I'm really freaking out here. Things don't feel at all right down there & I'm really starting to worry. I know it's only been 2 weeks, but by afternoon I am feeling VERY uncomfortable, and I can't even go for a short walk without considerable 'discomfort'. I feel as though there is something about to come out of my vagina.
I have had a look the last few days, and there is definitely 'something' right there inside. But until today I wasn't game to feel. Well I did & now I'm really panicking, as it was quite hard. I think it must be my cervix? I'm really freaking out here & am so frustrated that I can't even walk around much. I was so looking forward to the wonderful fast recovery of a vaginal birth, but I feel as though I can't do anything for fear of making it worse.
Oh, and when I do my pelvic floor exercises, it actually hurts, as 'it' is so low that I think I am squeezing something that I shouldn't IYKWIM. But if I do them first thing in the morning it seems OK.
if it does not feel right, then you should see your dr...not wait for the 6 weeks checkup
depending on the type of delivery you had can affect the tone of the pelvic floor...an instrumental delivery places more strain on the pelvic floor
a true uterine prolapse is not as common as many dr's like to make out...but it may be a small prolapse of your posterior vaginal wall, which would cause that discomfort and a feeling of fullness
remember it takes a few weeks for things to start feeling ok again...if it is causing discomfort doing your pelvic floors, perhaps try working on your posture to strenghten your pelvic floor...draw the navel back to the spine to activate the abdominal muscles, which in turn improves the tone of your pelvic floor
Hun, even if it is a prolapse, it may only be a 'slight' one and (provided you're doing your pelvic floor exercises) they often resolve themselves over a few months. Worthwhile to see your dr, also ask to see a physio who specialises in postnatal physio. Good luck - don't fret!
Hi Linda
It does sound a little like a prolapse however without being able to see it I can’[t say for sure. You have only just given birth and your pelvic floor muscles are still a little weak and stretched. It could resolve itself in a few weeks but if you are uncomfortable then a trip to your doctor would be a good idea
Oh no. I thought as much. Thanks so much for the quick replies.
I've got the MCHN coming on Tuesday, who I know also happens to be a private midwife. So I'm going to ask her to take a look. Then I'm going to try to get in to see my OB.
I know this sounds like a really silly thing, but I have been SO excited about getting back into my running, and now I'm scared that I will have to wait for AGES. I feel right now that if I was to try to run my entire uterus would fall out!
Hi Linda
I think I would give running a miss for now. The jaring of your feet hitting the ground will be very uncomfortable. Perhaps you could try power walking.
I've seen a friend go through the same thing and it's not pleasant at all. She too was ok in the morning but as the day progressed things started getting worse and by the end of the day she was pretty much confined to the lounge. After suffering from this for a good 9-10months she was advised to go in an have what was to be a minor operation to fix the problem (prolapse) however for her it only made things worse and she is now waiting to have some more permanent surgery done.
Sorry i don't want to scare you at all but i really think i'd be getting it all checked out sooner rather then later.
Goodluck sweetie.
Last edited by westy; August 26th, 2007 at 07:12 PM.
I wouldn't worry too much at this very early stage!
I have a prolapsed bladder since the birth of my daughter 10 months ago, they are still saying it will improve a lot over time and will not even contemplate surgery, I have to go back for a review in January, but they fully expect it will improve a lot by then.
Please don't get too worried after only 2 weeks, everything is still very stretched out and your body is full of hormones which make everything more relaxed down there! But do keep doing the pelvic floor exercises, but don't overdo them like I did, I ended up in real pain from cramping down there!!
OMG westy - you've really got me worried now! I couldn't handle this for months on end.
Thanks Marion. So what does a prolapsed bladder feel/look like? Is it similar to what I've described?
Alan - I definitely won't be running yet, but will be really disappointed if I can't by 6 weeks. I feel like I've been waiting forever to get back into it, and now it's going to be even longer. Just doesn't feel fair.
I just remembered..I was in hospital for a week after having my DD...when I squatted down to get my stuff out of my locker to go home I wet myself as my pelvic floor was so weak at that time..this soon improved within a few weeks and I have had no such problems since, so I really think things will improve so much over the next few weeks for you!!
A prolapsed bladder just feels like a bulge hanging down to the outside when my bladder is full, especially when I am standing up, and looks like that too. If I tire out my pelvic floor with too many exercises or trying to "hold it up" all the time, I get the uncomfortable feeling you mention and find it hard to walk around. But to be honest most of the time I don't notice it now.
I think the best solution is to do your pelvic floor exercises but in between try to relax about it, I found if I thought about it and worried about it I was clenching my pelvic floor subconsciously and made it much worse.
I'm sure you will see improvements very soon. My GP didn't even believe I had a prolapse as they are very uncommon at childbearing age, and our muscles recover much quicker and pull everything back up, according to the hospital.
