Rectocele Diagnosis - devastated. Lots of questions.

Hi Nutella, 4 weeks PP is a little early to be getting too stressed over all of this. Being a nurse yourself I would image that you would know the traditional two years allowance given for women to completely return physically to where they were before birth. But if you are a very physically fit person why not think in terms of a year. I mean that is cutting it in half, but if you are strong and fit and young then maybe for you that is a reasonable goal. Most of us who experienced prolapse during pregnancy or after birth usually found that it went away naturally within a few months, others took longer. However, with adapting the Whole Woman approach, it should be possible for you to be more confident that this will be the case and with the added bonus that it will prove also to be a long term protection so that with the onset of menopause it will not return.
Sex still happens with prolapse, as does life. As to the rough sex etc you will have to discover for yourself what suits and what does not.
Exercise is sensible whatever your condition. However, if you have a sprained ankle you rest it, if you have a prolapse you do not do anything which will cause it further harm.
Your job is very important and that is a major reason why adopting WWposture straight off would prove of advantage to you.
It's best to consider prolapse after birth as a temporary condition which with a modicum of being kind to yourself will improve. Also have a look at your diet:you must countenance no constipation, diarrhea or straining and make sure you refrain from foods which make you uncomfortable.
So get creative.

I have this impression of you living a gung-ho life. It may seem to you as you read the valued posts on this site that you're in another universe from us who repeat cautions and warnings about how to take care of yourself as a woman. Just remember that we were all young and most of us gung-ho too. While you and I are really on different places on the spectrum regarding physical exercise, may I say that at 63 I'm able to find a way to work out and feel good about it and still protect myself from further pelvic organ damage. So be encouraged.

As a nurse, you have the advantage of knowledge....which may also be a disadvantage if you have been trained according to the medical standard. In this case, it's best for you to be open-minded and realistic as you read Ms. Kent's anatomical explanations of pelvic organ prolapse and the relationship to correcting an habitual unnatural posture to the naturally intended posture which helps to sustain us. What often comes with an exuberant attitude toward life can be a detriment if we don't settle down and reasonably assess our situation. So please be encouraged to inform yourself with the articles, posts, and videos you'll find here and in the publications (especially the book "Saving the Whole Woman").

Congratulations on your new baby and on the relationship you already having going with your husband. Being normally kinky and free with each other seems to be a good base to work together with this new situation for the two of you. Relax, breathe, read, and consider. You'll be okay. Our friend, Fab, is correct about your having a leg up on the situation with your youth and fitness.

Nutella,
I do remember those days that you describe yourself going through right now. And, I know I would have been scoffing at anyone who told me to slow it down, but if you don't heed those warnings now, you may end up like many of us with more severe prolapse in the end.
It is a matter of learning whole woman posture and principles, and then applying them to your lifestyle. Once you have that down start pushing at the edges to see what your body can do in whole woman posture. You might surprise yourself in how much you will actually still be able to do.

I have read on here about a gal that had rectrocele and enjoyed anal sex. She did come back and report that she and hubby got a little vigorous, and she ended up very symptomatic afterwards, so easing into that with caution might be advised.

As for the heavy lifting of obese people, they aren't put getting any smaller in the healthcare situation. I started out in the nursing homes and moved into hospice where we ened up having to order special large beds, because the people coming in were just getting bigger. I don't think this is going to change anytime soon, unfortunately. I was strong and could lift, and pull, and roll like any man. I felt I was protecting my lower back, lifting properly. But, I wasn't protecting my pelvic organs, namely my uterus. After years of heavy lifting, I did end up stretching out those ligaments that supported my uterus, and am now managing a stage 3 uterine prolapse.
It is obvious you love your job, so my suggestions are to never lift, roll, or move a patient on your own. We had 3 and sometimes 4 people roll our obese patients at times. Use the mechanical lifts as much as possible, and please try to learn whole woman posture to protect your body as much as you can.
Christine's DVDs may seem wimpy to someone who does weights and core training, but they strengthen muscles that support pelvic organs and whole woman posture which in my mind is much more important than a flat hard tummy.

Hope you can find your way around to seeing the importance pelvic organ support, and I wish you the very best with your babe and new career.

