WW Exercises during pregnancy

Wow HappyMama, you really are a happy mama! Just lucky I guess! I would imagine the normal exercises are fine, but maybe we'll get someone to second that. - Surviving60

Dear Happy Mama,
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I don't think prolapse would change your cycle. However, I am not sure. Just glad you are happy. I am very familiar with the exercises you are talking about. I don't think they should cause you any harm. They may help you feel better. Though you know your body best. You alone must decide what works for you and keep yourself and baby safe.
WWPA

LOL! Strange how the worst part of a doctor's visit is usually the doctor! ;-) But seriously, it would be nice to think that something positive could come out of it. Is it worth going at all, or have you not had a formal diagnosis?

- Anything where you lie on your back and bring legs into chest, or lift legs into the air while lying on the back. There's a slight risk of an embolism which could be harmful to both mother and bub. These exercises are in the cool down for FAFP.
- Any ab exercises, none of which I recall from the FAFP DVD.
- exercises where there is pressure on your tummy, for example in part of the first yoga DVD.

Hope that helps.

Kiko -- could you cite a medical/scientific text that backs up your statement? I don't mean to sound argumentative, but am truly interested as I have never heard this over three pregnancies, two births, extensive research into having said births at home, several years of nursing school and related subjects such as pathophysiology and A&P. (but who knows -- maybe I missed it somewhere? I would certainly not mind being corrected). I have read that there is a very very slight risk of air embolism directly following birth while the cervix is still open, but it is extremely rare. That cervix clamps down pretty quick, and I don't know how many newly birthed mothers would do head stands right after delivery! How would air enter your circulatory system if you are not actively bleeding and have vessels open to the entrance of air? Aza, can you tell us more? Anyway, lying on your back when heavily pregnant for extended periods of time is not generally recommended because the gravid uterus places too much pressure on the vena cava. Short periods of time shouldn't really be fussed over, I don't think.

I have only read it in my pregnancy books, one of which is the very well known "What to expect when you're expecting."

If you wanna risk it, go for it. As I said, was just adding my bit if it could be of any help. Obviously not!

It appears that I have offended you, kiko. Apologies. Of course no one wants to risk it, which is why I was curious about the varacity of the subject -- it is truly a surprise subject for me. Something to reasearch. Congratulations on your baby #2. It's crazy fun!

Apologies aswell to you bad-mirror. I was being overly sensitive to being challenged.

Anyway, the same books recommend kegels and back-flattening posture, so they're not infallible. Your questioning of the biological sense of my statement made sense.

Thanks for the congrats!

Yes, I have noticed my body has been changing since the prolapse. My stomach is definitely much lower and fuller. I'm not happy with that, but at least I'm trying to deal with this life-changing situation in the best way I can.

Yes, one night I looked like I was 8 mos pregnant and I thought this is not OK! Louise said it was very important not to push our bellies out, and I didn't think I was doing that, so I'm experimenting with holding a bit of tension in the belly, but watching for any twinges in the urethra and making sure my lumbar curve is still in place. This all takes time and practice, and it seems like a moving target! Encouraging each other is our best defense :-) I think the answers are there for each of us individually to find for what works best.

It's true that you don't have to push your belly out. But you do need to relax it. I believe that holding tension in your belly will prevent you from finding true WW posture. Relax belly, pull up the chest, lumbar curve will be there.

Surviving, I appreciate your input, and all I can say is that I'm doing the best I can. There's no face to face interaction with anyone who is guiding me, so I guess in many ways we're all out here on our own. I guess each of us has to experiment a bit with what feels and looks best, keeping in mind the basic WW principles as we understand them. The whole situation is very stressful, especially now that I've got a bad cough that certainly isn't helping my cystocele.

Roughly, where do you live GFKSpicoli? You might have someone closer than you think. You could also visit the Wholewoman Center and see Christine for some hands on help.

Lady Jane, I cannot find from your other posts what stage of life you are at. My POPs became problemaatic and obvious during perimenopause and my bodily appearance has changed a bit since then, as well as menstruation ceasing. They can both be a part of the same process, but I don't think POP itself changed my bodily appearance.

