How long does it take?

It would be nice if there was some magic wand we could wave to set us right, and I don't think anyone is pretending there is, though I've certainly found a lot of good advice here and in Christine's book.
I think you're still only a few months post-partum, aren't you? In which case I think your GPs advice of reviewing in 6 months, after having some physio and doing everything you can to help yourself in the meantime is probably very sound.
I find it difficult to remember just how "saggy" I felt in the first few months after my last child was born, but I know it all felt much more precarious in those early days than it did later on.
I think you said you're breastfeeding, which is supposed to be very good for toning the uterus - I doubt it can magically correct a cystocele, but I'm sure it helps generally - and it IS still early days (though I expect at the moment it seems like the days are dragging).
After reading Christine's book I'm under no illusions that "just" slinging it back up with surgery is more involved (and potentially risky) than it sounds!
Personally, the idea of anything that might make the situation worse long term, or which might spoil sensation puts me right off. It's such a risk. It's funny, when I was 24 I got a cyst on the underside of my tongue and was told that if they drained it it would probably come back, so I'd better have it removed. It never occurred to me to ask if minor surgery on my tongue would cause nerve damage. It did, and kissing has never been the same since as I can't feel with the tip of my tongue! It's made me wary of the "quick fix".
Let us know how the physio goes - I'd be interested to hear.
Wendy

Hi Esther

I can only agree with what Wendy says on all counts. You can't go back after any surgery. Have a look at "The two Doors" in the Resources links on the homepage.

I too can remember feeling quite saggy inside for some time after births. It is really early days yet, as uncomfortable as it probably seems. I wonder if the commonness of two years between babies that our species seems to do is an indication that our body is over childbirth about 15 months after giving birth? That would seem realistic to me.

I can remember feeling not much difference in position of organs after a few weeks of Wholewoman posture, but then I realised that I was often feeling 'quite normal' in the vulval area, and as the months have elapsed, my cervix is not 'about to pop out' for most of the time. I only feel 'bulgy' maybe a few times a week now, eight months later. It is as if you don't notice the improvement until you realise that unpleasant 'bulgy' sensation returning occasionally and realise that you haven't felt it for a while, when it was constant before.

Sorry that paragraph was not phrased better. It is a bit hard to express, and the hour is very late here in West Oz.

Cheers

Louise

I am totally with you Esther in all of your sentiments..................
I seem to have deleted your address, can you e-mail me through the forum contact thingy and I will e-mail you back? Thanks:)
Michelle.

Esther I can totally relate to a lot of what you wrote. Where you said "It comes in waves" is how I feel. I will have a few good days and then a chunk of harder days where I feel really dragged down. I agree with what Louise said though. It is hard to tell how much better you feel until the sensation comes back more. For me I feel way worse during my period (got back 9 months pp). Before the posture I had a lot more pressure down there and I must say that I rarely get the pressure from the uterus and cystocele anymore. The one that bothers me still is the rectocele so I'm trying other approaches suggested by Christine right now. One thing that helps me a lot to get me out and about instead of focusing on how this has affected me negatively is the v2 supporter belt. If I know I am going to be walking, like grocery shopping I just put it on so that I won't focus on how uncomfortable I am. Christine replied to me once with the steps of healing and they really helped me not get so down because all I wanted in the beginning was a quick fix. I think that post would really help you. I will look for it.

The female body was created so that the bones in the pelvis and those organs "float" around. As we go through monthly changes, so does our pelvic area. I think that is why sometimes it's more noticeable than not.

People can have surgery if they choose, too. But after reading the poor success rates and seeing many woman who just keep having surgeries, whose sexual lives are damaged, etc. I can't risk that. I also know now, just like when I put poor food into my body, how my feeling in the pelvic area is affected by different behaviors as well as hormonal changes. That really helps me to keep it into perspective.

Also, 3 months pp -- heck 18 mo pp with my 3rd-- emotionally is hard. There is fatigue from taking care of the babies, the huge realization that these little ones are so dependent on me, sometimes a trapped feeling, etc. These emotions that cause us to feel emotionally draggy, can also cause that area to feel draggy. Physical fatigue can do that as well.
Jane

I use to be such a late owl. With my first 2 kids, I relished my time alone when they were asleep. I would stay up till 2am doing chores, watching tv, or reading. But after the prolapse happened with baby #3 several months ago I find my energy levels so dramatically different. I can't even stay up if i tried. I never felt that i needed alot of sleep until now.

By 8pm at nite I am really exhausted and can't move the botton half of my body. I feel alot of strain vaginally and on the inside of my thighs. It almost feels like those late pregnancy symptoms with being on your feet. So, it's a good excuse to rest but it's hard to stop my mind from wanting to get things done and the mental list of "things-to-do" get longer. :)o

Hi there

I have also been diagnosed with a prolaspe. I am wondering if hormones have anything to do with it? I heard of a product called estrovan and its suppose to help women go back to a more natural balance. Does anyone know if hormones could help support the lower pelvic muscles? I had a prolaspe with my 1st child and within a year it was gone. Now after my 5th baby, its back agian, with other things to come along with it :))))))) Im considering trying hormones to try and put my natural balance I had before I got pregnant. It seemed like the birth control pill made me depressed and more anxious. I am like the rest of you, I am so ready to be back to normal again:)))))))))

Ally

When I mentioned hormonal changes affecting my feelings of prolapse, I was referring to when my period comes. I don't really want to mess around with artificial hormones, as I feel my body makes what it needs when it needs it. I use the fertility awareness method of birth control, because I'm afraid of the negative effects of the pill's hormone (I was on it for a short time -- like 3 months at the beginning of my marriage). Everything just feels looser during my period--even my bowels. I do not believe we will ever be as we were before pregnancy, birth, and motherhood, and our mission now is to figure out who we are now, what our new limits are, what our new strengths are, and build from there.

Jane

I too use fertility awareness for family planning, though I have to be more careful now that my cycles have become shorter (there are far fewer days when I know for sure that penetration is safe). I've read a lot about hormones lately, because I know that mine are changing to some extent now I'm in my mid-40s. It seems that so much (again!) comes down to what we eat. Sugar and junk foods can really mess us up hormonally. I've also started eating more tofu, as soy can help keep our oestrogen levels balanced as our bodies start making less of it as we get older. I'm veering off into a "diet" topic, I know, but it's so inter-related it's hard not to! Changing my diet is helping with prolapse and just about everything else!

Wendy