Prolapse

[GBoxall]

Two & a half weeks ago I gave birth to my second little boy. He was 9lb 5oz & I sustained a third degree (3b) tear and a 2.3 litre blood loss. Healing has been going ok, but a few days ago I felt that there was a ball stuck down below. The midwife found that I have a prolapse, she said it’s my uterus or cervix. I have a phone call with the pelvic health team in four days & a face to face appointment on the 3rd December. I just need to hear some positive stories around feeling better, because I feel so, so upset by this & am so petrified that this is my life now & that I will never feel normal again. I am shuffling around the house & feel so miserable. I have a 2.5 year old, my newborn and my husband goes back to work next week & I am just dreading it :( When will I be able to move again without feeling this constant feeling of a ball? I’ve been doing my pelvic floor exercises.

Please don't worry. 50% of women develop prolapses after birth. Many don't notice until menopause hits though - the hormonal changes lead to everything sagging in menopause.
So most post-partum prolapses heal up a great deal after birth. However it can take a year or more. When you're breastfeeding you're in a low oestrogen state which means the vaginal walls are weak and thin. Once you stop breastfeeding, your oestrogen levels return to normal and the vaginal walls firm up and this helps lift up the prolapse. You also have high levels of a hormone called relaxin for several months following the birth. This makes everything very droopy down there.
You really need to give it a full year to heal and for your hormones to return to normal.
I had bladder, bowel and uterine prolapse after my second child, 11 years ago. I felt exactly like you - devastated and broken. However, it improved so much over the months that I stopped noticing it after about 11 to 12 months. It doesn't affect my life at all. Everything works normally and feels normal. In those early months I bought a Kegal 8 machine and dud these exercises: www.hab-it.com/
They really helped.

Oh don't panic! It's such a weird and horrible feeling but very common after giving birth and they do recover.

I remember thinking that I would never be able to go for a walk again, let alone return to work and I'm now back running.

I found the hab-it exercises www.hab-it.com/buy-videos/ really useful as it was more comprehensive than just doing kegals and I found my whole core was weak as well as my pelvic floor.

Ask for a referral to a women's health physio as they can check you are doing the exercises effectively, but what actually makes a difference is the everyday exercises (oh and avoiding constipation!)

Thank you both so much, that’s so reassuring to hear. Do you both remember when you started the exercises/kegel 8 machine use? I am so so desperate to start to feel even just the tiniest bit better, but don’t want to jeopardise recovery by starting too soon. I’m so upset that I may never be able to pick my 2 & a half year old up again and it’s just breaking my heart. Thank you again for your replies. @Clouddrifting @SallyWD

I started the hab-it exercises within a week or so of realising I had a prolapse. They start gently and it's not a quick fix but now looking back I can't remember when it started to feel manageable - i was definitely back in an active role at work a year later feeling ok. It was really helpful mentally to feel that there was something I could do to help.

I can't remember exactly but I think within a few weeks. They definitely helped me (the machine and the exercises). I was also referred to a pelvic floor physio by my GP. To be honest, she was pretty rubbish and didn't help much but I have heard that some are excellent and make a real difference!
I have to admit I continued to carry my children. I'm not advising this at all but I did and my prolapses didn't worsen. You should clench your pelvic floor muscles every time you put strain on them such as when you cough, sneeze or lift something heavy. This really helps to protect them.

Just wondering how you’re doing now? Currently in the same position. Crying that I’m missing out on 2 year old and wishing I’d had an elective c section.