prolapse worries

[Wardy1993]

Hello mumsnetters
This is my first ever post but I needed to be able to speak honestly and anonymously. I am 22 and gave birth to my son naturally on 27th Dec 2015. Fast forward and I have believed that I had a great birth; no stitches, everything felt like it went back to normal quite quickly, lochia finished already. However, after examining my downstairs and still feeling a little bit strange, I realised what was wrong. I am 99 per cent sure I have prolapsed in some way, from reading I am sure it is my bladder. Sorry for tmi, I have a small bulge that is visible on the outside of me, and I am honestly frightened to death about this. I am so disapointed; I thought everything was fine. After all baby was not big (6lb 2oz) I am not overweight, no other risk factors for prolapse. I feel too young for this crap to be happening to me and I can't stop crying and being miserable about it. I'm so worried this is going to affect me horribly for the rest of my life; all I want to do is to be able to walk into the gp and say 'fix it PLEASE!' You know? I just want it fixed now. I already feel like it's affecting my life. I am able to have sex as I have no pain and dh says it feels no different but since this discovery I don't feel mentally able to engage in intercourse. I feel like shit, just need some words of advice and to be told this isn't the end of the world!!! Thanks X forgot to say this is my first child xx

Wardy it might not be a prolapse and if it is most will go back with pelvic floor exercises done religiously in the postnatal period

Go see a gp and she may send you for some physio if she feels it could help.

Well congratulations on the baby! Have you had your 6 wk check up yet at the GP? You are only a few weeks after giving birth. I would figure that consistently doing pelvic floor exercises will improve things considerably for you. Bear in mind the pelvic floor exercises may take some months to work really well, but they do work. Your hormones when pregnant and/or breastfeeding make the ligaments more lax. These take time to tighten up in the weeks after the birth. So please give it time before you hit the panic button. I know it is alarming to find something that looks wrong but it may not be as bad as you think. And regarding sex the bulging all goes away when you lie down.
You have no other physical symptoms apart from the small bulge. So that's great. Even if it is a slight prolapse, they are harmless just inconvenient. Other women who have prolapse can have leakage of urine, pain and discomfort during sex, problems with bowel movements, pressure in the pelvic area, discomfort when walking and sitting etc. Hell, a lot of women wouldn't even be thinking about sex until the baby is like 6 months old! That is more the normal course of events because their bits have been stitched or they are too put through the wringer to even think about it. So you are doing pretty well on the recovery front already.
First stop is the GP, and I would ask refer yourself or get referred to a physiotherapist who deals with pelvic floor issues. Is there a physiotherapy team at the hospital where you had your baby. You could ring them and see can someone see you or at least phone you back to discuss. It might put your mind at rest so you can get on and enjoy your life with our baby and your partner.
It definitely is not the end of the world! You are in no danger from it, and the likelihood it will get better not worse over the coming months.

It's not the end of the world. You are only a few weeks post birth and so things could still be a bit swollen and settling down. Try not to worry.

Make sure you do your pelvic floor exercises as often as you can (try to link it to something you do a lot during the day, so every time you feed baby, or boil the kettle for a cuppa etc so you remember to do them). This will at least help you feel like you are doing something to help. To target the right muscles, try stopping a wee mid flow to get the feel of really tightening the muscles but don't do it every time you go to the loo as that's not good (can't remember why), just once or twice over the next few days until you have the feel of the right muscles.

Make an appointment to see your GP, especially as you say you can see a small bulge but be prepared for them to tell you it's too soon after giving birth and may tell you to wait for a while.

Thank you so much girls I already feel better just reading your messages! I think now that I have looked down there I am all of a sudden very aware of feeling different down there. It doesn't feel massively uncomfortable but I am somewhat aware of it when I sit down. Thank you again for your kind words, I will get to the gp ASAP, and great idea I have been doing exercises since he was born but now will do whenever I feed him so I know it's regular. I think I am finding this particularly difficult to handle as I have just noticed some of my teeth are literally crumbling so have got the dentist tomorrow, and since before ds was born social services have been involved quite unnecessarily due to a history of depression so I am desperately trying to keep it together! At least all of this hasn't once stopped me enjoying time with ds he is the best thing that's ever happened to me and dh X

Forgot to say it also worried me that when we had sex I couldn't really feel anything but dh said it felt like normal so it made me worried that maybe my nerve endings inside are completely buggered up X

Sorry to jump on your thread - was about to start a similar one.

Had DS (2nd DC) on 31st Dec. Straightforward vaginal delivery and then over the weekend something "went" and now something is intruding on my vagina. I saw the GP today who said I have a 3rd degree prolapse and to do pelvic floor for 3 months and see if it improves.

I don't have any incontinence, I've been quite constipated though in late pregnancy and since.

I'm so upset about this also, I've been in tears a lot, I'm convinced that it'll never get better with exercise and I'll be fobbed off by GP until it's worse.

So you aren't alone! But, yes, the GP might not be able to offer you a "fix" so soon after birth.

Does anyone have any experience of resolving a "grade 3" prolapse without surgery?

Congratulations on your baby!
And don't panic , its only 4 weeks since you had him.
Do as the other posters have said. Also, make sure that you are doing the exercises properly -look up Michelle Kenway - there is a lot of info on how and which ones to do

Thank you so much for the advice girls and tango I'm so sorry you're going through that, it's the mainreason why I'm frightened to go to the gp because I'm convinced I'm going to get fobbed off- I'm new to mumsnet and using the app is there a way we can personal message or something? Keep eachother up to date and support? Thanks so much you lovely ladies X X

Sadly, its quite common to be fobbed off.
There is a support group for pelvic organ prolapse on facebook - its a closed group, and it is full of women who have had experience of this, and are very supportive .

Here is a link
www.facebook.com/groups/184143085606/

Thanks bookbook! I felt quite hopeless and disapointed but with any luck I can turn things around once I have a proper diagnosis and you girls are great X

Hah - nice to be called a girl - I'm 60 !
There is a set of old zombie threads on here called 'any old prolapse' , full of information which helped me a lot when I first thought/knew I had a problem

Here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2029642-PART-9-Mar-2014-Any-old-prolapse-Uterus-womb-prolapse-rectocele-cystocele-enterocele-urethrocele-incontinence-pelvic-floor-anterior-and-posterior-repair-TVT-etc

IT hasn't been long, give your body a chance to heal. Do your pelvic floors and bring it up at your 6week check so they can take a look.

If you do have any problems then they can be fixed.

It takes 40 weeks to make a baby, give it the same time to heal and then take it from there.

wise words gamerchick

I don't know where it is in the app. But I've sent you a PM OP.