Whole Woman Village Forum

I can't find my original question about retroverted uteruses so I had to start a new topic...

Christine - you said that retroverted uteruses are usually considered a mild or first stage of prolapse. I talked it over with my PT and she showed me with her anatomical model why this is so - so it all makes sense now, since the uterus is already tilted back, it makes it much easier to slide on down... My question is that I was first told about my retroverted uterus at my first gyno appt, when I was 18 years old. So how did it get retroverted? I was born like that? Or had I bad posture as a teenager? I "blossomed" very early and was embarrased by it. I tended to hunch my shoulders a lot until the rest of my friends caught up with me (and some never have ;-)). I wonder if by having bad posture as a pubescent girl I was setting myself up for this... or was I born like this? It's interesting...

I figured as most of us got our Prolapses through Becoming a Mother we should put that to one side for a day and Celebrate what we actually got out of it :)

Yes - We all have a Perolapse or three - But we also have our beloved Children :)

.......H A P P Y.......M O T H E R ' S.......D A Y.......

.......E V E R Y O N E.......

We have two really nice gliders, which I've "enjoyed" for all three children . . . until prolapse discovery! Now I cannot, with good conscience, sink back and rock my baby while he nurses, like I did the other two. I wonder how much all that rocking, esp. with respect to #2, who wanted to be held for all of her naps til 10 mos. old (which I accomodated, in the rocking chair, in varying degrees of bad posture); so, all this to ask, does anyone still use their rockers? And, any other ideas for good nursing positions besides the obvious lying down? So far, like today, with baby sick, I sit in rocker with straight spine and feet on nursing stool, not using the chair back.

Ok...so I haven't had a good belly laugh in months, partly b/c as most of you probably know from personal experience, UP can put a damper on your enjoyment of life (at least after initial shock), but also b/c I was avoiding any kind of ab. pressure. No kidding I have managed not to cough for 9 months. And somehow avoid getting sick. Well, I started to let go a little last night w/ some old friends..couldn't find her car in the parking lot of Target...started wondering out loud if it was stolen...but who would steal a saturn really...anyway, I was starting to laugh & I felt myself kind of tip back, momentarily out of THE posture, & had this feeling of tremendous pressure being exerted on my insides towards my lower back, along with shooting pain. I just don't get it.

Christine...

OK, I've been doing a lot of thinking and 'feeling' my body in a whole new way when I'm going about my daily life. As an avid swimmer (swam competitively in high school and college), I find that it's a wonderful, relaxing way to get a great total-body workout. I know that most of the work that you teach in terms of posture and exercise are done against gravity, and the PT in me is very aware of how important of a concept that is.

I just started being able to swim again (yay...no more catheters!) and have become very aware of the positioning of my body, and the way that it moves in water as compared to on 'dry land'. When swimming freestyle (crawl stroke), I am mindful of maintaining the natural curve of my lumbar spine and really trying to feel the connection of my shoulders, back, abdominal, pelvic and hip muscles as they work together. It feels especially good to me exercising in this prone position because by virtue of gravity and positioning my bladder is probably back where it's supposed to be.

I was told by my obgyn that I have UP and adenomyosis and that a hysterectomy would be a "good option" for me. It was described as a procedure that could improve my quality of life. As a young-ish mother of two small children, wife, avid runner and outdoor enthusiast, I was devastated. My gut instinct told me that I had to research what surgery really meant, and find an alternative. I began researching surgical options...after reading those books, it is very easy to start feeling that your falling pelvic organs are the enemy and surgery is the key to restoring your quality of life. I was feeling a great deal of negativity toward my own body, as if there was something grossly wrong with me and I had been betrayed.

In Diana Lee's work for helping post partum mothers recover from pregnancy deals with strengthening the malfidus. The exercises that I did seem like they would be helpful in the back keeping it's nice arch to help the pelvis stay pointed down. But I'm not sure I understand how all of these things are connected. I wondered if you could clarify or if you think that fits with the posture.

Announcing TY Jeffrey born 4:54 am Sunday October 31,2004 8 pounds 2 ounces 19
1//2 inches long and as sweet as can be.

Saturday night I had a need for my girls to be gone and we dropped them off at
my mother-in-laws at around 8;00 pm. We went to bed around 11:00. A little
before 2:00 am I felt a rubber band snap type feeling and cried out, "ouch" at
2:00 am I woke to tell Chad my water broke. I wasn't having contractions, but
I called the midwife and chad started getting the pool ready and I helped hook
the hose up to the sink. At 2:30 the contractions started and at 3:00 I called

I have found with my body that the uterus and bladder have both moved back up--not as high before children, but I really doubt anyone is ever as high as before children. (I know breasts certainly aren't the same! :) ) I think that my uterus and bladder are fused together as a result of the c/s. I am pretty certain there are adhesions there, so as one goes so does the other. The bladder is lower than prior to pregnancy as well. Both UP and cysto were almost non-existent during my third pregnancy once the baby got large enough to pull everything up over the pubic bone, but the rectocele was still prevelant and is still prevelant today. But you know it only bothers me if I treat my body poorly by not eating right.

Hi everyone,

I've developed a little test that women can do themselves to illustrate the futility of kegels. Would some of you try it and post back?? I want to put it in my book, but need it to be validated beforehand. I know many of you won't understand all the terminolgy, but I think you'll get the gist of it anyway.

Here it is:

No one is better able to experience the dynamics of pelvic organ stability than a prolapsed woman. The following test will enable you to feel the difference in organ support when the pelvis in counternutated as opposed to the highly stable position of sacral nutation. It will also enable you to appreciate why Kegel exercises serve little or no purpose in the treatment of disorders of pelvic organ support. This test is best performed lying down in a private and relaxed setting, such as first thing in the morning before getting out of bed.