I'm new and 5 weeks Postnatal - help!

Hi Zoe,

Don't be pressurised into surgery - read Christine's book first before you decide. I've just started reading it. I've got a bladder prolapse and can't bear the thought of feeling like that for the rest of my life, but women on these forums have been helped to manage their symptoms with the advice in Christine's book.

I'm still very new to all this. The only advice I can give you at the moment is not to stand/walk for too long. Rest when you need to. Don't panic! You'll find a lot of advice on this site. You're not alone. Take care,
Beejay

there is some good news for you!
cystocele is much more sensitive to posture work and yoga than rectocele.
i had a rectocele after baby 3, and discovered the big pink bladder bulge after number 4.
i am now 12 weeks post partum, and the bladder bulge is no longer there.
the yoga work i am doing involves trying to breathe so as to make the rib cage bigger, and drawing up the pelvic floor, deep in the abdomen as you breathe out, and hold that pull up on the inward breath, and then draw up further on the outbreath, for about 5 breaths each pose.
you are still at early days. but i think the sooner you get started the better.
see if there is a yoga therapist in your area, or better still, look up marie quail on the internet and see if shecan recommend someone near you (i am in n.i.)
babs

I feel like I just responded to a post about 5 weeks postpartum. Congratulations on your new baby. You are way ahead of the game since you are here before your appointment. Now you will have good information to give your surgeon.
Use the search function to find answers to questions and there is a FaQ section at wholewoman.com.
5 weeks is the early days- I am nine months out and while my celes are still there that heavy feeling waits to hit me at the end of the day instead of right when I roll out of bed. I go where I want and do what I want- mindful of my "limitations" so I choose carefully what I lift or drag-
I exercise every day- pushing my 3 kids in the triple jogger- combined weight of about 150lbs for an hour.
I moved the oven yesterday and would you know I strained my back but no problem whatsoever with the prolapse?
Your instincts are right about cutting and the pandora's box it opens.
Take time to enjoy your baby. You will recover.

Cystocele is the esiest to help with posture - Mine was a primary cystocele and t was just like yours - Within a month of posture I could easily forget about it bar just before period time. Now I am nearly 2yrs in and I an forget about it 99.9% of the time - Surgery really I do not believe is the answer...

Remember importantly - you are post partum and your doctor if they have any sense about them would tell you to WAIT until your baby is at least 1yr old before making any decisions.

Tell your Dr to come here and talk to us - He/she may learn something!

Where abouts in Uk are you? I am in Kent and there is a fab Gyno called Dr *Email me for name and info if in Kent* in kent who didn't just tell me to have surgery... It is nice to see someone you are comfortable with and my Mother also has a prolapse and see's him - He is a wonderful and caring man :)

Do not worry or be pushed into anything at this time - You are only 5weeks post partum and you have plenty of time to get things back to a semblance of normality in your life. Start the posture now and in a month you will be feeling soooooooooooo much better - The fear will be leaving :) And life will resume...

Sue

Look into the eyes - They hold the key!
http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/img/maddy544x150Banner.jpg

congratulations on the new baby!
I'm sorry though, that you ended up with a cystocele. I do recognize the feelings you describe. when I found my cystocele I was scared, felt unfeminine, thought I'd never be able to be an active mom or feel sexy ever again.
know that it can get better. I've reached a point of acceptance where I know my cystocele will never disappear (which doesn't mean yours wont) but did get smaller and take up much less space in my head as well. until recently (I am 2 mo postpartum) I rarely thought of it at all.

re: the trampoline, a while ago there was some discussion about rebounding and its value in terms of helping reduce a prolapse. I believe (and someone correct me if I am wrong please) I remember the conscensus being that if done in the posture it can be helpful. so don't toss the trampoline out in the trash just yet!

give yourself some time to heal from pg and childbirth. read through this site, try the posture. I believe that in time, your frame of mind will change as will your physical symptoms.

while surgery is always an option, realize that it is elective. this is not an emergency life threatening condition. so take the time to understand prolapse and the types of surgery being offered along with potential adverse effects, long term success rates, etc etc. you have all the time in the world to make that decision. for me, and for most of the women here, I have found that I can live quite well with my prolapse and the level of symptoms it causes me. you might find that as well.

the beginning days though, are dark. keep in mind that you are not alone, we've been there too. I've come through ok, in fact I feel stronger and healthier than I've ever been.