Hi Nutella and welcome. I was hesitant to add another lecture to the excellent responses above. But I just wanted to point out that the types of activities you describe in paragraph 2 are a recipe for prolapse and hip problems eventually, even if the post-partum bulges subside on their own. Get the book. I don't buy the argument that your sense of self depends on crunches, "core" workouts and flat abs. You can continue, but you are taking a risk you will no doubt regret as you mature. You are smart and educated, and these principles WILL ring true if you give them a chance. - Surviving

PS, for starters, take 20 minutes to watch this video:

http://wholewoman.com/newpages/video/ww101.html

Thanks Nutella for your explanation about your exercise regime. You make some good points. I think we have all seen weight lifters dribble a bit of urine and similar and know the embarrassment of the unexpected fart upon exertion etc which brings to mind immediately that there are all sorts of strains and stresses on the pelvic organs just in the simple movement of the body. What I think all who responded shared was a protective concern that if you have only newly prolapsed and we assumed that it was a mild prolapse that you be protective for a short time until you recognise a strengthening of your pelvic muscles and then edge back into what you have been doing. We would also prefer that you edged back while in WWposture, after all that is what we are here for; to spread the word about WWposture, it having worked for us. I am very pleased to hear that some women have been able to exercise without any progression of their prolapse. My uterine prolapse after birth troubled me on occasion, it was only at menopause that it became suddenly and seemingly over night third degree. I continued to do physically hard work because I loved it, not exercise, for a number of years and considered I had nothing to lose as the prolapse was at its worst anyway. However, it can be painful and stressful to live that way, and I have had much improvement with WWposture and a more sedentary lifestyle with daily exercise.
So I guess each of us must find their own way. And any comments made here may sound judgmental. We are only human after all, but they are from our own experience and I guess sometimes can come out overly protective. I certainly appreciated your explanation of why you exercise so strongly and I think it important for us to realise that people are mostly sensible and act accordingly with good reason even though it may be outside our range of experience. So thank you again for that.

I didn't mean any offense by using the term gung-ho. I actually looked it up so I would know that I was using it appropriately. It's a slang term that means enthusiastic and dedicated so I meant it to be a compliment. I now consider it might be racially or ethnically insensitive and, if that's the case, I'm truly sorry.

Judgmental may be another word whose meaning has been misunderstood. Judgement is discernment. We all use it; it's how we make decisions about our lives from the smallest details to the really big problems we face. Condemnation and blame is the problem. We're at a disadvantage here....trying to understand each other without the benefit of facial expressions and vocal intonations. So we have words.

I identify with your reasons for working out and your love of exercise. I am enjoying doing exercises from "Saving the Whole Woman", but I also do strength training on a not-too-intense level. I realize there are some risks, but I've developed a program that lets me do the ones that put stress on my abdomen on a decline and hope that offers me some protection. It feels really great, my mood is better, my appetite is better, I look better, and I don't feel like an old wisp ready to fade away.

I hope things go well for you as you continue to recover from the birth, with your husband and baby, and when you return to work. Life is meant to be lived enthusiastically.

Misunderstanding each other with the written word has happened before on the forum, and will probably happen again, because we are passionate and compassionate about what we believe about prolapse, whole woman, and what it had done for us.

I did want to address your need for the endorphins to help you reduce your anxiety. I also have experienced extreme anxiety, actually within the last 3 years with the onset of perimenopause. I ended up in the emergency room with an extreme anxiety attack, so I do understand what that feels like. My doctor actually told me to do the opposite of what you are doing. She told me to do meditative yoga and long walks. And, also from reading online, I found that cutting out caffeine, alcohol, and sugar were beneficial in reducing anxiety. It has not been an easy few years for me, but I am in a much better place than I was.
You may respond better with the intense exercise, but for me it was bringing more calmness into my life that helped me. Goes to show every one is different, doesn't it.
Wish you the best, and hope you find the way that is right for you, as we have.

Let's talk posture now. Sometimes women come on the forum with a long story and lots of questions, before they have even checked out the content here.

Prolapse is managed by restoring lower lumbar curvature, which gives the pelvic organs a place to rest in the relaxed lower belly, so that they are not cramming into the vaginal space. If others are advising you, Nutella, that it's OK to keep doing exactly what you're doing and you'll still be fine in a few decades, well, that's bad advice, and there's plenty of that out there! You can take your chances with that kind of approach if that is your choice, and maybe you will be one of the lucky ones. If you are habitually sucking in your belly, tightening your abs, tucking your butt, throwing your shoulders back.....then your organs will continue to head in the wrong direction. But if you adopt posture and make it your own, you can get on with life doing whatever you wish to do, without the fear of things worsening. Doing SOMETHING is infinitely better than doing nothing. - Surviving