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Postnatal health

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Help I need some reassurance! Prolapse

24 replies

Firsttimemummie · 07/02/2024 15:20

Hi all, I’m 8 weeks postpartum and I’ve noticed I have a prolapse(I’m scared it’s not mild) I’m being referred to physio but I fear this isn’t going to help me. Having this on top of postnatal depression really hasn’t helped my mental health, I feel so low and I’m not seeing a light beyond this tunnel. Has anyone had physio and has it helped? I fear I’ll need an operation and that’s going to be hard having a 2 month old baby. Just need a little bit of reassurance right now 😔

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IBE45 · 09/02/2024 23:58

I've had physio and it helped massively. I know it may feel all consuming at the moment, I cried and cried day after day when I was first diagnosed, but I'm certain that your symptoms will get better. It may be hard to believe just now, but it will. Take it day by day and remember that pelvic floor improvements happen over months rather than weeks and that improvements are not linear. Sometimes your symptoms will regress, but they will get better again.

Hopefully, seeing a physio will help you both physically and mentally. In the meantime please check out accounts like clairebournephysio, two peaswellness, postpartumprolapse, whymumsdontjump, livingwith_prolapse, physiomumuk, honestyogalondon on Instagram for some positive examples of women living with prolapse and knowledgeable physios. It's not the death sentence it may seem at first and your life isn't over. It may help you to know that around 50% of women who have given birth vaginally have some degree of prolapse, it's just that the VAST majority of women are asymptomatic and have no idea that they have one. Only a small percentage of women feel that they have a prolapse and it's linked to your nervous system.

BestZebbie · 10/02/2024 01:12

If you can see anything sticking out (or feel it bulging near the entrance inside) you will probably be offered a ring pessary rather than an operation (as the operations with mesh have stopped being offered and they'd really rather not unless it is really awful). Ring pessaries are tbh pretty uncomfortable, undignified and inconvenient (not at all times, but repeatedly for short periods), but they do hold prolapses in very well and keep everything in the right place inside. If you go down that route, don't be afraid to try different sizes and shapes, don't just accept the first thing they try if it is not giving you a great quality of life.

Lucy377 · 10/02/2024 01:28

Take heart, it's very early days.
See the physiotherapist and take it one step at a time. Everyone who has a prolapse has a different journey as there's a great deal of variance in the severity and symptoms.
Physio greatly improved my symptoms. It did take time though, months rather than weeks.

The symptoms only got worse again at menopause then I had a repair operation which was stitching only, no mesh needed.
Since then I've been symptom free and had no problems.

Firsttimemummie · 10/02/2024 08:46

@IBE45 thank you so much, this has really helped, the doctor that diagnosed me wasn’t very sympathetic about it, guess I was just another patient to her and was just like oh yeah you have “a bit of a prolapse”, I’ll refer you to physio and that was that. I’m only in my early 30s and I don’t want this to ruin my life 😔, I’ll have a look at those accounts. Hopefully the physio will help!

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Firsttimemummie · 10/02/2024 08:48

@BestZebbie thank you for your comment, I’ve heard about the pessries and I really don’t want it to get to that point, obviously I’ll have no choice if physio doesn’t work. Finger crossed with a successful physio outcome!

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Firsttimemummie · 10/02/2024 08:53

@Lucy377 thank you for your comment, makes me feel better knowing people have been through it and physio has really helped. I saw a different doctor the other day (talk about my depression and getting me started on some meds) and he could tell how much the prolapse is worrying me, he explained my body hasn’t even properly healed from childbirth it just takes time! So hopefully it’s the case for me, I used to be a pretty fit with going gym etc so hopefully that makes a difference 😂

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IBE45 · 10/02/2024 09:56

@Firsttimemummie Doctors can be so unsympathetic about it. I had a very similar response and was dismissed. They don't seem to understand that the severity of a prolapse does not correlate with the severity of symptoms. I've been told by a physio that grade 1 prolapses are often more symptomatic than grade 2. Your physio will probably understand this and be much kinder and more supportive.

