that posture and lifestyle changes improve prolapses not kegels. Some people have found it to make things worse, so listen to your body. & definately don't do too many! the first physio i went to had me doing 100's a day, and I went numb and got worst. My current physio had me initially aim for 20 good ones of 10 seconds a day...and it took ages to get there. Now I do 3 sets of 10 - 15 a day, and that's it.

Check on the FAQ's on the home page to read about the posture, as that is really the key. That is the key to so much change. Also order the book, second edition, if you can (in store) as it explains a lot more.

I don't know about sports, but look up key words like run and lift in the search.

and finally, give it time. it is so early! it took a few months before things started to change for me. your body has been through a lot, and needs to recover. so give it all the rest you can, stay in the posture, eat well, slow down, don't strain, and breath and try to enjoy your family. i'd say most of my recovery came around 6 months, but it keeps happening all the time (10 months PP now).

I hope this gives you a bit of reassurance...post all you need and you'll find a lot of answers here.

Kiki

nhmommy3 said " I cannot tell you how much I have been stressing about this." No need, mommy3, believe me, we all understand far too intimately how you feel. You've found a good place to negotiate your fears and know you'll be understood. It seems a cosmic unfairness that this would happen so soon after such a joyous event of bringing a baby into the world, but it happens far too often. I hope you will heed kiki's advice and take it easy on yourself. Seems to me you'd still have a lot of healing to do just three weeks out. Congratulations on your new baby. Take it easy on yourself. Kit

Congrats on the new baby, but sorry you are having this problem. I am in almost exactly the same situtation as you - 11 weeks postpartum, 2 kids under 2 with a uterine prolapse (no bladder prolapse though) and itching to get going: jogging, biking etc. It is too early for both of us to think about it though especially at only 3 weeks postpartum. I just posted my own questions which are very similar to yours. If you haven't read it, check out GranolaMom's reply - she is great and had some very good advice and support.

At 11 weeks p.p. I do feel better then at 3. I can now go all day and not feel too swollen and everything is staying inside now, however I can still feel it and am very aware of it. Time, posture and a few lifestyle changes seem to be key. I'll let you know how I progess since I am just a bit ahead of you in the recovery process.

Hugs :-)

I haven't had any pain at all. It has been more psycholgically disturbing and a nuisance than anything else. I go back to the doctor next week so hopefully he'll give me a better idea of what he thinks since last time he didn't seem to want to tell me anything and had me skip my 6 week pp check and just come back early Nov. We'll see...As for you, I would definitely have the pain checked. Let me know too. Good luck and hang in there :-)

Kegels didn't really make a change in my prolapse either. I am 6 weeks pp and I am very uncomfortable. I did have improvement after my first daughter by doing the posture and exercises but it never goes away. I was still uncomfortable and needed to wear the v2 supporter in order to walk around. I am hoping for more improvement this time but it is so hard to be patient and rest. Be happy that you can stand for an hour because I can only stand a few minutes before I feel like my insides will fall out! I also used to be a very busy person always on my feet so this has been a huge adjustment. I think I am going to get back to swimming once I can exercise again because then I don't have to feel the pressure. I am itching to try the firebreathing too. I will be trying a pessary this time as well. I am not doing physical therapy because I got the same results from doing the posture as kegels. Actually I think kegels made me feel worse. It is nice to have others to talk to and relate to after birth. I hope we all experience healing.

welcome and congrats on the baby. 3 under 5 is hard work (I know, I had my 3rd when my oldest was not yet 5) so I do hope that you have some help, either with housekeeping or childcare. and also I hope that there is someone reminding you to look after yourself. with each baby, the demands placed on you increase exponentially. and ime, the recovery time is a bit longer after each, I don't know if its just the toll each pg takes on your body or if its age or a combination thereof. In any case, 3 weeks is sooooo soon. I know its hard to slow down, especially if you tend to be a very on-the-go type of person, but you need to right now.

my heart really goes out to you and all the other new mommy's here. at 3 weeks your body is still coming out of a pg state, your hormones are wacko, most likely you are somewhat sleep deprived and giving giving giving all day (and night). a prolapse on top of it all would have been enough to send me right off the deep end. so hats off to you for keeping it together!

now about your questions:

I haven't done PT, I happen to be a PT, and though I worked with pediatrics I really can't picture what more than kegels a PT would be doing to be helpful. unless its postural training in accordance with the wholewoman philosophy. but some women here have found PT to be helpful. try doing a search here and reading up on it

personally I have not found kegels to be helpful. I tried them when I first found my prolapse and it got a bit worse. might have happened anyway, I don't know. after my last baby (he's 6 mo) I did not do a single kegel and things are alot better now anyway. I'm wondering if your perineal pain might be related to too many kegels so soon after childbirth? don't know for sure, always check with a dr if you are concerned, but that's my guess

I am able to run, lift and if I wanted to, bike again.

No, everything does not go back to the way it was before. but many of us have experienced a degree of improvement so that it no longer presents as a day to day problem

you are not going crazy, you need a shoulder and we are here. you are not alone. I hope that this does not rob you of the precious time with your new baby

{{{hugs}}}

Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby.I want to welcome you to the forum and say that you have come to the right place for advice and inspiration and support. You have already been given lots of advice and I am rather new to the Whole Woman, but I would just like to add a few things.

Granolamom is right. Too many kegels could definitely cause perineal pain especially at 3 weeks pp. I did this and had this and I stopped doing them for a while. When I lifted something heavy at early pp I also had pain. Also the pain could be something to do with POP as I suspect mine was but the posture will help this and though I do still get this it is a rarity nowadays.

My PT ( was assigned by the NHS as I had bad tearing) told me that your body can take up to two years if not more to recover from pregnancy and birth. I don't take on board all of her advice as she is a kegel woman, but I do think this is true. She has helped me with a core workout programme as mine were weak. My belly and insides felt like jelly for a good few months after the birth of my second child - 2 in two years- and they are still getting stronger and firmer now. I am 16 months postpartum and am healing and growing stronger every day. I have been following the Whole Woman work for 6 months now- and it has helped me so much already. The posture - posture, posture, posture- is the biggest thing to master and will help you in all areas. Try the exercises on the First Aid DVD.

Try not to panic, read the inspirational stories on the forum and know that you have many, many months of improvement to come as your body recovers from pregnancy and birth and heals.

Frankie x