New Mom with Prolapse- Help, Please!

Body: 

I am four months postpartum with my first child. There were no problems with the pregnancy or delivery, other than the fact that I had (at least it seemed to me) a long period of early labor. I had a natural delivery, and my son was fairly small (6.5lbs). For the first few days after my son was born, I felt a very intense falling-out sensation and could hardly walk (not sure if that’s just normal recovery- FTM), but it seemed to fade and then returned a few weeks later. I mentioned it to the doctor at my 6-week check-up; she diagnosed me with rectocele. I believe I also have a uterine prolapse, though the doctor didn’t see it (granted, I was lying down for the exam and it was early morning- seems to get worse later in day). Unfortunately, my doctor wasn’t very helpful, telling me that it’s a normal postpartum situation and to just do kegels for “a while” until it “goes away”. She said that I could just “push it back into place” when the rectocele was acting up, which is how I discovered the uterine prolapse (felt my cervix rather low).
After weeks of useless kegels, I started searching for help, which is how I found Whole Woman. I now have the book, and I’ve been trying to follow the ballet workout in there and practice the posture for about a month now. Some days are better than others, but I don’t feel like I’m making much progress. Hopefully, I will get better at the posture; it’s difficult for me to tell if I’m doing it right. Basically, maintaining the natural lumbar cure of the spine is the main idea, right? If I have days where I’m not sitting straight, shoulders back, etc., will the prolapse get worse? Some days it’s hard to remember to do after a lifetime of fairly poor posture.
I’ve heard that breastfeeding could be part of the reason for a prolapse postpartum (something about your body not producing much estrogen); have any of you experienced a prolapse improving after weaning? Or know of anyone who has? I wouldn’t give up breastfeeding just for this reason, but it’s nice to have hope that maybe things will get better when the little guy’s a bit older. I think there are also estrogen creams available (not sure if they would be breastfeeding-friendly; I haven’t done much research); any positive experiences with these?
Is there a technique that works best as far as carrying a baby (he weighs about 16 pounds now)? Is it okay to carry him on one hip, or do I need to keep the weight balanced somehow? How should I carry when transporting him in a car seat?
I was really starting to get into running before I found out I was pregnant, now come to find I can’t do it; even walking feels uncomfortable for me most of the time. Will I be able to get into running again? I used to love winter sports- is ice skating okay? Is snowboarding okay?
Sorry this was so long. Thank you in advance for help and advice; this seems like an awesome community. Sometimes it just feels so difficult dealing not only with the changes of being a new mother but also these lifestyle changes from the prolapse. I’m only in my twenties and I suddenly feel like my active lifestyle is over.

Hi Words - good advice from SafelyHeld who is right there with you right now. Regarding kegels, you can go over to the Blog tab and put Kegel in the search box to find several excellent articles on why NOT to do these. I personally am a poster child for this cause! Did them for decades. Oh so wish that I hadn't.

A word of caution about estrogen creams. Doctors downplay the systemic effects of these, but they do most certainly get into the system and I would consider them off limits to a nursing mother. They are also prescribed to women of all ages who are bothered by the bulge of prolapse, because they actually thicken the vaginal walls to mask the symptoms. A misguided and dangerous band-aid to put on a relatively minor problem that can be managed quite well for life with the right tools and knowledge. - Surviving

Thank you both for the advice. I will have to look into the videos and DVDs you mentioned, SafelyHeld. I have been laying down more often to nurse and use a pillow behind my back when I sit to help. I will keep working on the posture!