Second pregnancy with prolapse

I'm new to all this too. I have only known about my prolapse for 8 months. I found out I was pregnant 2 days after the diagnosis. I found this site shortly after. From what I understand, having a c-section does not guarantee any less damage. There is no evidence to support it. Matter of fact it is major surgery, it could possibly make your situation worse. Christine's book goes into detail about this. Very good information. Hope this helps.

Yes, there are women on here who have birthed fine after finding their prolapses. THEY are where I find my strength!! Check out birth stories from alemama & granolamom for starters. If you put in birth stories in the search engine on this site you will get more hits. Happy hunting! Congrats on your pregnancy, you will be fine!!

I've had two normal births after finding my prolapse. by one year pp with my first POP birth I was even better off than I was pre pg. now I'm about the same as when I first found my POP (I am 5 mo pp) and I have no doubt that I will get back to where I was prepg again.
YOU CAN DO THIS TOO

c-sections don't completely eliminate the risk of prolapse either. c/s is major abdominal surgery and aside from the fact that its riskier for both mother and baby than natural childbirth, they cut the abdominal muscles and fascia, potentially damaging the pelvic organ support from above.

here's what I did
tried to stay active and in shape as much as I could during pg. avoid constipation, spent lots of time on hands and knees.
planned a homebirth, thought alot about which positions would be good for my prolapsed bladder (ended up birthing on hands/knees both times)
if you are planning a regular hospital birth, I'd give serious thought to forgoing meds so you can be active in labor and stay off your back and out of stirrups. that position puts way too much pressure on the pelvic organs

its definitely possible

Um, has anyone here seen a c-section? I've watched several in my OB clinical. It was so much more gruesome that I expected! The surgeons make a teeny-tiny incision -- just enough for each one to fit a few fingers in and then they RIP the woman's abdomen open with all their might. Yep. Then after the baby is out, they actually pull the uterus out of the body, roughly dry it off with towels, and lay it on top the woman's abdomen while they suture. Yep. The uterus just hangs out on top of the woman's belly for about 15 minutes for all the world to see. Now how does that protect pelvic organ structures, I wonder?

As horrendous as all the rest...

rab, it sounds to me like you are in a great position to prepare and achieve a perfectly normal vaginal birth. 20 weeks pregnant with second baby with an already well managed POP....excellent!
Surgical delivery is recommended for virtually every reason under the sun these days....the crying wolf story comes to mind as it is becoming increasingly difficult for many people to discern IF surgical extraction is truly needed, or is it is just the knee jerk reaction of modern obstetrics. When in doubt, cut. They can never be faulted for what they DO. They can be faulted for what they DON't do, thus the ridiculous level of intervention in birth.
This is a well-referenced article http://www.motherfriendly.org/pdf/TheRisksofCesareanSectionFebruary2010.pdf
Surgery and pelvic floor info on page 3
Seems to me you need to find some birth support who is more interested in caring for your pelvic floor and preparing it for birth rather than slicing your abdo open. I would highly recommend you tap into the natural birth/homebirth/midwifery community in your area for more info and a broader range of experience and opinions. I can help you find it if needed (tis a very small world:) )

You can absolutely have a second birth vaginally after prolapse from the first.

I have a 15 month old girl and a 4 year old boy. After the birth from my son I had pretty severe rectal, bladder, and uterine prolapse. I was very scared and depressed about it until I found Christine's book and was able to understand how it had happened and how I could manage it without surgery.

I considered having a c-section for the second birth in order to preclude worsening the prolapse, but then I learned that doing so wouldn't necessarily preclude it and that method could have a host of its own problems. My prolapse was caused by both of my children having enormously sized heads (14.25" circumference!, they only weighed just under 8 lbs each, but have monster noggins). I had both of them as home births assisted by midwives. I tore with both and had episiotemies with both, which didn't help retain the integrity of my pelvic floor, but I have been living with the prolapses well. and I can honestly say that my second vaginal birth did not worsen the prolapses overall. It took about 6 months after each birth for all of my organs to start to go back in place, and about 12 months for them to be as far back into their "normal" positions as they were going to be, and now I find that the only time it's really bad (bulging right at the vaginal entrance) is when I am utterly exhausted, doing too much lifting, working feeling stressed, or trail running, or with a virus of some sort. Otherwise, I have no urinary incontinence, no painful intercourse, and an otherwise normal life! I take a homeopathic remedy occasionally that helps when it's particularly bad, but the main thing that I do is be aware of my posture and try to always keep the proper lumbar curve in my back and stand in the whole woman position.

The best prop I have found to use is an empty CD case (one disc long and wide, a booklet that holds about 50 discs) that I use to keep against my lower back when I drive which allows the proper curvature. Sounds strange, but really helpful. Also, right after each birth when the bulging was uncomfortable I used a padded ring to sit on at my office chair or car seat (like a small foam toilet seat type of ring) that allowed the bulging to not be pressed upon while sitting. Also, if my uterus is really low I will use a non-bleached super size tampon to push it up into place on occasion. I know that sponges could do the same thing, and probably better, but they just seem really large to me and I'm not ready to try them, though I may in the future. Yoga and dance help as well . It is CRITICAL though, to just be sure you don't do any exercise that puts your body at an OBTUSE angle. For example, don't push your baby stroller with your arms way out in front of you; keep your elbows close to your sides as you push. This will keep your body at the proper angle. Also, don't tuck your tailbone when they tell you to if you do yoga, as this takes out our (womens') much needed spinal curvature. Be careful doing pilates, as most of those poses are at obtuse angles. Mountain biking is okay, since you are mostly at an acute angle. I have not found running to be helpful though, since you strain the ligaments with all the bouncing.

In any case, these are the things that have helped me. I've been living with this now for 4.5 years, and I have 2 happy, healthy kids, a normal and healthy sex life, and I can do just about everything I want to except I have to take it easy and really honor my body's limitations now... Which isn't so bad. It just means asking for help with lifting and resting when I need to rest, which we should all do anyway, right? I'd love to answer any other questions you might have.... But do go for it with the second vaginal birth. If you can manage prolapse after the first, you may not worsen it with a second if you are able to stay aware of your posture.

Hey futuregirl, you have an awesome and positive story -- thanks so much for posting it. I know a year ago, words like yours were like lifelines to me, so know how much you are contributing to other women newly experiencing prolapse. Thank you!

Hey BadMirror and Futuregirl

Great to hear from both of you. When we don't hear back we always wonder how you are going. It is truly wonderful to read both your positive, confident posts.

And Rosewood too!

Louise

Thanks so much for all these comments and stories ladies ! It's very helpful to hear firsthand from others that have experienced the same thing.

We are just about to go & have our 1st scan to meet our little person who is now 12 weeks and I am considering all the options for birth. Even tho my Dr is kind of "selling" the C-section as the easier option ! hmm

It's great to hear that women have managed to have a natural birth without having to go the c-section route ! Although after having an almost 10lb bub the first time I am a tad worried about how big this one might be !! ouch !

ciao for now & Good luck to all those preggy prolapse ladies !!!

Michelle x