Everyone's different so don't worry too much you may find in a few weeks things settle down...which i hope they do. I think part of the reason my friend had such a bad experience too was partly due to the size of her babies & it never had a chance to completely heal before she had her second one.
I have recently been diagnosed as having a "moderate" prolapse.
I experience very similar symptoms to what you have described (more detail in my post asking if 'anyone else has a stretched vagina after giving birth?' - something I've now figured out can be a symptom of prolapse).
I think that if possible, you really need to get to see a physio asap. I also think that if you can, try to see a physio that only deals with post natal issues. It's expensive, but if you can't find a good one attached to a public hospital or something, I think it's worth paying one privately - a good investment my partner says!
I saw a council physio initially and although she said that I had a prolapse and that my cervix was sitting much lower than it should be, I found that she really wasn't that helpful at all (which was really depressing). I don' t know how I would have begun to recover with her as she sent me away with no additional exercises, information or hope really! Have since been to see a private physio that has some sort of post graduate qualification in vaginas and she has been absolutely fantastic.
I found that I really had to try hard to get help for the problem. When I discussed the feeling of pressure and discomfort with my ob at my 6 week check up, he examined me and was quite dismissive, saying that it looked like a normal post birth vagina. When I talked to my gp about it, she wouldn't even examine me as she said there was 'no point' as even if something was wrong she wouldn't be able to refer me to anyone until 6 months after my baby's birth.
Until really recently I felt incredible pressure everytime I was on my feet for anymore than about 30 minutes. I found that this feeling of pressure and discomfort actually increased and got much worse as the months progressed after my birth. I had a 9 pound baby, really long second stage, a 2nd degree tear, pushed for over 2 hours and a vacuum extraction. The physio told me that all of these factors probably damaged my nerves.
She said that as the months went on my nerves have started to recover which made the symptoms of the prolapse suddenly feel much worse, even though the prolapse itself was probably much better than it had been after giving birth. My scar started to hurt much more, sex was really painful and I even had trouble with something as simple as walking around the supermarket.
Although I had been doing my pelvic floor exercises religiously and it turns out correctly, I'd only really been doing quite limited exercises. I've recently started going to pelvic floor/pilates classes designed for post natal women as often as I possibly can and I can't believe the difference within a matter of weeks. For the first time in months I can now walk around for a number of hours without feeling like everything is going to fall out.
I also felt/feel depressed about not being able to go running (or swimming), and must confess that I've found it harder to keep sane. Running and swimming for me used to be not just a way of keeping fit and healthy but a bit of headspace to myself. I miss it even more now that I feel like I'm "on" for my baby 24 hours a day.
The physio said that one of the things that contributes to a prolapse is damaged ligaments (which can't hold everything in place anymore) and that although it can be incredibly difficult to fix ligaments that have been stretched, it was possible to get your body to compensate with muscles. She said that running at this point might further damage my ligaments and that I should only do low impact excerise (although quite frankly I've reached a point where I'd be happy with standing up without feeling uncomfortable right now)! She didn't give me any reassurance that I'd be able to go running again, even though I specifically asked her if I would be able to in time.
Am still struggling with the whole thing and kind of muddling along in terms of looking for answers. I have found that aside from the physio, the biggest support that i have received has been from women online here and in one other pregnancy website. It's been an absolute godsend as it's kind of one of those topics that you can't really talk about in public. It's been good to know that they are women out there who have experienced symptoms identical to mine and have really improved with time and pelvic floor exercises.
I can't believe the improvement that I've had just in the last couple of weeks since seeing the physio and going to classes. I've also bought myself a fitball and incorporated some of the exercises into my routine at home. If I put my finger in my vagina I can't feel my cervic sitting really low anymore and the physio agreed that it was now sitting more or less where it should be. My vagina is still not what I would consider to be "normal", but I feel much more positive about it all since geting proper information and a strategy to deal with it.
Good luck! I totally empahtise - it's bloody awful having these symptoms, but for what it's worth, you're not alone. Hope you're doing alright and that things improve for you.
Bea - I've only got a minute now - but just want to say thank you SO much for sharing your experience. I have got a lot out of reading what you have said. I don't know what is around in my area in the way of specialist physios (small town), but it's good to know about.
I ended up with a minor prolapse after my sons birth. Probably had a lot to do with a vac extraction (instrument births have higher rates of prolapses), and that the midwife made me push for over an hour when i had no urge cos the baby was posterior.
I also had that achy, pressure feeling in the beginning, but i found it after thinking i had pulled a stitch and saw it in the mirror.
I was in a bit of a panick as a few years ago my mum had a severe prolapse operated on. She told me it just appeared like 10+ years after having her third, she left it for a very very long time, and then got the operation done. Commonly they just do a hystorectomy, which my mother refused, and just had it stitched back into place. She hasn't had any problems since.
