Pregnant and Concerned

Body: 

I'm 27 weeks pregnant with my 4th child. I have a stage 2 cystocele that I have had for several years. I am asymptomatic at this point, but visually my cystocele has appeared to have gotten worse over the last few weeks. When I look, there is a definite a bulge at the opening of my vagina, even though I can't feel it. I have been trying to walk in the correct posture, but I am worried that it is going to continue to get worse and become symptomatic during the rest of my pregnancy. I'm also really worried about delivery. I get a lot of anxiety thinking about it. Any advice or experience with this would be much appreciated!

Dear Gracie517, congratulations on your impending bundle of joy!
I am one who gave birth twice with rectocele, with no problems related to it, and many other women here have done the same with other prolapses like yours.
They just get out of the way during labour.

As your baby grows, the uterus grows in front of the pubic bone, and that should help - Whole Woman Posture is the same in pregnancy as not, just the weight of the baby will reinforce the posture, making you pull up strongly in the chest to balance yourself.
If you read through posts in this forum you should find many reassuring posts both recent & past which will allay your fears.

Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Hi Gracie517,
Congratulations! I concur with Aussie Soul Sister.
Just to add I think it'd be a good idea to really engage with the WW approach. The actual pregnancy will help your condition whilst pregnant & doing the WW posture will undoubtedly help in the long run.

I also think it would help to become well informed about the WW work & practice and for this to become 2nd nature & simply a part of your everyday life. It may be that your symptoms are a warning signal to look after yourself and prevent further prolapse symptoms in the future.

There are physical & on-line resources; the book, dvd's, course inc a tel conversation with a practitioner, WW teacher consultations & the information, help & advice via the website. Obviously, we do what we can within our circumstances. I'm guessing you're not going to have a lot of time to follow this up. But little can go a long way. You have the rest of your life to engage with this work, so there's lots of time. Just start when and where you can, as ever follow the WW way to whatever extent comfortably suits your circumstances & feel relaxed with knowing you're in good hands & the drip, drip, drip effect of consistently following the WW way everyday is very beneficial.

Btw - one of the most effective & important of this work is to reduce stress and increase love, happiness & relaxation as much as possible! Stress makes things worse, happiness is always beneficial. I know - not always easy in practice - but just like the WW posture & way - try to make that way of being your default way of being.

Good luck,
xwholewomanuk

Thank you so much for the encouragement ladies! I appreciate both of you easing my mind and I will continue to work on my posture and try not to worry!

Dear Gracie 517,
Hindsight is all very well, however can be useful....I don't know what kind of pregnancies & births you had with your first 3....
If I was having a baby now, I would try to opt for a water birth, or build up my strength to do it on all fours, rather than on my back...

I did only push when I wanted to, however I have heard of ladies who breath their baby out.
I was lucky with my 2nd & 3rd births that they were 2 push deliveries... my first babe was posterior & the contractions were Mickie Mouse ones, offering no strength, so I was pushing on command... got tired & then out came the forceps....

I would also have tried to make the whole pregnancy much more of a connected spiritual experience, using affirmations and meditation and relaxation more.

Learning the posture will give you more torso and thigh strength, ( I noticed that first), and more overall strength, particularly as you learn to sit supporting your upper body and not slouching as one example.

This is a journey, a wonderful one of self discovery and connection on every level specifically designed for women...

All the best,

Aussie Soul Sister

I was told by PT that I had mid stage 2 prolapse before being pregnant with 2nd. I was worried about pregnancy and particularly child birth but there was definitely no need to worry. Unfortunately, I did end up doing a lot of pushing and ended up on my side (at least better than back) but the amazing thing was I didn't get any major symptoms back until maybe when baby was 10months. Even more surprising was at a Pap smear appointment about 4 months after birth, the doc couldn't detect a prolapse at all! I just need to really get back into the WW exercises and be 100% consistent with the posture. So, enjoy the rest of your pregnancy! I also spent a lot of time on hands and knees while pregnant and doing some hip rolls.

I just found out last week that I have the very beginnings of a prolapse- it bulges into the entrance but not outside of me. I am 28 and have not had children yet (my prolapse comes from a chronic cough that has followed me around for most of my life). I had hoped to have natural water births but thought maybe I would have to opt for c-sections. Thank you for all you positive responses!