NEW TO THE GROUP...DIAGNOSED WITH CYSTOCELE AND RECTOCELE AFTER FEB. 1, 2007 DELIVERY

Hi and welcome.
If you implimeneted the posture today, I would guess that in a week you would feel less 'heavy' and in a month you would feel human again :)

As you are only post partum you are in a healing period and your celes could very well be fixing themselves right now :)

Just relaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx enjoy your baby and impliment posture - Try to not lift things that are heavyyyyyyy as that will aggravate...

And try to eat a diet that promotes easy bowel movements..

Sue

Congratulations on your new baby! I have never had any children but from what I've heard, sometimes prolapse can get better as you heal. Some of the other ladies on this site may be able to shed some insite on this.

I can comment on constipation though. Eating the right foods and drinking enough is very important to creating "the perfect bm". It's funny, in some respects, that is a focus for me and many of the women here as well. Initally, I found it very upsetting, what no more red meat? No cheese ever! I have opened up my diet to many new things and really am enjoying my new diet (for the most part). A while back I had lots of problems with consitpation. There is tons and tons of great information on this site. Use the search function, I can guarantee that you will find great info.

Also, I am no expert, but I am wondering if you have a bladder infection. It sounds like that to me anyway. It is important to try and empty you bladder completely daily. (lots of great info. on this site for that as well).

Misty, I'm really glad that you found this site. Know that you are not alone, not only will you find great info., but you will also find exceptional support here as well.

Feel better!
-Lilly Anne

congratulations on the new baby!
I'm sorry though, that you wound up with some 'celes after the birth. Keep in mind that your baby is still so so tiny and new, you're body's been through huge changes and healing is probably taking place already.
some of the fullness you're feeling might very well be some swelling which may go away on its own.
some of the bladder troubles you're experiencing may be due to nerves having stretched or been compressed during labor. this can also resolve on its own.
in the meantime, there are definitely steps you can take to help the healing along.
first, don't panic and try to rest as much as you can. I'd order Christine's book so you can read all about this work in an orderly way (as opposed to piecing bits together from all the posts here) and start incorporating the posture.
I'd also been concerned about not fully emptying your bladder, try going in a 'hands and knees' position. some women do this over a small bucket, in the shower, or if you're flexible - over the toilet.
the reason this helps is because it better positions the bladder over the urethra so gravity can assist. the book has all the diagrams that explain this well.
you've gotten great advice re: diet and constipation already, I have nothing to add there.

I personally didn't notice my cystocele until my youngest was well over a year, but other women here who've developed postpartum prolapse seem to experience improvements rather quickly. but there is no race, the goal here is for you to be comfortable and able to live well. it may take time, it will most certainly take effort and emotional stamina, the bulging may not go away completely, but things will get better. many women here have said 'I rarely think about my prolapse anymore' so there is reason to be hopeful.

I'm glad that you found this site so soon, stick around, you will learn so much here and the support is unbelievable.

Hi Misty
Not sure whether or not this is your real name. Just be aware that somebody who Googles "Misty Miles" will come straight to all your posts. If it is your real name, it would be move private for you to cease using this username and set up a new profile with a fictitious username. If it is not your real name, well there's no problem.

Cheers

Louise

Hi! My name is Mary and I am currently 5 1/2 months pregnant with my second baby. My first delivery was 26 months ago and I have a very precious little boy. I ended up with perineal tearing, anal fissure, rectocele and enterocele through the course of having him!
Only the tearing has healed..the other three conditions are still here and are worsening with this pregnancy. I have an appointment with my OB next week to access the condition because I am having a lot of trouble walking due to the pain in my low pelvis. She told me over the phone there may be nothing we can do about it until after I deliver. Can someone please let me know the basics on what you have found will help with this extreme pain/fullness/discomfort? It is a little overwhelming as I am working 45 hours per week at an office job and it's hard to even get out of my chair. It's hard sitting so long as everything feels puffy and sore... I appreciate your time and help.