Mine got a lot lot better with time, and i think after about 3 months it was basically back to normal. When a lot of the relaxin etc gets out of your system (which i believe can take around 6 months), you end up with a lot stronger ligaments able to hold things in place.
My obs said he wouldn't do anything until i was 40 and finished having kids, but at least we are both aware of it, so will try to make sure i don't get another after this baby.. But like i said, i think my is 100% normal now.
I would find a good physio to help, and try to avoid running etc, as these first few weeks are critical for getting it to try and correct itself naturally.
HTH?
ETA: there are a few different types of prolapses - bladder, rectal, vaginal vault, cervix etc - depends what part is hanging down basically. oh and my colorectal surgeon was interested in what type i had and if that contributed to the fissure - just thought you might be interested on that side of things.
That is really interesting Yael in regards to the 'other' areas. I also wondered if my history in the other department may show that I have a weakness or susceptability (sp?) in general.
I am feeling a bit better now. I called around to my OB, my GP and the maternity unit, but none of them would see me. In the end I went up to emergency & saw a Dr there. She said she thought I may have an infection, but TBH I think that was just because she wanted to 'diagnose' something & get me outta there. I asked her what the heaviness was & what I could see, and she said I have a prolapse of the vaginal wall, but said it in a way as though that is perfectly normal & nothing to worry about. ??
It's good to hear you've been to have it checked out.
I think that's one of the things i'm finding difficult with my experience is Ifind it's hard to gauge what a "normal" post natal vagina should be like and compare it with the symptoms I've got. I think I put my faith in people like my ob who said it looked normal, but in fact, months later I learned that it was not normal at all.
I can't really figure out or get my head around what normal is. I don' t know if other women who've had straight forward births feel that there vagina is any different or can wear tampons with no troubles. I've read a couple of posts where a number of women say they can't wear tampons since having children, but I don't know if they've all got minor symptoms of prolapse or if tampons don't sit right for most people after having a baby? Is it normal to have a prolapse of the vaginal wall after giving birth?
I guess that's what I was referring to in my earlier post when I said I'd found it difficult to get help. I don't understand how my ob and gp (who didn't even look) could say it was all normal and yet months later 2 seperate physios say that I have a prolapse.
I think it's possible to see someone like the doctor you saw today who tells you it's "normal" and then realise months later that you still have a problem. (Am hoping this post is coming out ok as I have a grizzling, wriggly baby on my lap so am finding it difficult to concentrate - don't know if I'm making any sense or if it's sounding all doom and gloom which it's not meant to)!
I don't know what sort of birth you had and the chances are that you've had you're baby so recently you'll probably dramatically improve over the coming months. However, if I were you, I would keep pursuing it until you get to see a physio and have a pelvic floor exercise program written specifically for you. If I had have insisted on seeing a physio (which I've since learnt you don't need a referal for) I might not be sitting here 6 months later unable to wear a tampon, swim, run or some days even walk around the block! A trip to a private physio cost me $80 and i reckon it's worth every cent!
Obviously you need to allow your body a bit of time to heal, but don't let them fob you off! Good luck!
ps. Like Yael says there are different types of prolapse - I think mine is a uterine prolapse.
Thanks Bea - you're post totally makes sense. I did only give birth 3 weeks ago, but still just don't feel 'right'. I will see what happens at my 6 week check up & go from there now. I hadn't even thought about tampons! I imagine that in this state tehre is no way one would stay in!
I have a minor prolapse of the front vaginal wall, which allows the bladder to sag in, and results in a feeling of bulging or heaviness.
Unlike others I can't see mine hanging out or anything but first noticed a strange feeling of "something there" about 3 weeks after birth of my 2nd baby in April.
I knew it was a prolapse as I have read a lot about it and my mum had one with me too.
I had a great labour and birth experience 2nd time around and recovered really quick, even DTD after only 12 days, was so pleased with my recovery, then all of a sudden noticed this odd feeling one day and my heart hit the ground.
A trip to OB at 3.5 weeks post natal confirmed it. He said it's really common, something like one in ten women, with the number jumping up to one in 2 or 3 around the age of 50!
In my case he said it was probably the birth of my first baby that did the damage: she was 4.2 kilos and I pushed for 2 hrs.
But I just wanted to say that it's now 4.5 months on from the birth of my 2nd baby and I really can't feel anything wrong at all. No stress incontinence, no feeling of bulging at the end of the day now, and am doing full on pelvic floor exercises as specified by a proper "womens" physio that will help keep me toned and feeling pretty normal down there. I felt normal from about 12 weeks.
Sex is fine, if not better, and my body feels good again.
So I just wanted to tell you not to stress. I'm not a runner like you but reckon you'll be fine if you just give it time. 6 weeks might be a bit ambitious, but who knows, we're all different. Sounds like you were pretty fit pre preg so you should bounce back and be normal soon.
Hang in there and good luck. And go see a special physio... it did wonders.
OMG - is this a prolapse?
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