Louise

At my stage of life, 68 yrs young, I thought I was doing so well! I was doing yoga 5 days a week, amongst other activities. Then was so surprised when I went to the gyno that I had both rectocele and cystocele. Boy, does that limit what I do now. I really have to get used to no heavy lifting, no advanced yoga - life changes that I don't like. I love this forum and it boosts my confidence that I can live a semi-normal life. My doctor did not even mention an operation (thankfully), but really did not lead me to how to stabilize these conditions or even try to help them get better. I am compiling a list of questions for her as it was only a couple of weeks ago that I found all this out. I did get the WW book and am thinking about ordering the CD for the exercises. Have you had experience with the exercises? I guess at this point, I'm afraid to do much as I have to get used to this feeling I have down there. Does this sort of thing happen all at once, because a few weeks ago, I didn't even notice anything different. Thank you for your interest and hope to hear many more comments on these problems.

Hi Lady Jane

I am sure that you will be able to lift heavy loads again, once you learn to lift them differently, and get them to their new home differently. You need to change the way you use your body, but there are also changes in attitude. As an older woman, who really has little to prove to the world we can more easily admit that we do not wish to lift or shift this or that. We can also live our lives a little slower than we used to, which is probably very good for us. People, particularly men, are more likely to help us, if asked.

We do not have to prove that we can lug a 20kg box out and put it in the car. We have the luxury to choose to put its contents in four smaller boxes or bags and take each out separately, or on a trolley. This also makes it easier for the person who has to get them out of the car again at the other end. That person will probably thank you for not putting it all in one box.

Trying to be Superwoman is simply stupid, and more stupid, the older we get.

If you lift from a half-squat with your feet on either side of the load, and hips turned out, hip joints (not spine) flexed, the sides of your belly resting on your thighs, and your belly between your legs, and the visual line of your back horizontal, your pelvic organs will move deep into your belly and away from your vagina. This lumbar curve gives your torso a bend in the middle, so that intraabdominal pressure generated during the lift, has to go around a corner to get to your vagina. It cannot go around a corner. Forces act only in straight lines. It can only be absorbed by your abdominal walls or be reflected back towards your spine.

To lift, simply stand firmly on both feet, fix your torso muscles into a fat, squat sausage to protect your spine, ensure that you have a good lumbar curve and leave plenty of room in your belly for your pelvic organs. During the lift, maintain your lumbar curve at all times, and keep your arms straight or bent as much as you can, to prevent shoulder tension. Don't twist your spine during the lift.

Your spine is designed to do this. There are processes on your thoracic vertebrae that stack on top of each other during this type of manoeuvre, to prevent the spine from shearing damage below the shoulders. Your lumbar vertebrae have processes that meet up if your lumbar curve becomes too great. Your lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint is surrounded by very strong muscles and massive amounts of fibrous tissue.

Injuries during lifting seem to be caused by lifting unevenly, or twisting, or hurrying, or doing it on top of another injury, or when a load is not stable and slips, or is badly balanced, and the person tries to save it.

Of course all this is built on your being injury free, not at risk for osteoporosis or other risk, and that you use your common sense.

Even I don't lift heavy loads very often, but sometimes a situation calls for it. It is usually possible to think my way around these situations. Examples are lifting to a low stool, then onto a table in a separate lift, after changing foot position. Use trolleys or skids. Push objects along the floor by sitting on the floor and pushing them along with my strong leg muscles, utilising friction to keep my butt where it is on the floor. Move light object A to heavy object B, instead of the other way around. Think before putting a heavy object in a particular place, "Is this where it will be easiest to work on it, or should I put it somewhere else in the first place?"

*Get some help*.

Our brains really are one of our most important assets, when it comes to managing pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

Lady Jane, honestly, I am really not the best person to ask about exercise. It is still in my too-hard basket, but there are plenty of others who do more of the workouts than I do, who will comment. You could try using the Search box to find the hundreds of other conversations on the Forums where the DVD's are discussed.

Louise

I live in the upper midwest. Going to see Christine won't work for me, as I get altitude sickness. I'm in Phoenix/Scottsdale until the end of April, but there won't be any certified instructors anywhere until May?

Louise, thank you so much for the lengthy description of the abdominal muscles....it was helpful and I'm going to print it when I have access to a printer!