Support

Hi Jamesdmom and welcome. In my opinion, a support garment is not needed or even particularly helpful in the case of an average cystocele. They can be helpful for those with a more severe prolapse of the uterus, where sometime (especially early in the WW work) a bit of extra support provides confidence and a boost during times of more physical activity.

If the body-shaping corset is one of those things designed to help flatten your belly, you're correct - it's time to ditch that altogether. It's contributing to the problem.

Yoga is fine IF you stick to moves that are prolapse-friendly. Many are most definitely NOT, which is why Christine created her own series. If I were you I would start with First Aid for Prolapse and maybe a WW yoga or two. You need a comprehensive program; the yoga videos don't cover all the basics but they are awesome.

You can do anything you want, activity-wise, once you learn to apply a few basic concepts and work this posture into your life. WW walking is one of the bet exercises. - Surviving

hi jamesdmom - my son's called james too :)
keep reading this site - it does really help to calm the nerves. I am not a yoga person either - never quite took to it since I'm pretty inflexible. But I used to do a lot of crunches and traditional type workouts, as well as tons of walking and running. I fell off the workout wagon since having kids a few years ago. Definitely want to start up again as soon as I can but this time it'll be the prolapse version.... in whole woman posture!
I agree with surviving - I wouldn't jump into a supporter as a first step. I myself was SO freaked out by the feeling of 'the bulge' that I wanted to get rid of it right away. I ordered the sea sponges... but I never used them. They kinda freaked me out! I was worried about getting them out again - I remember how hard it used to be to get a tampon out if I used a super one on a lighter day. So the thought of dragging out this sea sponge deterred me.
any other type of support - well i worried I'd come to depend on it so I decided to see what I could accomplish without...
Luckily, since starting the posture, my bulgy feeling subsided. I can get through most of the day without feeling anything amiss.
Here's the thing tho - I think I partially caused my prolapse with waist binding. I immediately jumped into spanx type underwear post partum and I bought a waist training corset too. squeezed into it for a bit a few times... prior to being even 1 month pp!!!! I cringe to think back on it....
just a few days ago - I thought I'd put on some jeans to work... they were a *little* fitted but I thought since they were high waisted I would be ok. I hate to report that I feel my bulges again most of the day! It's depressing having a set back but I feel like the tight fit did it. especially since I sit at work and have a long driving commute.
so yes - corset type things are out.
One of my biggest sort of hates about this program is I look about 4 months pregnant again. The combo of fiber and relaxing the belly is, for me, a bad combo. But when I eat well and move around - the pregnant belly look is starting to subside. I'm realizing now that if I want my belly to look smaller, I need to just lose fat instead of trying to hold in and suck in and squeeze in. I've always had a rounded tummy and I don't need it to be flat (it never was) but I would like to get the fat layer off of it.
however my main concern is what's inside so I've kind of let the outside do what it needs to at this point.

There is a video in the Blossom series on walking, but it is covered elsewhere as well, and it is really just mindful walking in Whole Woman posture. I found walking was the best way to teach myself posture, because it was easy to focus on all the aspects, and just felt good.

And in response to TypicalMe.....WW posture is not a big-belly look. If you remember to keep your chest strongly lifted, you create a more beautiful sleek line than you will ever achieve by pulling in your tummy (which only serves to scrunch up the belly fat.....I know!!). I too have a naturally round belly and I believe this is what most women were meant to have. This is where our pelvic organs go!

I personally have found that body fat (including belly fat) is completely a function of diet, and if you have more than you want in the belly area, you can adopt a more fat-burning way of eating. I'm ashamed to say how little I have exercised over the last few years, and this is bad on so many levels.....but it has not hampered weight control in the least. Losing the flab did make it easier to live in the posture without having to radically change my wardrobe. - Surviving

I have always been around my ideal weight yet have always had a rounded belly due to being so long legged and short torsoed. My daughter is the same and she is very thin as I was as a child.I find that when it is all said and done my appearance is far more attractive in whole woman posture than in a more conventionally taught contrived posture of bringing the ribs and abdomen inward and the pelvis tucked. Now that I’m middle aged and have had babies I have some lose skin and stretch marks and my chest and belly has more sag than in my twenties. I find that whole woman posture really holds up all that fascia and makes me look so much more sleek. When I have tried a brief stand in bad posture it’s so unattractive to see all
That scrunched skin and stretch marks... but when I stand back tall in natural posture it is so much more attractive. I also don’t have the hump
At the base of my neck that some other women my age have. This helps me feel
Better for I do remember at first feeling unattractive in whole woman posture but not anymore. Maybe this will e courage someone.

Hi jamesdmom,
You can look up threads on sea sponges or anything else you might be curious about by typing some key words in the search. You will find the general consensus on sea sponges as not very favorable. They tend to be scratchy and can cause some women to bleed upon removal.
This topic just brings me to the more important aspect of the whole woman work which is with the posture you will be closing the vaginal walls against each other helping to prevent our pelvic organs from invading that space. When we put things in our vaginas, we are keeping it open. This really works against what our natural form should be.
You will learn more about these concepts as you study the work. There is some eye opening information with whole woman, and well worth the adventure.
Best wishes to you.

UnCloudyDay,
Sounds like we share the same body type and stretch marks!
I agree that pulling up in strong whole woman posture creates the most beautiful female line. I watch young women out there, and when I see this posture held so naturally without conscious thought, It brings great joy. They have the slightly rounded belly, beautiful lumbar curvature, and strong upper backs. All I hope is that they don't give into the superficial idea that they need to suck in their guts and ruin those gorgeous natural figures over time.