Thanks,
Mary

I will pray for you.
I wonder if you might bring up the fact to your Dr that you are working so many hours and how painful it is and what she can do to help you get temp disability etc. Perhaps that would help. I was told by my Dr that my blood pressure was "too high" during my pregnancy and that is why he wanted to induce me and yet he never once suggested I rest more. I found that ridiculous and very rude actually...It was okay for me to work 40-50 hours a week and have high blood pressure but not okay to be pregnant until the end of my term...he never got the chance to induce me...went into labor the day he wanted to.

I think you need a rest Mary. I really feel for you.

I just developed prolapse after my last--fifth pregnancy 11-2006 and so I do not have any tips about what you can do physically to help alleviate the pain. I would think though that you have a medical condition you NEED rest from!
Maybe more cushion on your chair? I am prolapsed and work from home on the computer and I use a cushion that raises both sides of my rear and has a channel in the middle so my privs are not being sat on...helps me!

Anyhow, I will think of you often and hope the very best!!

Dear Mary,

I second Therese’s sympathies and her suggestion that rest from the office chair is probably in order if at all possible.

I believe you could do a lot to increase your comfort level simply by slowly and gently incorporating the upper body posture. There really is no surgical cure for these disorders – that is why it is crucial we begin to rally for prevention.

Getting your weight off your tailbone will begin to pull your vagina along its natural axis. This in turn releases stress on the sacral nerves that feed the back of the pelvis. It cannot be predicted how much improvement you will see, but my guess is you will respond positively, like so many other of our new mothers. The keys are the whole woman posture, a very good diet, lots of rest, and absolutely no straining against the toilet seat. You may also benefit from wearing the V2 Supporter

Wishing you well,

Christine

Therese,

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. My husband and I have been talking about this and I'm going to approach my employer about reducing my hours to 7 instead of 9 per day. My Dad broke his tailbone several years ago and used a special pillow, so I'm going to borrow that from him. I have a lot of things I'm worried about with this, so I'm trying to keep my head up. I am 24 years old and want to carry at least one more (hopefully 2 more) children. That you took the time to listen to me and respond really helped. I'm worried about whether or not I should even consider having this baby vaginally, or if my doctor will want me to have a cesearean or not...if I'll be able to have more babies..etc...
I have seen a lot of advertisements on the internet about the KegelMaster and the Athena PMT, both Kegel exercisers. I have done some Kegels on my own, but I do not know how well they are helping. Do you know if these type of tools would help, or is it a waste of time and money?

congratulations on your pregnancy.
girl you got a lot goin on. I am glad to hear that your tearing is healed. Did you know about all these "conditions" and decide to get pregnant again anyway?
Have things improved since your first birth?
I 3rd the advice to get some more rest.
Have you ever heard of a birth ball or an exercise ball? You can sit on them instead of a chair and you can move around more- and they are much easier on a pregnant body then a regular chair.
There is an article on the main area of this site about C-sections. but basically if I were you I wouldn't have one. Have you explored gentle birth options? Like not pushing?
I don't really know what will help with the pain of the weight of the baby-
warm baths- pregnant massage- rocking on your hands and knees- swimming.
Again- knowing what I know now (3 births later) I definitely would have rested more during my pregnancies- and spent time on my hands and knees. and not rearranged the furniture weekly.
I don't think there is a lot your OB can do for you after the birth either. (outside of surgery-which if I understand correctly you can't have until you are done with having babies) I think when that heavy baby comes out you will feel better -pain wise anyway:)
This is much more common than anyone will tell you.

Oh Alemama,

You have such a reassuring way about you! You make me feel better even when I didn't know I needed to! :)

24 years old! What a gal you are!! What a mother.
You had me in tears last night thinking of you!
When they say "I feel your pain" I really did. I wanted to be able to fix it for you NOW!

Not one of us has been able to kegel our way out of prolapse. There isn't a woman they can find who has. I think a person should kegel several times a day just like any other excersize for your body but when I went through physical therapy it made both my cystocele & rectocele worse. Christine recommends doing it at a 45 degree angle--sitting in the posture. It can help incontinence but prolapse it will not help much if at all or we wouldn't be here--we would be talking to Jay Leno while kissing our kegel masters!!

