Prolapse or slow recovery?

[Girlwiththearabstrap]

I'll be asking about this at my 6 week check but just looking for similar experiences or advice really.
I'm 3 weeks pp. Second baby, both have been back to back and involved a episiotomy and a longish pushing stage. Recovered from first really quickly.

Now I'm still feeling a bit of a heavy, full, dragging feeling down below. Especially when I walk for a long way or am carrying anything heavy. I've had a look with a mirror and everything just looks so open and fleshy! How do I know if this is just normal or a Prolapse? And if it is a Prolapse have I just buggered up my nether regions in my 30s?! I'm a runner and love hiit but I just can't imagine doing anything high impact just now. I expected to have bounced back within a month and just feel quite down and sad now.

You are only three weeks post partum. There is lots of time for it to improve. Do lots of pelvic floor exercises and try not to worry unless it is still a problem in time. I would say that even six weeks is too early to expect it to be back to 'normal'. Many congratulations on your baby 👶

Hi @Girlwiththearabstrap,

The pelvic floor responds well to strengthening programme but it takes a while. Count 3 months of diligent 3x day pelvic floor exercises for a marked improvement. In the meantime, only lift your baby and yes, no high impact sport.
If you're breastfeeding, this has an impact too so "full recovery" will only be complete after you stop.
Do ask the GP but if you can afford a few sessions with a women's health physiotherapist, I'd do that as they would normally be able to taylor your return to high impact.

3 weeks pp is still very early. As it’s your second child your body probabaly won’t spring back as quickly an easily as it did with the first.

Back to back babies put more pressure on that area whilst coming out and also with a long pushing time your pelvic floor will be shot at the moment. 2nd babies tend to cause more damage to the pelvic floor than first babies as it’s already slightly weakened.

You will just need to give it more time to heal and repair etc.

I had a back to back baby. Long pushing and awful forcep delivery. An I had that heavy ache for weeks and weeks. Like 8/9 weeks tbh but it had now eventually gone. My poor nether regions just got an absolute battering.

💕

If you’re having a dragging feeling after walking my experience suggests it might be a minor porolapse. I was fine immediately after the birth of my second, but two weeks later had a minor rectocele prolapse. I saw a consultant gynae who referred me to a women’s physiotherapist - she said my pelvic floor was terribly weak. It’s only really gone back to normal 18months later after I’ve stopped pushing a heavy double buggy, lifting heavy car seats and walking so much - all this can make it worse. I do try and do the exercises as often as I remember too.