Hi jamesdmom,
I would start with the First Aid for Prolapse video first as it has the most comprehensive material to get you started with this work:
https://whole-woman.thinkific.com/courses/first-aid-for-prolapse

The blossom series is great for reinforcing what you have learned with basic information about posture, breathing, walking, and running:
https://whole-woman.thinkific.com/courses/blossom-with-whole-woman-video...

It would really be a good idea to go to the whole woman store and check out the different programs Christine offers. Read them carefully and see what they are all about. Lots of great stuff to choose from. The tab is on the tool bar above.

I agree ladies - the posture is beautiful and does lengthen the abs... I guess for me though (and why I used to wear corset-y type clothing) is that I'm an apple shape... and currently about 10lbs overweight. All that weight is on my stomach pretty much. So even with raising my chest, I still have a 'gut' unfortunately.. I need to shift the layer of fat (with diet and ww approved exercise)and not fall back into trying to squeeze it away or hide it with spanx lol.
jamesdmom - my prolapse felt like it came on overnight too (it was in the making for a long time I bet but it didn't feel that way)... one day I was fine and the next i wasn't. I too called my dr in a panic thinking I need to go in right away... like your dr - my dr was dismissive and didn't offer any solutions. she pretty much said yup - your bladder's falling down.... I was like - will this get better? shrug... should I *do* anything? kegels..... can I have more kids? *shrug* up to you.... I was so distraught. I never want to see that dr again.
a tampon won't 'help' the prolapse - it may help the bad feeling you have of something falling out but it won't help the prolapse. the posture is what helps - as was mentioned above - the posture will help close off the vagina where a tampon is something that's in the way. Give the posture a try for a while and see what you can accomplish without the use of a pessary.
also to your earlier question about weightlifting - you can lift weights. If you're in the correct posture you can do most anything - in fact - weight bearing in proper posture is beneficial. Women were designed to carry weight.

When I was having daily feelings of falling out and pressure then wearing panties in a boy cut shorts style seemed to help me a tad. They were not binding or tight around the tummy, they fit low and were sized to feel comfortable and gave me a tad bit of counterpressure on the crotch. I also liked to wear leggings for the same reason. I also would sometimes wear biker style knit shorts. Be warned though that you don’t want something that pushes in on the tummy, so I was always careful to wear things low waisted.

I tried the V2 a few times too. It did somewhat block the yucky feelings of pressure but I think you should give First Aid for Prolapse a try. You might get quick relief from the posture and fire breathing. I would try that before trying tampons or inserted relief aids.

I too am an apple shape to the degree that I carry any extra pounds. I used to not know better and would try to hide my gut with spanx or just sucking in when I left the Home. I suppose in someone’s eyes I might have looked more attractive that way but in the long haul I have come to value the youthful spinal shape of a naturally held spine. I notice now that the ladies who hold their abdomens in and their ribs down, they often are very slumped shouldered and have humps at the base of their necks... and I find that so unattractive now that the fact that their tummies and midriffs are held more inward and such just doesn’t offset the other benefits in my eyes. For me, I like being able to have a bowel movement and not have so much back pain because my innards are shoved backwards and down into the low back of my pelvis. I also rather like the renaissance female form with some grace of curve and female line. Plus if my young daughter can have a feminine little belly on her and yet have no weight to lose at all... and be the picture of prime youthful health, then I feel I can accept having an abdomen that isn’t shredded and masculine. I do understand all you are saying typical me.

I thought I’d mention the panties because for some reason a modal micro fiber blend boy short style panty was so so much more comfortable to me at the start than the looser cotton hanes ones I had been wearing.

Again I would start with first aid for prolapse if I were you.

My prolapsing occurred over night too and was traumatic and far reaching in how it affected me
And expressed itself in symptoms. Mine happened after a birth. I do think you’ve come to
The right place.

I think that it's not only belly fat but also might be diastasis recti.
Christine describes some useful exercises for it in the forum, and the video "Restore Your Goddess Belly" focuses on that.
When I remember to keep the posture and do a few of those exercises daily my huge d.r. really closes, and when I don't it's huge again… and I look pregnant again lol.

That's another important aspect of this work, we don't have to have rock hard tight abs and boy hips to be beautiful. Our natural curves are what make us who we are; who we have always been.
I have seen so many makeover or surgery shows that used to be entertaining, but are now quite disturbing. Sure, we should feel beautiful and want to look good, but to what point is it enough? When I heard about women having labia surgery because the folds fell down too low, enough was enough. Are we going to let society decide for us that we should be cookie cutter images of unrealistic air brushed magazine covers, or who we are, just as we are.
Celebrate your curves ladies, no matter what body type you are.

Hi all,
Having done the old posture and having an extra slim body for some of that time, my stretch marks became wrinkles!
Now in WWP for nearly 6 yrs, scrunching myself into the old posture seems soo unnatural!
When I sit I do have a handful of belly roll, remembering that we are NOT two dimensional at all, however on standing it is less noticeable and even though I look a bit wider side-on, I can feel the muscles of my abdominal wall long and strongly supporting me without any bracing or effort on my part! So liberating, stress and strain free, and also to be be back strain/pain free while standing.

The denial of the natural body is disturbing and unfortunately a huge industry/s, and I am glad that I can see through it and not feel less- than, (unless I wear this, use that product) anymore.... WW has given me the courage to grow out the hair-dye, I have a mix of white streaks, grey and some natural brown left... wear no makeup, less jewelry, lavender for perfume, comfortable feet...bra less as often as possible...loving the freedom...takes less time to get ready as well!

Much love to you all,
Aussie Soul Sister