The pillow sounds hopeful. My cushion helps me at the desk.

As far as delivery goes you will have to decided after reading as much as you can about it. There are several ladies here who are pregnant or have had babies after they prolapsed. Search for their stories under pregnancy and prolapse especially.
Granolamom is pregnant currently and UKMummy is great to read--among many others!!

I know I had prolapse before I gave birth to my fifth child--11-2006 but I didn't know about prolapse and it was slight--I didn't realize there was something really wrong until I was doing stomach crunches after the 6 weeks was up and my bladder came out!!--Well not all the way but enough to now there was something horribly wrong!! :)) That is the first time I heard of it...

So, I gave birth vaginally after prolapse--a very slight prolapse.
Some women report their prolapses are actually better after a vaginal birth and then I guess some are worse--obviously mine became worse. It is going to have be yours and your Drs decision--KNOWING you are really the the one deciding! You are the one to end up living with it. C-Sections do not seem to always prevent prolapse and they have other risks that can be worse ...

I am 42 and actually quite ambilivalent myself about it. I love my kids and would die for them--(even the snotty ones :))--I can say that because I have lived through teenage girls and survived--lipstick in place) in a heart beat and I guess I would be injured for them too...! I never realized I could be injured. Always knew I could die but never knew I could be injured--wierd huh? I would not be unpleased if I were to become pregnant again--concerned of course and a bit worried but I am so in love with babies!

I would find myself a really good mid-wife and I would practice the non-pushing labor myself. It sounds facsinating to me. I am a good laborer...I actually feel energized by it and love it, so I am sorry I didn't have the perspective I have now for my last baby...I would have tried the non-pushing delivery described at this site
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/pushnot.html

Anyhow, know everyone here cares for you and is pushing for you--no pun and I hope most of all that you get the rest you need. This is really a time to consider what you should do life style wise etc. I have really changed so much about my life once this happened and all of it has been good.

Bless you and your little ones--inside and out!

Therese,

I have not responded in several days, because I've been having some pretty bad complications. I ended up at the hospital last Tuesday night (the day I posted) because of the pain, pressure, and swelling I'm experiencing...my doctor wanted to rule out premature labor, which I had no signs of! Thank God for that!
The doctor's office faxed a note to work giving me Wed and Thursday to stay at home in bed because of the prolapse. After resting those two days, I made it through Friday, then rested all weekend again. I worked Monday and now it's Tuesday, so I'm taking it one day at a time. I have an appointment today at 3:30 to get everything checked out again. My doctor also found a varicose vein in the 'area', so this is contributing hugely to my pain and swelling.
I'm pretty sure I want to deliver vaginally if I can. It was a wonderful experience when my son was born (my hubby was so excited counting for me) and I hope to be able to do the same with my daughter.
My mother bought a beautiful outfit for my baby this weekend. It's a pink lacy dress with all the flowers/trimmings little girls need :) I think she is trying to cheer me up with all the problems I've been having. I was very touched by her doing that for me and the baby.
Without being graphic, I've started losing a considerable amount of blood every time I have a bowel movement...that is scaring my husband really bad. It's been happening for about 4 days now. He wanted to rush me to the emergency at the first sight of blood. I'm not sure why this is happening so often and so much, but I'll discuss it with my doctor today. I'm trying everything I can do to control constipation, but this is still continuing.
I submitted a request to work to reduce my hours last week. I haven't heard any reply from the head of my department, but I know from my immediate supervisor that it is 'on his desk'. If they do not approve it, I may need to get my doctor to actually put me on some type of medically required reduced hours in order to make it, because sitting is the hardest thing for me to do.
I am in love with babies as well. My husband and I always hoped to have four children. We'll see if we're still able to with the problems that have shown up in this pregnancy.
Just feeling my little one move helps me keep a good attitude about the situation...I know it's worth all of this to have a beautiful healthy baby in a few more months.

