Only 29 with grade 2 cystocele

Hi ActiveOne and welcome, and congratulations to you and your new baby.
It does take in general about two years after giving birth for the body to recover.
You are quite fit so it may take less time, however you have come to the right place for help with cystocele.
In WWPosture the organs are held in front of the pubic bone in the lower belly,and many conventional approaches tell us to pull in the stomach, tilt the hips and tuck in our bottoms and that just pushes the bladder, uterus and other organs back and downward.
If you get the resource for the childbearing years, Christine gives great advice including lifting and living in the posture. The fundamental video would be useful as well.
Christine also has a great section on whole woman running in her third wheel yoga DVD. All her yoga is modified as well as the breathing is different and of course posture compared to conventional yoga.
Weight lifting could be done, however a consultation with Christine would be recommended for that, and I would wait a bit longer during the post partum period, as well as until you are more knowledgeable of the WW principles which will help you generally work out what is safe or unsafe to do.

All the best,
let us know how you are going,
Aussie Soul Sister

Hi ActiveOne - Just wanted to add my welcome and make a few observations. If you are heading into physiotherapy, be aware that it will probably be focused on kegels and various tools for seeing how tightly you can squeeze. Christine has written extensively on how counter-productive this can be. I can certainly attest to this, having kegeled for decades. Most of us here who have gone for pelvic PT have not found it helpful. This approach simply ignores the true anatomy of prolapse and pulls the organs in the wrong direction.

We are not big on the grading of prolapse......the organs move around all the time. This is a good thing because it means we can do a great deal to affect their position, once we know how.

An active lifestyle is good for prolapse. You will learn to tweak a few things and do whatever you want. If you have been heavily into "core" work that focuses on tight abs, well, this part will have to go, as it's one of the things that got you into this predicament in the first place! Weight lifting I agree is an issue, but it's also something I know nothing about.....I don't know what body dynamics are involved. As Soul Sis says....hold off, until you learn and internalize the WW principles, then re-visit and get help from Christine or a practitioner. Since I've discovered Whole Woman, I've had a very uncomfortable feeling when I see women athletes doing certain types of hard training and activities where they challenge their bodies in ways that would be great for men, but......female hips and spine are different and this is generally ignored. Good luck to you! - Surviving

Hi ActiveOne,
The posture is the fundamental thing to learn and do first.
Sitting, standing and walking are all strengthening exercises in themselves.
The childbearing package is specific for where you are now, and has valuable information relating to those years and posture related advice on lifting babies etc.

Your body will tell you what it is ready for next in time, like for instance Whole Woman running.

Christine is also available to phone/skype for anything specific to your needs, like eventually if you want to go back to weight lifting.

Let us know how you go,
All the best,
Aussie Soul Sister

Hi Active One, Congratulations on the birth of your baby. I am 41 and had my third baby 1 year ago - after a 12 year gap. He was 10 lb and caused 3rd degree tearing, apart from that, a straight forward delivery. I too love to exercise and have done Pilates, Yoga, and most of all love to run. I had two miscarriages each 1 year apart before this pregnancy as well as other family dramas which meant my running plans were always going by the wayside. So after bubs was born I was determined nothing would stop me now! I walked regularly for the first 6 months then started run/walking (with the jogging stroller of course). I could feel an uncomfortable pulling sensation above my pubic bone when I ran but if I kept running it went away. Then I started to get a real urgency to pee every time I ran. Then a couple of weeks in I felt a bulge just drop and that was it, no more running. I went to the doctor and she confirmed it was cystocele and said surgery was the only cure. She referred me to the public system but I was turned down as my case wasn't serious enough to warrant funding. Thankfully!!! I am still breastfeeding too and in no hurry to stop. Last week I stumbled across Whole Women and was just blown away by Christine's videos and info. It is so contrary to the mainstream Physio/kegel pathway but it was just so refreshing to hear and has given me hope that I can reverse this and maybe even run again one day. I find that breastfeeding is the most difficult time to stay in WW posture but with a firm cushion behind my back I can at least improve my posture to some degree. Also I have put a cushion behind my back while driving to help me sit more upright. After only a few days of trying to stay in WW posture and also doing the exercises on Christine's video -Prolapse free in 10 minutes a day- I am really noticing and improvement in symptoms and feel much more comfortable all day long. So I just want so say, you're not alone, and I hope you are feeling better soon.

Hi Highlander, welcome to the forum and thanks for the post. You're on a great track and I can promise you that your efforts will bear fruit. There is no rush to deal with this......it is a matter of forming good habits for a lifetime. Once you understand prolapse and you realize that nothing terrible is going to happen, and that you increasingly have control over things, the fear that so many of us started out with, begins to melt away. My favorite posts on this forum are from those in the early stages of the WW work reaching out to encourage newbies. So thanks and keep us posted! - Surviving

Dear Surviving60, Thank you for your encouragement. I can see that many good things will come from this journey. I had no idea about prolapse before this - I thought it only happened to women who had had a lot of babies. I only wish that all women were told what I am learning on this website. I am all about lifestyle rather than quick fixes. Every woman has a story worth telling and we all face challenges in life of many types. I just love seeing woman teach and encourage other women - this forum is a real blessing.