hope for post partum uterine prolapse?

Submitted by newmama15 on January 16, 2015 - 8:09pm
Body: 

Hello,
I am so grateful that I found the Whole Woman forum and prolapse information. That said, I am four and a half months post partum, exclusively breast feeding and have a uterine prolapse - second degree or moderate and I am really mystified by this and would really appreciate any advise and/or commentary from anyone who is or has gone through something similar.
I had a great pregnancy and was very active through out, albeit the last 6 weeks I was larger than the Kool-Aid man. My labour was very smooth, lasted 12 hours, the nurses even commented upon examining me that my pelvis felt great and it was as if I had already had children before (this was my first child.) As I was in the transition stage of labour, my husband commented that my lower back looked humped, in the middle of the last stage of labour I couldn't be bothered or worry about what my back looked like. I really wanted to stay up on my feet but the resident doc came in and said it was time to get on my back. My last stage of labour lasted maybe 10 minutes, I felt very energized and think I was rushed and pushed very hard. As a result I sustained a third degree tear. The doctor also pulled on my cord and I hemorrhaged and came close to needing a transfusion. Needless to say the next few weeks I did not want to look at my nether regions and nothing felt right.
Then at 4 weeks pp, I fell, broke and dislocated my right elbow - not advisable after childbirth... This sent my recovery into a tail spin. About a week after this happened I was walking and noticed that my pelvis felt achy and my vagina felt saggy. I thought it was just the healing process from the tear. At my 8 week pp check up I told the ob/gyn about the sensations. She said that I looked fine and to just do my kegals. I thought since she's the expert and examined everything up close that I must be fine. Well, I wasn't. I gathered up the courage to look and things definitely did not look right - just a fleshy bulge at the vaginal opening and it felt very odd. Forget the broken arm, this alarmed me more than anything.
I have since gone to a pelvic floor physio specialist who diagnosed a moderate uterine prolapse. I have been doing physiotherapy for the past 4 weeks and it does seem to be getting slightly better. I also do the Whole Woman workout about twice a week. Some days are better than others.
I am a very active person and this has been so hard for me. I want to run, dance, rock climb, play with my new son, lose the extra baby weight, do everything I was able to do before and not have this hinder me for the rest of my life. Before this happened to me I had never heard of such a thing and I am astonished that it is never discussed as a part of prenatal and post partum care. I just want hope that I will heal and feel whole again. Amazingly, my arm which came out of the elbow socket and fractured is healing and I can see a lot of progress - surely if this is possible, my uterus and pelvis will heal and go back into place???

Forum:

Surviving60

January 17, 2015 - 5:23pm

Hi newmama, congrats to you. A fleshy bulge at the opening is a cystocele or rectocele, which is quite normal PP. If your practitioner says you also have a mild uterine prolapse, I wouldn't be too concerned; I think we all have a some of this, to greater or lesser degrees. How far inside is your cervix generally?

You would be wise to start adopting Whole Woman posture, as the posture is the basis of our program here. The exercises are to strengthen and condition the body in all the ways that are needed to maintain the posture throughout the day. I didn't even see the word mentioned in your post, so I am wondering if you are thinking this is just an exercise program. You can do all of the things that you normally do, when you learn how to carry and hold your body as you sit, stand and move through the tasks of your life.

PT is kegel-based, and kegels are useless at best and aggravating at worst, because they pull the organs into the vagina instead of forward into the relaxed belly. Take a look at the videos on the Resources page, and on Christine's YouTube channel, wholewomaninc, and get an idea of what WW is all about. Go to the Blog tab and put Kegels into the search, to find Christine's articles on that topic. I did them for decades, and I'm telling you, give it up.

You have probably been taught, as most of us have, to pull in your stomach and tuck your butt under. That's what has to change. WW posture restores natural lumbar curvature so the organs can rest in the lower belly. It's what we do here!! - Surviving

Miss Diagnosed

January 20, 2015 - 7:39am

Hey there newmamma15,
I'm about 3 1/2 months pp with baby number 2. Cystocele and rectocele - not sure what grades. I just wanted to say hello and that i understand something of what you are going through. I, like you, have been appaled that the first I've heard of prolapse has been when ive discovered it myself and can't believe we aren't more prepared for something like this to happen. It seems so unfair but we have to try to get on with things.
I too have been seeing a pt but am considering not going back. When I mentioned my research into the issue she had no idea about half the resources I was citing and only had - you guessed it - kegels up her sleeve. Yesterday I told her I was going to follow a postural and holistic approach as I now believe the kegels are detrimental to my condition and she didn't even attempt to defend her previous suggested course of action so I wonder if even health professionals recognise how little value the exercises may be.
Anyway I'm finding walking, sitting up in ww posture, watching my diet sooooo carefully and nursing in a side lying position are all really helping for now. I too am praying that because I'm relatively young that I can heal from this!
Good luck!

newmama15

January 26, 2015 - 1:19pm

Thank you both Surviving and Miss Diagnosed for your encouragement. Yes I have been incorporating the posture which just helps me to feel better overall, not just for the prolapse. I have to be mindful of pulling up into it. My PT seems to be pretty well versed beyond kegals, she also incorporates posture, breathing into the lower belly, and core work.
I was so surprised when this happened to me, since not a word of anything related to prolapse is ever mentioned in pre/post natal care. One would think that considering the fact that women giving birth is nothing new, we would have this figured out by now... I also think that the way in which we are forced to deliver our babies, flat on our backs and some ob/gyns seem not to care about tearing etc, which can be prevented, really contributes to the problem of post-partum prolapse.
Good news is that it is getting better for me, bit by bit. Now my cervix is relatively high up and the bulge seems to be dissipating.
Miss Diagnosed, you will surely heal from this as your body recovers from carrying a baby and delivering and as you take care of yourself.
Sending you healing prayers!

Surviving60

January 27, 2015 - 5:25am

Newmama, it sounds like you are doing well. I want to make some points about PT that you should be aware of, that will help you distinguish the WW work from what PT's normally teach.

It's not really enough to go beyond kegels. You should ditch them altogether (maybe that's what you meant). If you don't know why, you should click over to the Blog tab at the top of the page, put "kegels" into the search box, and read what Christine has to say. I did them for decades and nothing good came of that.

An emphasis on "core" work is always a red flag. Most PT and exercise programs stress the abdominal core, which places all the wrong kind of strain on female pelvic organs. Women's core is lower, at the level of the sacrum. The lower belly is meant to be relaxed so that the organs can nestle there. Working the abs is the worst thing you can do for prolapse.

And finally, posture as taught by PT's generally means a "neutral" spine and pelvis. This doesn't go nearly far enough to restore lumbar curvature and hold the organs forward. Nor does it promote overall hip and spine health for the long run.

Keep up the good work and continue to do whatever you think is helping. I think it's important for us to continue stressing the differences between conventional treatments and WW. It's why we're here. - Surviving

Surviving60

January 27, 2015 - 5:18pm

Well thanks SH, but everything I know about PT I learned from Christine and from reading this forum and site. I'd never even heard of going to a PT for prolapse until I read about it here. There's probably an excellent thread or essay somewhere around here where Christine says it all and says it better. - Surviving