(((hugs)))

Hi everyone, just registered in here..... I too have just found a lump protruding from my viginal area that my Dr has informed me is a prolapse.... and at 38 and after only one baby I never thought I would have that issue... My little boy is two and besides having quite a tramatic birth as my baby was back to back and he shot out before there was time to turn him resulting in 27 stitches I do not know what else could of caused this problem..( A reason / explanation would be much appreciated)
I use to so much enjoy excercise and socialising and since being told I now need to go for a discussion etc at the hospital and the uncomfortable feeling I am very depressed... and to top it all I was just thinking about trying for another baby...
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.. and sorry if I haven't filled this in correctly.

regards
Saffire

i think you probably already suspect that the trauma from the tearing may well lie at the cause or causes of your prolapse.
i blame the mismanaged first labour for mine!

hey, but when you feel down, just remember your wee lad is worth it all.

i reckon prolapse is very very common. don't let it put you off having another baby.

i found my prolapse after no. 3, and no 4 was a surprise baby. i'm not any worse, but actually a whole lot better than before.

don't let prolapse ruin your life, or obsess about it. try the simple advice contained on these forums and see how you go.

Forgive me if I'm writing on a tangent and what I say seems to be in left field.

First of all, Congratulations on your new baby!!! Your only 5 wks pp so any diagnosis from the doctor will be extremely superficial. I'm anxiously waiting to see what the doctor has to say. I recently learned that "(In England) They won't consider prolapse surgery until ONE YEAR postpartum as they consider the vagina to be in trauma until that time." AND "In Chinese Medicine Postpartum is a period of TWO YEARS, your body can repair itself.(an acupuncturist)" Regardless of what your diagnosis may be, don't let it rob you of your precious time with your newborn. Your a wise wise woman for making sure your postpartum recovery is successful. Welcome to Whole Woman zoeUK!!! Enjoy your babymoon!

i beg to differ from your gp!

your body does recover up to 6 to 12 months post partum. all of the healthcare professionals i have spoken to (my gp, physio and gynae) have said this.

no one should ever talk about surgery 5 weeks after a baby.

in fact in most healthcare trusts within the nhs it is usual to insist on physio before assessment by a gynae surgeon!

why don't you try and get a referral for physio, and find out from your local healthcare trust where the nearest women's health physio is based? the physio will assess you, do bio feedback, get pessaries and supporters sorted for you on the nhs.

from what i understand the range of pessaries in the uk is poor. i dont think we have the ones that can be kept in, and again provision varies from trust to trust.

some women find that a pessary may actually result in rectocele as well.

if it is any consolation i did have the cystcele bulge at my vagina entrance after baby 4 12 weeks ago, but it retracted with yoga! i think yoga is also helping me get the posture, but i do think it depends very much on teaching!

also, if you are not having chronic incontinence, i wouldn't personally have surgery just to "fix" a bulge.

my local healthcare trust is really promoting mesh kits, and a look at magnus murphy's website will indicate these are a total hames, causing irreversible pain and suffering.

its still early days. give yourself time. rest, try and strengthen the muscles above those that we squeeze in a kegel. try kegelling lying on your side or tummy, and draw up, making your ribcage only bigger as you breathe in, and drawing up further with each successive breath out. kegel on the out breath.

when i do this i feel the lift internally. my gp actually commented on the marked increase in the tone down there when i had my smear this week!

take courage and be patient.

(and i think your gp needs retraining!)

Hey Saffire

You'll be fine. Go to the talk at the hospital by all means and let us know what you found out. We can help you understand things you may be confused by. We're not medicos but between us we have probably given birth to over 2000 babies and probably have over 2000 prolapses between us. There's a lot of wisdom here!

Many of us have had different types of 'hospital talks' and 'therapy' for prolapses and have been given 'exercise programmes' while we were there. It is all valuable, but some is more valuable than others, and some therapists are better than others.

Get a copy of Saving the Wholewoman, by Christine Kent. It is a survival manual and is a wonderful source of information about prolapses and looking after them. Life is not over for you. It will almost certainly improve if you take the steps Christine outlines. It is all about posture, good diet to avoid straining, exercises that reinforce the body's structure, clothing that doesn't aggravate prolapses, and generally becoming more aware of your body and looking after it. Keep calling back.

Cheers

Louise

Hi Zoe,
Huge congrats on your baby. I am so sorry you have had to find your way here, but glad you found the site.
I discovered a cystocele 3 weeks after baby no 2. I too had had a debilitated pregnancy, and then so many problems with feeding etc. I was so devastated, and really felt like I couldn't see a way forward with prolapse--how would I raise my children actively, work, do anything??? It was awful ;-(

I too am in the UK (where are you at?), and had quite the opposite reaction to you. I was told by 2 GP's I wouldn't need surgery (despite the golf ball I had!), and that things would get much better. When I saw the surgeon who specialises in prolapses he said he wouldn't even reassess me till I was 1 year post partum or stopped feeding--whichever was longer. He said I would have HUGE improvement over the year, and that then I could decide what to do. He didn't actually recommend the surgery (and definately NO MESHES!!!), but said if I wanted it it was there. The physio is great at being reassuring, and said that she too knew I'd be fine, as so much healing happens.

