please help

Milly,

I'm so glad you found the forum. The black cloud will pass - please give yourself time to heal. When you are feeling a bit better, please read through some of the posts on the Pregnancy and Prolapse forum. I'm sure you'll hear soon from some of the women who have recently given birth. You mention that you had no tearing - I'm assuming also you did not have an episiotomy - I think that will be a huge plus for you in the long run.
Check out the FAQ section on the home page - some of the questions and answers there address the issue of prolapse and pregnancy/post-partum.
I wish you all the best - Congratulations on the birth of your son!
Jean

I think it would be far too early to tell if you had a prolapse - But my Gyn said most women who have had a child have some sort of mind prolapsing - So...

Personally I would assume I have a mild prolapse and read up on the posture and impliment it :)
It can only do good things for your future
Also - rest up - Take it easy and enjoy your baby :):)

Congratulations
Sue

Hi Milly

Jean is right, Milly. It is so hard to be patient when you are physically uncomfortable, but I am sure that you will soon be feeling a bit better.

I remember post partum with one of my three babies I had a feeling like a had a blown up football in my vagina. I really can't remember now which birth it was, but it left me feeling dreadful if I was on my feet for too long at a time (and who isn't with toddlers and a new baby?). The only thing that would ease the pain and discomfort was to lie upside down with my knees bent over the back of the sofa. Of course I now know that this allowed all my pelvic organs to slip back to more or less where they should be. I felt really floppy inside for a long time after each birth, but eventually, maybe well over a year, it all tightened up again, so I no longer felt like a bag of half-set jelly. The fullness and pain continued for a few weeks, then just disappeared. It was nothing to do with breastfeeding, which just continued regardless of everything, and allowed me get my feet up frequently during the day. Goodness me, I must have seemed lazy, always lying around with my feet up and at least one boob hanging out. (LOL)

Your body has just done an amazing act, and it will just take a bit of time to get back to something resembling normality. Keep breathing life into those pelvic floor muscles. Everything will move around a bit less if you can make them work properly again, and it will be better for when you get back to sex (What, never again? Don't you believe it!)

And more importantly, get your posture organised so that your uterus and bladder are sitting on your pubic bone, and not dangling over the abyss, and carry ourself like the princess you are, proud and lovely. I hope you are not still constipated. A bit of diet manipulation to get a bit more fibre and moisture into the system will do you no harm, and may just encourage your body to keep moving. Remember to keep a big drink of water close by while you are feeding. Babies are very good at dehydrating their Mums. It's their job! If you have a drink close by you can drink plenty without even having to get up.

There are more tips about handling prolapse, and how you can make your life more comfortable, on the www.wholewoman.com website. Look under FAQ's.

When I had my babies at the during the 1980's there were a few midwives who said it was good to lie on your belly as much as possible in the immediate post partum period, (maybe until the breasts develop minds of their own and pump themselves up into watermelon-like structures). This was supposedly to allow a retroverted uterus to tip forward properly, but would probably help everything to get back to where it should be. Has anybody else ever heard this advice?

All the best Milly. Keep visiting these Forums. It is amazing what friendly, helpful people there are. And we have all been there, one way or another.

Cheers

Louise

Milly, I completely understand what you are going thru! I am 3 weeks postpartum and I gave birth naturally, as well. About 10 days after my daughter was born I noticed this "walnut-looking thing" coming out of my vagina. I was mortified! I called my Dr and went to see him the next day and he didn't see anything! After doing a ton a research, I pretty much had to diagnose myself with a prolapsed bladder (cystocele). I had been dealing with depression, too. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to be intimate with my husband, or that I would no longer be able to work out, which I love and need to do! I felt like I was less of a woman! The posture does help wonders and I was able to order Christines book off of Amazon.com. Some days are better than others, just listen to your body and take it easy on the days that you feel things are a little more "heavy" down there. This website is great and I come here often to recieve a peace of mind knowing that I am not alone. And neither are you!! Good Luck and Congrats on your new Son!

congrats on the birth of your baby!
I'm probably going to sound like a broken record, just repeating everyone else, but what they say is true! Its still soon, your body needs to rest and to heal, and I think its entirely possible that the prolapse you found will resolve somewhat. especially if you start with the posture and take care to avoid constipation.
there is hope! I promise you. you CAN have more babies. you CAN resume a normal sex life.
and its completely normal to be devastated by the discovery of a prolapse. I think we all were. the black cloud does begin to move in time.
I have so much sympathy for all of you who develop prolapse PP, it seems so unfair to have to deal with that right after birth. Its not an easy thing to come to terms with, but this is the place to do it.

((((hugs))))

my mw recommended this to me after my son was born (he's turning three in Nov)

Hi Granolamom

You have had three babies, haven't you? Did you follow the midwife's advice to lie on your tummy postpartum, and did you think it made any difference?

Cheers

Louise

I did follow my mw's advice, that was after the third baby. I did see a difference, I had a lot less bleeding and my uterus seemed to 'firm up' quicker.
I also allowed myself to stay in bed longer and do less around the house, so I am not sure if that's why I bled less or maybe a combination of things.

Hi Milly, I know just how you feel - my post was almost identical to yours a couple months ago. I had my 1st and only baby boy 3 months ago (I'm 29) and around six weeks later discovered I had a rectocele and a uterine/bladder prolapse. At first I was just devastated and depressed and felt like it was the end of the world. But in the past six weeks I've been eating healthier to prevent constipation (I recommend Flax Plus cereal and also raw broccoli) and being conscientious not to bear down when lifting or having a BM. I also exercise at the gym and go on hour long walks while maintaining the posture. Seriously, I feel much more at peace and I've even noticed some improvement. Although its rare (my cervix seems to move up and down from week to week), I've had days when I couldn't even reach my cervix with my middle finger. Oh, and I was worried about sex too - it hasn't been a problem. The first time or two may have been a little weird, but hey, you had a kid! I've actually started to prefer different positions now than the ones I used to prefer, and so you may want to experiment :)

Allow your body a lot more time for healing, often times I think there is significant improvement in prolapse in the first year after delivery. Stay positive and enjoy your baby, trust me, life is not over!
MichelleK