Can I ask some advice please? I was going to namechange, but I find it all so labourious.
I used to have very easy and regular bowel movements pre-children. In fact, DH used to call be 'teflon bowels' because I could use the toilet so quickly. Perfectly normal.
When I had DD1 I had an induced labour. The midwives didn't realise I was in active labour until I was 10cm dilated because they thought my very frequent contractions were 'prostin pains'. My total labour was about 4 hours, the pushing stage was over an hour.
I had a 2nd degree tear, repaired by continuous stitch. I have a palpable scar line inside my vagina, but other than that, no issue with scar pain, etc.
I went on to have DD2 20 months later, with just a small graze. DD3 was born 20 months after that, with no tearing.
Since having the children, bowel movements have been less regular and I have a tendency to constipation if I don't manage fluid intake carefully.
In recent months, I've found that I have a sensation of fullness, but then can't go to the toilet. It's almost as if I have sensation higher up, so feel the urge to go, but then as the stool passes down the rectum, the nerves are numbed, and I can't sense the stool sufficiently to activate the necessary muscle contractions.
I also feel like there is a big pocket which the stool moves into. In fact, in the last few months, I've found that the only way to avoid a very prolonged wait on the toilet for gravity to take effect, is to put my fingers inside my vagina and put pressure on one side of the rear of my vaginal wall, and even to feel for formed stools and push them down the passage with my finger, until they get to the part of my rectum that seems to still have nerve sensation, at which point my bowel contracts as it should.
Does that sound crazy?
However,