Fast forward nearly 6 months. I started the posture work just after finding my prolapse, and the bladder prolapse doesn't bother me at all. My uterus which was pulled down is lifting. Unfortunately the rectocele which took its place is more stubborn and up/down, but I'm working on that one....
I'm doing physio, accupuncture, homeopathy, reiki, herbs, eating well...you name it, i'm trying it--and it is making a difference...

so i would say, give it time. try to rest all you can--so hard with babies i know, but try. eat really really well. don't lift the bigger baby (how old???), or anything you don't have to. I decided to think of my postpartum year as being a year old healing, and everything I did was about helping my body to heal.

And hey--it's the NHS. It'll take months to see a consultant anyway, by which time things will have improved. Go to the FAQ's on the home page to see about the posture and start there, bit at a time.
and know there is a whole community of women here supporting you.

kiki

I came here over a year ago, after the birth of #3, scared out of my mind. I, too, have a primary cystocele, and there were times, sitting on the toilet, that I could feel it bulging out of my vagina.

I am happy to report that I, like Sue, no longer find it in the forefront of my mind, and I live pretty much as I did prior to discovering it. It no longer bulges out, and frankly, I don't check where it is.

It's so scary at first to discover this. You can learn to live well with it. Surgery can be enticing, but when you read Christine's book, and discover how it's not really a fix it all, adn all the horrific things that can happen post-surgery, it will give you pause.

This is what I did. I started implementing the posture right away, and I do to this day. I do Christine's ballet workout from her new book several times per week. This keeps things nice and pulled up. I got new clothes that didn't constrict my waist at all. I love my new clothes! I have also been using the kegelmaster during this time. I have tried accupuncture, chinese herbs, and the Alexander Technique. Have these helped? With my overall well-being, yes. And this, I think, effects how I feel about the prolapse. It has always been my thought that there are as many paths to healing as there are individuals.

You will get through this. For most of us, shock and grief are all part of it.

I want you to know that now, I run, I play soccer, I play tag with my kids, I give them piggyback rides, I race with them, I run up and down stairs, I do ballet, I cook, create, homeschool, make love, and most of the time, feel just great. I do feel my symptoms most right before my cycle -- then I try to be gentle with myself, and focus on Christine's exercises more vigorously.

Blessings to you and your new baby -- you can heal.

Marie

the only thing I think your dr is right about is that its too severe for kegels. and that's because kegels alone will not reverse a prolapse.

my cystocele was at the entrance to the vagina initially. after a loong time in the posture and doing some of the exercises it went in a bit. But, before you lose all hope, it only took a few months before I stopped thinking about it all the time and felt 'normal'.
I think in my case, that's the best I can expect. the damage has been done, I've had lots of perineal tearing that never healed right and I think the anterior wall is no longer well attached to fascia beneath it. at least thats what it feels like to me.

I've never tried a pessary. I think it may be useful for symptom relief. not sure about long term recovery benefits. on the one hand it'll keep everything in place while you hopefully reshape fascia and stuff, otoh, it keeps the vagina open when normally its a closed flattened tube. so I don't know. worth a try I guess. If I were to go the pessary route, I'd want one I could remove whenever I wanted to, probably every night. I'm uncomfortable with the thought of something in there for long periods of time.

being 5 weeks pp doesn't mean you will or won't recover. it just means that you've recently had a baby and had acute trauma to the area. sometimes acute trauma leads to chronic symptoms and sometimes it doesn't. so I'd say its too soon to say either way.

I can't tell you whether you should believe your gp or the info here, but I will say you have plenty of time to think about it. I don't believe that if you put off surgery for a bit things will get so much worse that you'll no longer be a candidate for it, or that you will be too far gone.

loved your post.
you sound happy : )

No rectocele or Uterine prolapse! That is great news-
When I stopped lifting my little ones they were very understanding- I would say - I would love to hold you- give me just a second to sit down and you can climb up in my lap. Now they very rarely ask to be picked up- instead they say- mommy can I get in your lap-
My problem now is the 25lbs 9 month old- he is starting to stand on his own though and will be walking with in the month so in the next 6 months or so I won't have to carry him everywhere.

As far a sex goes- I know most women on this site don't really share the ups and downs of prolapse with their spouses. I do- my husband is the one who found mine- he was looking to see how my tear from child birth was healing and saw the bulge and asked me if I knew what it was- so he checks in on the prolapse every once in a while to see how it is healing-(not much at the moment)
and he can not tell the difference at all- not at all. I don't think the human penis is designed to be able to detect the fact that it is pushing flesh out of the way- (that is what happens- the penis goes in - and on the way in it just sort of moves everything out of the way) I imagine if it was a hard stationary lump there would be a problem- but since it is soft and movable it is nothing more than a little extra friction at first-
take your time getting into lovemaking again- especially since you have a tear that is still healing. but I imagine once you finally do have sex you will notice that everything feels higher for a little while.