Bladder still not right - 6 weeks later

[Pandasandmonkeys]

6 weeks ago I had a rapid birth, 5 hour labour and only 12 mins of involuntary pushing, and dd literally shot out like a greased pig, weighing over 8lbs.

My pelvic floor was annihilated to say the least and was numb for over a week. Initially, my bladder control was very poor, with several mortifying accidents, but with lots of pelvic floor exercises, I'm mostly in control now - sneezing and coughing are still a problem and I don't dare watch anything funny yet.

Another problem I'm having now is that, despite drinking a lot of fluids, I rarely need to pee and when I do it's only a small amount.

My bladder was a problem during the delivery of the placenta as it was very full (400ml) but I had no sensation to wee at all. My uterus couldn't contract down and the bladder had to be drained. So now I'm worried that I've lost the sensation to pee properly.

Anyone else with similar issues? If so when and how did they resolve? Any long lasting effects? X

I had a catheter fitted after my short but traumatic 5 hour labour, plus operation last summer and had similar symptoms to you once it was removed and for weeks after. I was basically a mess! A visiting midwife said my bladder would never be the same again which horrified me, but I'm pleased to say eventually it did get back to normal. Regular pelvic floor exercises, gentle walks and drinking loads of fluids helped me, but I know what you're going through. It's pretty weird feeling detached from what's going on down there! Have you spoken to your midwife if she's still visiting, or your health visitor? Worth having a chat just to rule out any infection or inflammation. I had to have a course of antibiotics. Hope I've offered a little reassurance at least. it might seem a long way off at the moment but in time you will feel yourself again.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's awful. I'm terrified to run around with my 2 year old ds in case I lose control. If you don't mind me asking, what was the surgery for? Did it make a big difference for you? X

The operation was to stop internal bleeding after labour. It meant I was poked and prodded and re-stitched more than the average woman on the ward! It was all of this that hindered my recovery but there was light at the end of the tunnel. It sounds silly but one day I just sat up and said to my husband, 'I need a wee'! That made my day - the fact that I knew I needed to go! After that control gradually returned and I no longer needed to crouch down at a funny angle to empty my bladder. Hope you feel better soon x

Not sure if what I suffered from is related to what is happening to you but some aspects seem to be.

In a nutshell, I suffered serious obstetric injuries and what I would call a pelvic floor collapse. Anyway, one of the problems I faced was urine retention. Right after birth, I didn't feel I needed to pee. When I went to the toilet, it could take 1 to 2 minutes for the flow to start. I'd have to really concentrate and think hard about it. The flow would start, then suddenly stop, pause for maybe 15 seconds and then start again by itself. I had to spend a long time on the loo to make sure my bladder was completely empty (to avoid infection).
Coughing, laughing, sneezing were all very painful. Laughing improved first but only after 3 months of solid pelvic floor exercises. Coughing and sneezing took much longer, about 7 months. Feeling I needed to go and regaining some control over flow improved in 3 months. A year on, it is almost back to normal. I only need to make sure my bladder is completely empty at the end but otherwise I don't really need to think about it anymore.

A friend of mine suffered from stress incontinence after both her births. It took close to a year of diligent pelvic floor for things to get back to normal.

I know our issues are a little different but I thought it might give you an idea of recovery time.
All the best.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Luckily, I had no serious birth injuries - just nasty grazes and a tiny tear that didn't need stitching. The birth was great apart from these issues, which I'm incredible grateful for, but Normal bladder control would be nice. I'm hoping that what I'm experiencing is just brusing as I've had some good progress with it in the six weeks. I read somewhere today that it can take 12 weeks for full healing after a ' normal' birth so maybe I just need to be patient,