Whole Woman Village Forum

I'm really confused about the use of transverse muscles. Pilates teaches you to be aware of them and to use and engage them during exercise. By gently coughing, you're able to be aware of the transverse muscles. However, I read that chronic coughing will contribute to prolapse, so does that mean that doing exercises that use the transverse muscles will contribute to prolapse? I'm scared of using these muscles now!

I don't know if this is best placed in "Pelvic Health" or "Bodywork"...

Someone on another list passed this along to me. Unfortunately I don't live in that area anymore. Christine, what do you think? If anyone is in SoCal, they might want to check it out.

http://www.mybodyrestored.com/

Ok, I am losing my hair. Is this related to the prolapse? Is it caused by stress? I just don't want to worry about something else.

I know post partum you do lose a lot of hair, since during pg your entire body is in a growth mode, so after delivery you lose the hair you would have been shedding all along. I lost that hair, at my temples mostly. Then it grew back, I had tons of baby hair, kind of annoying but I was glad to see it. Now it's all gone, all the new hair is gone again. What's going on?

Second random question - I do find that I can't empty my bladder all the way. Are you all doing what Christine recommended in the book? Ie, getting on all fours? Any other ideas there?

I'm new to this & trying to work on the posture. It feels & looks awkward to me & makes me look swagback, which I didn't think was healthy. Am I over extending?

after a few months of not even noticing my 'celes, I've been having that dragging feeling for over a week. It started with my period, which is normal for me. Usually it lasts a day or so, this time it feels worse every day. I'm not feeling great all around, fighting something and lots of 'stuff' going on in my life right now. I know its all related, but it gets me worried. does anyone else here have setbacks? do you regain your 'normal' again? ugh. I have those feelings of hopelessness again. doesn't help that my two year old's been extra clingy and insisting that I carry him around all day, h

Well girls,
I have just come from my post natal appointment with a different midwife from my usual one. (I had only previously seen the nurse practitioner since I got the prolapse that first week). This midwife, though not terribly "touchy feely" if you know what I mean, was very down to earth and reassuring. She said she sees 8- 10 immediate post partum prolapses a year and that it does in her experience always improve. She gave me a pretty thorough pelvic exam and stated that my uterus is "High", my cervix moves down approximately 1 cm when I bear down, and that my pelvic floor is "very strong". She also said the front wall of the vagina was strong and did not detect that the bladder had slipped at all. She commented that the area I had assumed was a rectocele is in fact the usual stretching which occurs after a delivery and will improve over time. (I am not so sure being a typical worrier but hope she is right). She referred me for PT also and (sorry Christine :)) said to do kegels as I have been doing to maintain and improve the tone down there. She seemed quite surprised that I was so upset about all this and said "well you didn't expect things to be normal after having children did you?" Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic. I had thought things were better because my uterus had not re- prolapsed since the initial episode so............ I still have an appointment with a Gyn next week and will be interested to hear her opinion. I am realising from this board that there can be a multitude of opinions on these things. I will continue with the posture and bettering my health generally. Hope this provides more information for post partum women out there seeking answers although we are all different of course.

Well I wasn't sure how well the posture was working with my postpartum prolapse because I couldn't remember how bad my symptoms felt before starting the posture. I have been using the posture for about a month now. I am 9 months postpartum and got Aunt Flow today for the first time postpartum!! YUCK! The good thing is I now know the posture is helping because I have that awful pelvic pressure again (that I now remember having all the time!). Just wanted to share so that other postpartum moms have hope :)

Seems every time I go I get told something different.

This time I saw a realllly nice Gynae who listened to me.

He said I have a grade1 UP Grade 1 (if that) Cystocele and a grade1 (if that) rectocele (I believe this was done by that idiot Dr trying to ram a pessary ring I didn't even need up me - agony)

He gave me alot of info And I am glad I went :)

Obviously things can always change - BUT - I know that with the help Christine has given to me about posture - BM - and other things - I can keep myself going

I AM NO LONGER SCARED CHRISTINE - HOW FREAKY IS THAT

:):)

It's great - When I arrived here I was the biggest scaredycat anworrywart - Now I feel EMPOWERED

Hi, my name is Kathy, I am 34 and I have 2 wonderful children. My son will be 4 in March and my daughter is 11 months today. With my son I had a very difficult delivery (common refrain, huh?), my water broke at 36 weeks, he was still high, my nurse said "oh she's young and strong, we can push him down". After almost 3 hours of pushing he was delivered by forceps after a failed vacuum extraction. I did experience some urinary incontinence after his birth but I thought it was yet again one of those things that happen with pg that no one ever tells you. I started doing kegels, etc, and all healed fine. 3 years later I deliver my daughter, went into labor on my own, proceeded rapidly, but still had to have a 2nd degree episiotomy even after I had told this new DR that I didn't want one. After her delivery I had NO UI symptoms so I thought all those kegels had been paying off.

Bubble baths with scented oils are sooooo relaxing but while my gyn said baths are no problem if one has a uterine prolapse I'm questioning the wisdom of that. Wouldn't sitting in bath water with a prolapse leave you open to infection?