PP Healing...

Hi Goobug....From what I have gathered, from the site, it can take up to two years PP for complete healing. Since the body changes daily continued use of the WW program will help to bring your health full circle. I was told a short while ago that I have third stage cystocele. Yes some days are not so good, but I do my excercise and watch my posture and it gets better. I'm sure there will be days when it seems to be worse for you but don't give in. If you stay with the posture and excercises and you will see improvement. I'm 59 and post meno and I have seen improvemnets. Since you are younger your body is capable of wonderous things when it comes to recovery. Give youirself time. Best Wishes....Rose

Some of them really have me thinking.

You can use the search box to find answers to some of them. Try and use several words, but remember that there are synonyms to try as well, so search them too. If you get a heap of hits you can open each hit and use your browser's Find on This Page function to highlight the search terms in each thread. This makes it much easier to quickly scan long topics for the search terms.

Here are a couple of starters.

To me, healing is feeling better in yourself, and having reduced symptoms. It comes with learning to reposition the organs and keep them there, and carrying and using your body in ways that allow your body to maintain its pelvic organs inside. There is also an aspect of healing that is about lowering the bar, accepting that a little less perfect is OK), demanding a little less of yourself (and learning to not resent it), and not blowing out your POPs so much - not needing to be a superhero all the time, chilling out a bit more, not hurrying so much, taking care of your body better, etc.

I think with postpartum prolapse there is also a lot of physical healing in the form of stretched tissues going back to normal or near pre-pregnant size over the first two years. The reason it is quicker and more noticeable is that the postpartum woman is pretty loose from all the stretching, so recovery is more noticeable than for a woman who finds POP several years after giving birth, or even before pregnancy. When you are postpartum your endopelvic pelvic fascia is shrinking, as well as the fact that you are adjusting your posture and how your organs are being repositioined.

Nobody really knows why postpartum prolapse gets worse before it gets better. I wouldn't mind betting that it is partly because we tend to try and get into pre-pregnant clothing too soon, and it is too tight around the abdomen, even if you think you feel thinner being squeezed into tight pants. We also expect a lot of ourselves, and sometimes load our bodies inappropriately while our fascia are still stretched. It could also be because there is a lot of extra tissue in there in the first few months. As the bulk of it is reabsorbed, and its blood supply settles down, it may have less of a pessary effect. We also tend to spend a lot of time hunched over, in nurture posture, so we are not in the habit of stretching ourselves out and opening up the chest.

I am curious, Alemama, Granolamom, and others who have had babies after finding Wholewoman, has it become worse before it got better, or did you have a more straight forward recovery? Did you have postpartum prolapse at all after these Wholewoman pregnancies and births?

It's best to rinse your nose- with saline or a netty pot.

if you are PP the cystocele heals faster? faster than what? Someone who discovers a cystocele long after their baby is born? Then yes I think so- postpartum women have some serious changes going on- bones are shifting, ligaments are tightening up, hormones..
Why would that be? So, since there is so much change going on in the body - the opportunity for quick change is greater.

I still do not understand the concept of "it gets worse before it gets better" what exactly does that mean? I don't know why- many women notice that the pelvic organs get more mobile- sometimes a rectocele develops as well- or symptoms get more noticeable then at the early postpartum time. Personally, I think this is because when you first find your prolapse postpartum there is much swelling going on-and all that relaxin- your entire body is more mobile, soft, pliable. You are still carrying extra fat in special places and holding water. By three months pp or so this all starts to recede. Basically, it's a 'changes are happening' kind of thing.

You fall lower or pain gets worse? What did it mean to you? For me it didn't mean too much really- I had a rectocele- then I developed a cystocele...

Also when it comes to healing what does that mean? Once your cele goes to a 1 or a "reversal" do the tissues become stronger again and it helps to not show up again? Does it show up a again? For me- it was reversing the cystocele completely. It is awesome really. Yes it can show up again- when I got pregnant and could not maintain the breathing exercises the cystocele came back- but with no discomfort- I only knew it was there because I was looking for it- I was curious. But it was very comfortable- the cystocele supported the rectocele and helped it not to hang out. After the baby was born I was able to reverse it again. My vaginal walls feel very strong to me- not that weak, squishy feeling with lots of wrinkles from the early postpartum days.

I am trying to understand the concept and how on earth can you run with out it falling more? Once your pelvic organs are supported over your pubic bone you can run as much as you want- they are not going to go anywhere.

Why can I feel my cele sometime and other times not? The pelvic organs are very mobile- especially early postpartum. So sometimes you have everything in a good place and sometimes you don't.

How would I know if I had a rectocele or a low uterus? Do the self exam (it's in the articles section)

and we have very similar theories!!!!
too fun.

I still do not understand the concept of "it gets worse before it gets better" what exactly does that mean?

For me this means that I developed my rectocele around 2-3 months PP, soon after finding my cystocele. Boy, was I devastated! But it is high and 100% asymptomatic, I forgot about it a year ago, lol.
I started to feel the change (pressure, pain, urge to urinate 24/7) after the early PP swelling started to recede, 6-7 weeks PP IIRC. Later it got worse, I started checking more, so it got worse and worse. Honestly, it was well over a year when I started to feel better POP-wise. For me the secod PP year brought the healing (cystocele is gone). I also reached the acceptance phase spiritually, this helped a lot too.

Does it show up a again?

No. But I keep the posture. Sometimes I feel more pressure around my period, but the bulge is not there. Cool, huh?

I am trying to understand the concept and how on earth can you run with out it falling more?

I am chicken, I don't run. But I do yoga, aerobics (lame, I know, but I need my muslces back), hiking and basically whatever I want. But running is too much to me. I believe in the posture, and I know that my POP is above my pubic bone...running seems too much risk to me right now.

How would I know if I had a rectocele or a low uterus?

Check it. You'll find it if it is there.

Don't worry. You'll become an expert soon! :)

Liv

I have a question about yoga.
Which poses did you have to adjust in yoga to fit the WW posture and are there any poses that you are staying away from alltogether? I like backbends and twists especially, but I understand that they are not good for POP.
Since my cystocele had gotten worse 3 month ago and I also developed rectocele, I keep wondering if yoga is hurting me more sometimes. I try to stay in WW posture, but it does not seem to be always possible.
I would greatly appreciate any advice on yoga, as it is the only excercise that I'm doing (other than First aid for prolapse excersise).

Hi Julia

Have look at The Village Post, under News. You can search 'new yoga women' in the Search box on *that* page, and find it in the Post's Archives. I think it will answer a lot of your questions.

Hi, Julia,

When I got here on the forums, Alemama did Bikram yoga w/ great results, and I knew a nice studio around so I started Bikram too. It is rough!
I just told the instructor what is the deal with me, and I insisted on staying in WW posture all the time. I skipped some asanas from the 26, and I was overall flexible with the program. Whenever something felt bad, I just stopped it. After a year or so I only skipped the head to knee poses (it is 3 from the 26).
If you attend a class, tell the instructor why you'll do some asanas differently (no pelvic tilts, etc), and as far as I experienced, they are fine with that.

Liv