New here and in need of support and advice

Hi LittleVoice,

As you will read in the Pregnancy & Prolapse chapter of Saving the Whole Woman, there is a reason prolapse happens four, six, eight weeks after birth.

If, as urogynecology asserts, postpartum prolapse virtually always results from a torn puborectalis muscle, women would rise from the birthing bed, or shortly thereafter, with prolapse.

Rather, your "open" pelvic bones and tissues need to be stretched back into the direction of pelvic organ support, which you were not aware of. Consequently, you stayed cuddled into bed and the couch with your little one instead of sitting and standing upright as much as possible during these weeks.

Pelvic organ support is a postural system. They are one and the same, since the organs are connected to the skeleton through a network to tough, stretchy connective tissue (there are no "ligaments" inside the pelvis).

This is what PT does not understand (they are coming around, but it is slow). If your practitioner is aware of these realities, she will be training you in WW posture and exercise instead of kegels, which are really the wrong concept. The pelvic diaphragm needs to re-learn to close like a pair of elevator doors, which means being stretched lengthwise instead of contracted.

Walking in WW posture while carrying your newborn is the best way to learn this work. It is a bit too early on to do fire breathing - perhaps another couple of weeks. We have a new dvd coming out in the next week or so, containing our best postpartum program yet.

We have many young mothers here at WW who will tell you themselves how easily your body will come back from prolapse. It will take time - several weeks to several months to see substantial results, but even early on in the work you will see that the key is moving your organs forward against the abdominal wall, for they have fallen back, not down.

LittleVoice, please breathe a great sigh of relief. You will be just fine.

Wishing you well,

Christine

I'm not too far from you, being in Melbourne. I went to a physiotherapist at about 6 months post partum and have to say that although he was a lovely guy, it was all about strengthening the pelvic floor. That was 2.5 years ago. I can confirm all my time spent contracting my pelvic floor did nothing to prevent or improve prolapse.

My copy of Saving the Whole Woman arrived yesterday. It. Is. Blowing. My. Mind. Have had the First Aid DVD for a couple of months and tend to do the exercises every day.

Gym-wise, since the prolapse was diagnosed, I've been sticking to swimming, cycling (on a dutch-style bike) and these exercises.

Gotta run, daughter just wet her pants...

Hi there,
Just to say help is at hand! Once you know the Whole Woman principles you will feel better physically and psychologically and you will be able to do so many things. Just about everyone on this site has had some experience of prolapse. Many of us felt devastated when we initially experienced prolapse. Many of us didn't have a clue just how common it is.
My personal expereince was that the treatment offered by the medical services were pelvic floor exercises and if things got worse a hysterectomy, as well as some discouraging adivce. In the UK all the prolapse specialists I have come across basically offer this advice. So personally I wouldn't advice that route in the UK.
In 6 months I went from feeling awful physically and mentally to feeling great. I recently said if I had known a few months ago how good I would feel several months later, I would have foundit hard to believe - and it would have helped. I think I will have to take care of myself with WW posture and exercise and swimming (I find breast stroke v. helpful) consistently forevermore. But actually that's a good thing - it helps to keep me fit and healthy generally and is a good thing.

Wishing you all the best on your journey of discovery.
With love, WWUK

That "lift" was for the Australian women. :-)

When you think about it the pelvic floor, out the back, is really the pelvic doors, the back equivalent of the abdominal muscles the obliques, the TA and the RA. The pubic symphysis *is* the base of the torso.

We have abdominal diastasis at the front when the two halves of the rectus abdominus don't meet up again after pregnancy. This is the same, except out the back.

The answer to both is the same. Wind your body up so your pelvic floor and your rectus abdominus muscles are all at their functional length, not flopping around. If they are firm they are best positioned to come together.

I also have a hunch that postpartum prolapse doesn't show up for a few weeks because the first few weeks postpartum usually involves quite a bit of weight loss. Many women who have large weight loss (at any time) find that POP happens afterwards, because their connective tissue reversion is not as quick as the loss of fat and fluid. If they lose weight too quickly their skin stays saggy for quite a while too, but eventually reverts. Could it be the same postpartum, combined with being over the new Mum stage, and starting to do more physical stuff again, while their body is still vulnerable.

Louise

I went to a specialist women' s health physio to learn about the " correct " way to do kegels and to show her my WW book. Mostly I wanted feedback from her. She was very receptive to the WW concept, I just hope that she takes it on board, orders a book. I am in Nth NSW (Australia).
So far, my experience with women's health nurses and doctors, is that they are really too busy to bother with finding out if what I tell them is valid.

Re depression- I went through some major depression some time ago and finally had to accept medication. What helped most of all was talking with a Doctor who explained the neurochemical response to stress. I had lead a life of extraordinary stress. My body had become so depleted of serotonin and other feel good hormones, that I lacked the will to live. I came to think of depression - in my circumstances, as being due to serotonin insufficiency. Once I understood why I felt so low, I allowed myself permission to heal - including using all the recommended treatments. I took the "drugs" but I did all the other stuff as well- foodwise, ( especially our humble vegemite and a good yoghurt) exercise and regular visits to chat with this Dr (he was a psychologist).
hugs
Di