Did your vagina go back to normal after caesarian/vaginal birth?

[yellowbuttercup]

I know you can tear during VB which can cause terrible problems. But I have seen some threads where even women who had relatively straightforward births with no tears said that their bits were ‘not quite the same’ afterwards. Also I have heard of doctors saying, ‘you’ve had a baby, you can’t expect your sex life to go back to how it was’ and ‘it’s normal for all women to have a mild prolapse after VB’. I am wondering what is reasonable to expect. OK I realise there must be stretching and pain initially, but if you do your pelvic floor exercises and give it some time is it possible to eventually have your normal vagina back? And if not, in what way is it ‘not the same’? What about if you had a CS instead of VB? I have heard people saying that it is pregnancy rather than birth that causes the problems down below so there is no advantage to having a caesarian, but I am not sure if this is true or not! I know there are other reasons to choose between VB and CS but at the moment I am just considering the lasting physical damage that I am likely to have down below and the possibility of returning to normal after either of them.

[MyNameIsKenAdams]

Sex is fine but I cant use a trampoline

24h labour resulting in a cut and forceps.

[Starballbunny]

Episiotomy with DD1 and a tiny tear, no stitches with DD2.

I have slightly more grief with tampons slipping down and rubbing, no trouble at all with sex.

[LESuffolk]

LSCS and everything is pristine.

However I did and still do my pelvic floor exercises every day. I find it really worrying that so many women appear to accept urinary incontinence as an inevitable consequence of pregnancy and childbirth. I could trampoline and sneeze on a full bladder and yes I know that sounds boastful but I don't mean it that way.

It is also a matter of concern that so many VB's end in tears. There seems to be a deterioration in these basic MW skills- breastfeeding and delivery without tearing.

Please women of MN, do your exercises.

[MrsBucketxx]

Forceps both times ventous, and then emcs for ds and I can say yhat its not the same but not far off. I can feel the scarring. But thats it.

I made the stupid decision to look straight afyer and I thought it would never be good again.

Please dont worry it will be fine.

[Lagoonablue]

2 VBs. 1 episiotomy, second time a tear. Doesn't look the same at all. Quite a bit of thick scarring, mild prolapse and no can't use a trampoline!

However have got 2 lovely kids, can still have sex and who cares what it looks like?

[Lagoonablue]

Btw I did do my kegels.

[TheXxed]

Congratulations on your pristine vagina LEsuffolk .

[atthestrokeoftwelve]

Totally back to normal after two births.

No tears or stitches, I did perineal massage during both pregnancies and I exercise a lot, including yoga. Really can't see or feel any difference, I still feel in control of my pelvic floor.

[Hemlock2013]

There was another thread similar to this yesterday where a lovely lady Gussie who is a pelvic floor physio therapist was saying that no one should suffer urinary incontinance after child birth and the fact that British women seem
To accept this as a given was completely wrong. So lessuffolk does raise an important point that we should all be on trampolines!!!

[LESuffolk]

It wasn't meant to be snarky and i have no idea why you should take it that way XX.

I have read a lot of what Gussie says (she is amazing) and Pelvic Floor exercises will protect you.

Should this not be said to benefit pregnant women in case it offends women who do have urinary incontinence?

It is really important and women who do have to endure this need to go to their doctors and ask for help in addressing it rather then suffer in silence.

[WillBeatJanuaryBlues]

after section yes, it was a blessed bonus that all down there is virtually same as before thank the lord...after vag birth NO, back to back things strected etc...however mum and baby yoga that specifically targeted that area really helped.

[WillBeatJanuaryBlues]

no one should suffer urinary incontinance after child birth and the fact that British women seem

I dont think we do accept it, its just that no one talks about these side effects of birth and labour and there is no clear and open follow up help, its not an easy subject t talk to doc about...its hidden i never knew it was such an issue until on here...

[WillBeatJanuaryBlues]

Of course having a section will help!

Yes pregnancy in itself does not help but stopping a large baby passing out of you also helps, a great deal

[Lagoonablue]

Changes to your vagina after birth are normal. Perhaps we shouldn't accept a level of incontinence but we can't all demand prolapse surgery on the NHS. It is a serious and painful OP with a long recovery time.

I just think we have to be a bit realistic and accept our bodies change after babies. Not saying we have to be in pain or suffer but a bit of stretching etc is no biggie.

[WillBeatJanuaryBlues]

bit of stretching and being left incontinent are two different things, and its no one elses business who asks for what on the NHS>

[Bue]

LEsuffolk the majority of vaginal births - especially first births - have always resulted in a tear of some degree, and although there are different schools of thought on this most of the research shows that bad tears are not preventable by the midwife. I don't think there's been any sort of de-skilling in this area.

[Lagoonablue]

I was making the point that the solution to this issue is usually a big operation which in itself is a bit of an issue.

You have totally misread the tone of my post. Of course if people have pAin or serious problems they should see a doctor.

FFS.

[Fairylea]

It can actually be the intense weight gain during pregnancy rather than birth itself that can cause issues... This is why it's really common to have piles and varicose veins in the vagina during pregnancy. Sometimes these problems persist even after birth regardless of whether you have a vaginal or section birth.

I had a ventouse delivery with dd in 2003 and my vagina definitely didn't feel as sensitive to touch as it did previously at least for about a year or so afterwards. I also had some painful scar tissue. Gradually though it did return to normal...or a new version of normal.

With ds in 2012 I had an elective section and obviously my vagina was fine but I put on a lot of weight during the pregnancy due to various problems and I had more trouble with piles for which I am still suffering now. I have treatment, they just go away and come back!

One of the reasons I chose to have a section with ds amongst other birth trauma reasons is that I didn't want anything else done to my vagina. I felt it had been through the wars !

[Bowlersarm]

Sex is fine, trampolining not, and sneezing is a bit hit and miss!

I gave birth vaginally to three hulking DSes, and tore slightly with all three. It is bound to be a little different afterwards.

[stickysausages]

10lb baby, whooshed out, no tears & back to normal after. No complaints from DH either, so must feel the same to him too

[SherlustHolmes]

I've had both LSCS and VBs. Things look no different down there, but they feel much better. DH reports that it feels better for him and to top that last night I orgasmed during penetrative sex for the first time in my life!

I don't think childbirth has to have a negative effect on your sex life. Children, on the other hand ...

[LESuffolk]

There is a big gap between asking for help to address incontinence and ending up with reconstructive surgery.

Don't be put off asking for help because you think that is your only option. There are plenty more and a good Physio will work wonders. As will weight control (mentioned by Fairy) and doing your pelvic floor exercises before, during and after pregnancy.

If we all educated our children (men too) on this and if more gyms emphasised their importance, there'd be a lot less urinary incontinence, better sexual pleasure and less problems post menopause.

[fruitpastille]

2 sections here and all fine. V pregnant with dc3 now and I do find myself clenching to sneeze and this seems to work! Probably attempting vbac again this time but not sure after threads like this!

[BabsAndTheRu]

I'm with LESuffolk on this. Can't stress enough the importance of pelvic floor exercises through pregnancy and beyond. Aids the healing process as well if you have stitches. I have had three vaginal births the second was forceps and episiotomy. Everything is back to normal, can't even feel a scar.