Giving birth with a prolapse

Hi and welcome, don't panic at all and you will be fine giving birth with prolapse, I had my second 8 weeks ago and I have all 3. If you read this site or any posts we have all done Kegals probably at some stage and they certainly made my prolapse worse, you will see on this sure Christine will explain why, but honestly I would stop straight away, if you get any good results it will only be short term because when you tighten one muscle alone another will give somewhere!! Read about the posture and get started on that straight away and enjoy your pregnancy, you can manage the situation and it really won't effect your birth.

Hi Annie and welcome. It sounds to me like you have been on the path to prolapse for some time now, as so many of us were. Most of the world has not yet figured out that kegels are useless for prolapse and can actually aggravate it. I am living proof myself, as I kegeled religiously for decades and ended up with cystocele and rectocele. Here are a couple of articles to read:
http://wholewoman.com/blog/?p=1497
http://wholewoman.com/blog/?p=118

Now I would suggest that you take a look at this short video explaining prolapse and the WW posture:
http://wholewoman.com/newpages/video/ww101.html

In it you will see how traditional systems of "core" exercise have forced our pelvic organs back and down into the vaginal space. WW posture restores natural lumbar curvature that has been flattened by years of pulling in the belly and tucking the butt under.

So....ditch the kegels immediately and start learning how restoring natural posture can enable you to stabilize and reverse your symptoms. Prolapse tends to move out of the way during birth. It will be important following birth for you to work on posture, get as much rest as you can, and avoid slumping back into soft furniture that flattens this lumbar curvature. You can lift and hold your babe just fine...in fact if done correctly, this actually helps your symptoms because the extra weight combined with correct posture helps close the vagina against intraabdominal pressure.

This is a lot to take in, I know. But it works and it is the only thing that does. Doctors aren't much help in this area. Good luck to you, keep us posted. - Surviving

Hi Annie,
You really can't go wrong with any of Christine's materials, but as far as easily accessible, Christine has come up with an online program Destination: Prolpase-Free that is very comprehensive to get you started into a better understanding of what whole woman is all about. Go the the main home page, and it is on the top left.
I have the saving the whole woman book, and then just started adding the DVDs one by one, starting with First Aid For Prolapse, and then the yoga series. Actually the second wheel yoga was made specifically for the post partum moms out there.
Don't feel like you have to be in a rush. Have your baby and give yourself some time to heal before you start any exercises. Whole woman postural work is meant to be done for a life time, and is so beneficial for all of us no matter what stage we are in.

I was also very active pre discovering prolapse. Just had my second baby so am taking it easy for now but after reading many posts on this forum and the WW dvd, I am very hopeful to be very active again but will do it WW style and will probably give up some activities e.g netball but there's lots of other things to do. Learnt best position for birth is hands and knees with bottom slightly pointed upwards. Also, practise this daily leading up. I got too tired in this position and ended up on side - holding leg up in air. Try o avoid pushing till you have to. I pushed much much more than I intended, but in the end I gave birth to a healthy baby so I'm happy! Not sure how my prolapse will be affected but time will tell. Anyway, don't worry about effect of prolapse on birth - it all gets out of the way. Wishing you the best!

Hi All,
Thanks for the helpful thoughts and links. Thankfully the WW approach offers a holistic system of support, info, guidance and self help remedies. Once you've understood the basic principles and practice of the WW approach, women can lead happy, healthy, active normal lives. The WW approach means you get to know what makes things worse and what makes things better, i.e. you gain control. Some things will need a little tweaking and I find there are some things I avoid (e.g. heavy lifting as I've found that does seem to affect me). Different women find they have different issues, even if their situation, symptoms and treatment are similar.

I recommend getting more informed. That alone helps to feel less worried and anxious. It sounds as if you've got your hands full, so the on-line Destiny course might be easiest to access this info. Otherwise, there's also pads of info on this website; articles in the blog, past and present forums, the book, dvd's, teachers which offer 1:1 consultations, classes and workshops and the annual WW conference in Albuquerque.

I suggest you look up past posts re pop and birth - there are loads! The overwhelming view is that it's fine… So long as you start living the WW way…

Lots of love,
wholewomanukx