Thank you for your responses, support and encouragement. You can't know how much it is needed right now!

Have a nice day,
Mary

Alemama,

I did not even know about 'prolapse' until about 3 weeks ago, when I first noticed I was having difficulty using the restroom. Now that I have educated myself on it some, I can see that this was probably there from the time I gave birth to my son 2 years ago. I think the weight of the pregnancy (I'm 23 weeks) is greatly increasing the prolapse right now.

The second I get home from my job, I'm laying down on the couch, and like I said in my response to Therese..I ended up with some days to rest through a doctor's note to work.

I've got three different pillows in my office now... I switch between them and try to kind of lay/sit on my side with my feet up on a box as much as I can. It might look a little funny to all the co-workers who do not know what is going on, but that's ok! I can't talk to anyone here at work about this. All of my bosses are male, and it just isn't simple to put it politely and find a way to describe the problems. They basically know the doctor ordered me to stay home 2 days because I'm experiencing some pain due to the position and weight of the baby. I'm not sure what else to try to explain!!! :)

I didn't realize you could birth a baby without pushing, so I'll read up on that now that it has been suggested.

Thanks for understanding and being so helpful.

Have a nice day!

Mary

I think you can pass blood with a fissure - you could try to Google it. and sometimes it looks like a lot of blood (because of the water in the toilet) but it really isn't- you could do your own experiment and go in an empty container.....

Mary,
The only time I really really want to win the lottery is when these situations come up!! If I were rich I would make you quit your job and buy you a gigantic remote controlled bed and hire a doula for you to be at your beck and call!! Oh add an indoor swimming pool just to float in!! Ha!

Are you staying away from all soap in the tub?? Never use that. Very irritating to your privs. I use lavender oil in the tub. You will be soft all over and feel and smell so clean and be very relaxed...Christine suggested that and I love it...couldn't live without it now. Need to use pure oil and I mix it with grape seed--1 part lavender to 9 parts grape. I buy it online Now Foods brand (from iherbs--is the vendor--cheapest I have found and good myself)-I know Christine makes her own.
Are you able to urinate ok? I get up from the toilet into several different positions in order to empty all ways I can think of and I have not had any problems. I think most of us do that at once a day. I do it every time.

If you are fairly normal bowel wise I would suggest to help more to make yourself a green smoothie for breakfast and when you get home before dinner. I use Kale and bananas, apples--(granny smith--Christine says they are good for digestion & they are!) and pears in every smoothie--(soothing fruits & so full of different vits!) and I also will add an additional frozen fruit--strawberries, mixed berries, blueberries, pineapple or peaches. Should be thick enough to spoon & smooth enough to use a straw. The frozen fruit will make it cold. I mix it with filtered water only--not dairy. I do not eat at all during the day--only smoothies to avoid rectocele irritation--I eat a dinner with my family. I know for normal folks the smoothie will help you go better--I am still working on my constipation--I used to go 2-3 times a week and I am now an every morning goer...but so far that is as good as it gets and why I have gone to smoothies all day...at least when I do that it is every morning!! The smoothie is full of great nutrition--no waste at all so I would think excellent for you and your baby.

The bleeding sounds troublesome to me Mary. I guess since I am not a dr--is it hemmoroids at all--you mentioned a vein? I had bad ones with my first and bled enough to think I was mis-carrying--pretty embarrassing when I rushed to the dr and found out it was roids!! Never knew about them...oh I was naive...I was relieved though!! Baby ok!! I had surgery on them after delivery.
You need to be confident that your Dr is able to help you adequately. Go to another if you need to if she does not seem to have a good gasp on your situation. I know that is hard to do but you are in charge of your healthcare and responsible for it or the lack...many here have in one way or another second guessed ourselves only to find the Dr we had maybe wasn't doing the very best for us in some circumstances and if you feel this one isn't working great see if there is someone else who could be :)

I am glad you got some rest but I hope that you can get much more and everyday! Will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers!!