Alan please help!

[Flossie]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this but I have a question for Alan regarding a tear that I had during birth.
I have been having this pulling down sensation downstairs? At first I thought it was the tear, then I thought it could be my pelvic floors now I have been told (not by drs yet) that it could be my uterus pulling down - falling to low IYKWIM??? I am going to the drs on Wednesday but whatever it is I hope it doesn't mean surgery!!

Alan can you shed some light on what this might be??

[Danni]

Hey Floss, Im sorry I cant help you but Alan is currently getting treatment for Lymphoma and won't be online too much.

[DoulaRelle]

Floss, it sounds like what you have been told is a prolapse. I don't know alot about them, but I think with excercises some cases can be improved and very extreme ones may need something more.

Try not to stress babe until you have had a Dr look at it.

I had a terrible aching pulling feeling for about 6 months after Campbell was born, and it wasn't prolapse, it was basically my body recovering from giving birth the first time. Did you have a forcep delivery at all? I had Forceps with Campbell and found that everything ached alot more with that as well. I was scared to squat because it would feel like my insides were falling out iykwim.

[Flossie]

OH that is no good about Alan, hope he gets better soon.

Thanks Relle, no didn't have forceps Olivia just popped out to quick and I had a 3rd degree tear. The tear is very nearly healed but this pulling feeling is driving me nuts! I can't stand for more than 10 secs before it starts to hurt and I have to sit down.

Do you recommend lots of walking? I do the pelvic floors heaps as well. Bring on wednesdsay when I see the Dr!!!

thanks xxx

[Alan]

Hi Flossie
Without me having a look down there it is a little hard for me to say for sure what it is but from what you have told me I think it is one of two things.
It could be caused by your tear. Even though I would expect the tear to have healed by now there is still scar tissue there. This could be causing the sensation of pulling.

It could also be a prolapse. If this is the case and there is nothing sticking out of your vagina or if you cannot feel anything hard low inside your vagina then with pelvic floor exercises this will resolve. However it could take some months.
It is very important that you do some pelvic floor exercises on a regular basis. Here is a guide to pelvic floor exercises.

Sit on a dining room type chair.
Spread your knees apart.
Lean forward so that you can feel your vulva touching the chair seat.
Now imagine that you have got diarrhoea and are not near a toilet.
Pull up your muscles in you bottom.
Hold your mules in that position.
Next try to lift your vulva of the chair seat by just using your pelvic floor muscles.
Hold that for 10 seconds.
Repeat this about 10 times.
You need to do this about 5 times a day.

First get to know what it feels like and how to do it.
When you go to the toilet (for a wee) try to stop the urine mid stream, and hold it for a few seconds. Try to do this 2 or 3 times each time you go to the toilet. After you have mastered this the next step is to not only stop the flow of urine but to pull the urine out of the toilet and back into your bladder (not for real). You can imagine how hard your muscles would have to pull up to do this and that is what you should aim for.
When you know what it feels like and how to do it. You should do the same thing throughout the day. A good idea would be to use a prompt to encourage and remind you to exercise. For example, exercise every time you sit down and before you get up again. After a few weeks you will be exercising without even thinking about it.

Also a little rhyme that may help you is:- Open a door do the pelvic floor.
This will remind you to do your pelvic floor exercises every time you open a door.

[Tracey]

Hold your mules in that position.

Alan,
What if I only have donkeys????


Sorry Flossie, I couldnt resist!

[Flossie]

Thanks Alan, I hope it is just the scar tissue healing. I do my PF exercises regularly but not how you have told me to so I will give them ago. I also do them lying down sometimes is that ok?

When my daughter was 4 weeks old I went to see a Dr who specialises in tears and she told me my pelvic floors where 3/5. She also did a good examination - if it was a prolapse would she have seen this at 4 weeks since birth? Or can it happen later?

I hope its not prolapse as I don't want surgery...I don't think my DH can wait any longer.....LOL

Thanks again Alan, I will let yo know - I see the Dr on Wed @ 11am

[Alan]

Hi Flossie
You can do your pelvic floor in any position just do them often. There are many ways to do your pelvic floor exercises as long as you are tightening them and holding them tight for a few seconds then that should be ok. Also it can take quite some time to get your pelvic floor back to a pre pregnancy state. If your doctor did a good examination of you then I would doubt that you have a prolapse