Post Forceps Delivery Woes :-(

[rebeccax2]

Hi All,

I'm nearly 3 weeks post delivery where I had a 2nd degree epi and forceps delivery.

I had a little feel downstairs and it feels really weird. Hard and swollen and when I put my finger inside (TMI) I could feel the tip of my cervix about half a finger length up.

I can control my wees, although its a bit hard to push out a number 2 and I'm on stool softeners.

I also have a bit of the dragging/heavy sensation when I walk.

I feel terrified it's a prolapse. Is it possible this is just the aftermath and things will sort out?

Any stories of joy and recovery from similar would be greatly appreciated.

xx Thanks

I wasn't brave enough to feel after my first birth (forceps so sympathies there) but I did after my second (50 minutes and two pushes so there is hope!) and I could definitely feel my cervix low down and everything was still a bit swollen.

I'm not sure when it went back to normal but DS is 3 months now and it's all fine.

I don't think you need to be concerned about a prolapse at this point. It will take a while to recover. It definitely took me longer first time.

Are you doing your pelvic floor exercises?

I had a forceps delivery and was never brave enough to have a look/feel. I do remember about 3 weeks afterwards going to the gym to have a go on the cross trainer and tried to jog from the car to the gym (20 m?) And it felt like my insides were going to completely fall out. Not good at all. So I didn't run until about the 7/8 week point, by which time if felt ok. I did my pelvic floors assiduously.

Leave it another 3 weeks and hopefully things will be much better. I had forceps but no issues now. Watch out for colic in baby tho. Forceps can compress the skull. Cranial osteopathy can sort it

I felt exactly the same! My baby was forceps- 2nd degree tearing- extended episiotomy.
2 meters of stictches.
It gets easier. I had the same problem with the pooing and had piles too.
Week by week it gets easier and easier.
I felt like my insides were falling out just walking up the road with the pushchair.
No prolapse.
Keep exercising your pelvic floor.

It's linked with the extra pressure put in the skull plates which may not autocorrect. My DD had it really bad and CO was a miracle. OP get your MW to check you out if any concerns too

No forceps here but episiotomy and I could have written this exact post at about 3/4/5 weeks pp. utterly terrified, especially feeling my cervix. But now 11 weeks and feeling much better - cervix is still lower than before I think when I feel around but heading back in the right direction and turned a real corner with pooing this week too (sorry tmi). I insisted the GP did a really thorough rummage at check up (8 weeks) and she said everything would be fine. Pelvic floor exercises pelvic floor exercises pelvic floor exercises. So boring and hard to remember. I'm still paranoid about things so avoiding anything high impact just now but walking and swimming good. Also hoping for more improvement when I stop breastfeeding.

Don't panic. I got to the point where I was feeling very anxious and feeling around to see how things were every day in the shower - eventually decided to leave it all alone for a week - when I next rummaged things were definitely improved. Now trying not to worry about it and just concentrate on remembering to squeeze squeeze squeeze.

Sorry for all the detail - most lasting side effect of birth so far is my complete absence of shame/boundaries and sense of when things might be tmi......

3 weeks is no time at all. It will get better! xxx

It's very early days. I had 2nd degree tear and episiotomy and ventouse. At one stage I was terrified I had prolapse and went to the docs to be examined. Everything is fine but scar is taking a long time to heal. 5 months on and I've just been told it'll take another 9 months at least to be fully healed. Such a pain, but this is not unusual. Insist on being examined, do your pelvic floors, and keep exercise light for as long as possible. Good luck

I just wanted to update.

I am delighted to say that my cervix appears to have moved back up!

I still have a bit of a heavy feeling, plus a rubbing/falling out feeling in my vagina but I also have an episiotomy cut that didn't heal properly so I'm putting it down to that. I hope it isn't a prolapse.

I had a look in the mirror (oh the bravery!) and there is a small bump at the base of my vagina but it's where the episiotomy hasn't closed and feels like the wall of my vagina - in other words if the perineum was repaired, you wouldn't see it.

Thanks for all your positive thoughts. I am driving myself completely crazy thinking about all the possibilities of what is wrong with me, so I've decided to see my GP tomorrow and see what can be done.

Thanks for responding. x

Just to add that I was very much the same (forceps, 2nd degree epi) - at 12 weeks I was in a lot of pain still from the scar tissue. At 6 months everything still looked way wrong and was still causing issues.

By about 10 months, I managed to have sex without being in lots of pain. Things aren't quite perfect yet but, a year down the line, I think they're as normal as they're going to get. Still get achey scar tissue when hormones are weird and if I'm stood for too long - but I don't think that's very unusual.

So... time, in this case, does help heal things!

My GP told me at 8 weeks that it can take at least a year to recover from even a normal delivery, so it does take time.

Good luck!

Update at almost 4 months.

Just wanted to say that things are almost back to normal (well as normal as to be expected after pushing a 9 pounder out!)

I came to this thread terrified after delivery and flat out refused to believe people who said 'its early days, do your pelvic floors and give it time.'

Well, my episiotomy is completely healed. The 'prolapse' I thought I might have isn't one, stools working again (with the odd stool softener which I'm slowly weaning off) and my vagina is looking normal again and all things are working as they should.

I'd also like to add that I have no incontinence which I thought was a sure thing after forceps.

So, if you've just had forceps and are reading this - do your pelvic floors, rest, avoid heavy lifting (except your bubs of course).. get lots of gentle exercise and give it time.

Things do bounce back for some! You tend to only hear about the ones that don't.

xx Rebecca

What a nice post! Good to hear all is getting better, it's reassuring (38 weeks and terrified of the prospect of forceps complications during birth).

I think its important to report the good news, because when I reached out on some forums (not this one!) I heard such horror stories. I got so distressed! So I vowed to go back to any original posts and update for others to read... people tend to post the bad and never the good! :-)

Love your update rebecca, thats really thoughtful. And I for one will panic less if forceps are mentioned to me in a few weeks!! Thanks!

Rebecca thanks for this update. It means a lot to an imminent ftm who has also read the horror stories! :) Also very glad time has indeed healed you up nicely.