Getting pregnant again

I’m sure some new mums will come on soon and share their experiences which from my memory are varied and interesting. While you wait, why not put pregnancy and prolapse in the search box above. Now that you have found WWposture and the ideas that it contains you have of course discovered the best method for managing prolapse and preventing its worsening. As you say, getting pregnant and having another labour does add extra risky elements, but just want to say we can only imagine so far into the future, based on our past experiences good or adverse and from there make a projection. The past is not perhaps the best place from which to predict the future, but it is all most of us have. So you are very wise in seeking to hear about other ladies’ experiences. The future often proves far more optimistic than we have in our fear and anxiety thought. At least, unless you have really good reason to think otherwise. Do you have any specific ideas about what would make your prolapse worse next time around?

Cheers, Fab

Hi anacasta, I have been obsessed with the same questions as you, especially about another labour. I have found posts by alemama, chickaboom and granolamom very interesting and helpful. Even though I don't plan on getting pregnant again for another year (my son is almost one, I only want one more child and age-wise I feel comfortable to take two full years between pregnancies to maximise recovery) I have already planned the next birth, which has helped me feel heaps better about my first experience. It has been empowering and encouraging finding what I need to know here, none of that 'don't tell them anything cos it'll put them off having kids' attitude.

So from my research here, best case scenario, I am going to go for a water birth so I can keep off my back in the pushing stage and I'm only going to push when I feel like it. I expect I'll tear along my episiotomy scar but I'm going to do vaginal massage beforehand so at least I'll feel like I'm doing something about it and hopefully reduce my fear of it happening. After, I am going to stay far away from oblique reclining positions, not eat hospital food (macaroni cheese? no thanks!), get into gentle walking as soon as it's comfortable and avoid lifting heavy stuff as long as possible. And if it all goes to custard I hope I can do my best to keep calm for the baby, and come to the forum here for encouragement during recovery.

Have to agree with you about recovery seeming really long, not to mention the utterly exhausting young baby months. Even if I wasn't fussed about the physical side I can't bear the thought of doing that again yet (I've inherited screaming non-sleeping babies, just like me and my brothers were), I need longer for the memory to fade haha! Also my parents might have moved to where we live by then, it would be so nice to have my mum's help. I wonder if pp recovery is so long partly because of the lack of good quality sleep?

It takes a while to search through all the posts about pregnancy and birth but there is lots of information that will hopefully give you some peace of mind about it.

How you labour and give birth will increase/decrease the likelihood of pop.
Of course it is impossible to predict how any labour and birth experience will go, but here are some things which would reduce pop; take it slow, unless there's a problem allow nature to take it's time and its course, remeber the breat - exhaling is claming, give birth in a dimly lighted, calm & peaceful room, where you feel comfortable and are with people you trust, allow yourself to go into yourself and avoid 'being cerebral, eg answering lots of questions from various people, give birth in a position which will reduce the stress on the pelvic floor/wall eg on all fours, leaning forward over a bean bag, hanging onto someone/thing... Def try to avoid sitting and leaning back on a bed, this does not make use of gravity and restricts the exit space for baby... If you're lieing down or leaning fwd's the pressure on the pelvic daiphragm/floor/wall will be reduced.

If you are luck enough to have a pregnancy yoga or active birth or WW teacher nearby, seeing someone like that could be very helpful and reassuring.

Xwholewomanuk

I keep coming on here to write up my postpartum experience so far but typing one handed on an ipad while breastfeeding is annoying. I've only good stuff to report so far and at nearly eight weeks postpartum my prolapse is at the place it was around four or five MONTHS postpartum with my last LO. Method of birth is everything IMO, as well as that early postpartum period - lots of quality rest and strong posture when sitting. More to come!

Hi Chickaboom

Lovely to hear that you are going well. Take care.

Louise

I had my second pregnancy after my prolapse diagnosis. So far at 8 months pp all good - as good as I could have hoped for anyway. Being diligent with WW work makes the difference postpartum.

During labour I made sure the midwives knew I had a prolapse and that I wasn't going to just push when they said. They were very careful with the managed third stage (at my hospital there was no choice to have a natural third stage.

Although I had a very fast labour, bub was born posterior, so there's been a bit of extra recovery to get through, but nothing too traumatic. I'm running these days which seemed unthinkable when I was first diagnosed 2 years ago.

If I was to have a third, I would hope for a waterbirth to make recovery easier. Would also hope for an anterior-positioned bub!

Hi Kiko

It is lovely to hear this progress story. I am so glad that you mentioned your previous prolapse to the midwives. We forget that midwives may or may not be privy to the records on a woman's history kept by a private obstetrician in his own computer system.

We make so many assumptions about what midwives know and don't know about us when we are labouring and birthing. Best to just tell them everything. Then they cannot say that they were not told (because they did not ask us to tell them).

Absence of information can be as bad in effect as wrong information. If they don't ask the question, then ...

Assuption makes an ASS ouf of U and ME.

Louise

Geez, I would love to birth another baby now, after all I have learned since my third was born. Surrogate mothering is done. I would gladly just ditch the gestation and do the birthing bit, and give them back. I loved the intensity of labour and the buzz of having a baby come out of me, and the ferocious love I felt for all of them when they were first born. I would gladly have killed anyone who wanted to harm any of them!

Wow ancasta28, you really had quite a labour, didn't you? I guess if it helps at all, second labours are generally quicker (I know, I know, it's a very general statement!).

I just remembered an important detail - it was actually my doula who first told the midwives on shift that I had a prolapse, when we arrived at the hospital. I was somewhat distracted. She was great (and, even better, she was offering her services free as she was training as a student midwife), and having that support - and somebody else to look out for me other than hubby - was invaluable.

Good on you, Ancasta. There are many women here who will be happy to hear that you have decided it will be OK to have another baby. We all come to these decisions in our own time, whether or not we decide to go ahead with another pregnancy. I am sure you will be fine, as long as you learn from your first labour and birth, don't have unrealistic expecations and support your body with WW work.

Louise