As you've acknowledged, you are still VERY early postpartum and have time for so much healing and improvement to happen. You'll hopefully see a huge improvement as your hormones settle and you build up your pelvic floor strength again.

Firsttimemummie · 10/02/2024 10:55

@IBE45 yeah they could see how worried I was, I was in tears about it and I asked what can I do about pain/ being uncomfortable and she replied take ibuprofen or Paracetamol 🙄, they really don’t prepare you for this. If they did it’ll be less scary!

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SallyWD · 10/02/2024 11:03

It's very early days. It can take over a year to heal properly. Also if you're breastfeeding it inhibits oestrogen production so you have very low oestrogen levels. Once you stop breast feeding your oestrogen levels return to normal and it massively helps prolapses, strengthening the vaginal walls.
Also for a few months after birth there's a hormone called relaxin in your system that makes everything floppy.
You'll feel completely differently in about 10 months, I promise. I've been there.

Lucy377 · 10/02/2024 11:15

When you have a prolapse you need to be careful about the sorts of exercise you do.
Because some will absolutely make it worse. Anything that pushes down on the lower abdomen or pelvic floor won't help, like situps.
Similarly you have to switch to walking on the flat not running. As running bounces the pelvic organs up and down.

If you've overdone it you might feel heaviness down below by evening time.

Don't push or pull furniture around. Don't lift heavy suitcases, use wheely ones. Divide shopping into smaller bags not one big one. Get some one else to hoover if possible, at least for the first few months. That heavy pushing against force is what you want to avoid if poss.
All the above help it gets better or no worse.

Regarding sex, it all goes back in place when you lie down. Things can feel different down there after a baby, but it does improve. Especially if you do pelvic floors.
But the physio will help you do those correctly and check your progress.

Having done pelvic floors before the birth is no guarantee of preventing a prolapse, so it's nothing you did to cause this.

Don't blame yourself. It just happens.

Some doctors are very dismissive and they don't understand the emotional impact.
There's a website run by an Australian physio called Michelle Kenway if you Google her.

There's also some good therapy videos on YouTube by therapyinanutshell by Emma McAdams. Some good free videos there to do with coping with negative thoughts.

But don't be pressurising yourself to get fixed really fast. Take it slowly. Best of luck and don't let it cloud your enjoyment of your new baby.

Firsttimemummie · 10/02/2024 12:31

@SallyWD thank you for your comment, I’m formula feeding my bubba, oh I didn’t know the body does that, that’s good to know! I’ll try staying positive and in the future I should be pretty much back to myself, really can’t wait for that time. But seriously thank you really does help to hear people in my situation and have got through it 😊 googling isn’t the best thing to do 😬

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Firsttimemummie · 10/02/2024 13:02

@Lucy377 I’m so careful with what I do at the moment, I have no choice but to carry little man but other than that it’s a bit of housework (if I can 😂) I don’t think pelvic exercises would’ve helped he was a big bubba weighing 10lbs 4! Then ended up with forceps so rip to my private bits 😂😩, I just really wasn’t expecting childbirth and postpartum to be like this 😕, poor husband is banned from me 😂😂. Thank you, this cloud will pass eventually 💕

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ringmybe11 · 10/02/2024 13:13

I haven't got any specific advice to offer but I just wanted to offer solidarity as a fellow parent of a young child. My situation is different as I had a c section so I had major surgery to recover from on top of being a new parent. All over social media are accounts of women bouncing back after having children but the reality for a lot of us is very different. It took me ages to feel properly like myself again but slowly but surely it happened. 18 months post partum I'm fitter than I was pre pregnancy and feel stronger in a number of ways. I hope the journey is similar for you.

Firsttimemummie · 10/02/2024 15:25

@ringmybe11 awh bless you c sections aren’t nice, took me a while to get back to normal because I was discharged when I was really anemic and I didn’t even know! They should’ve had me stay there longer but they mixed up my bloods somehow and I got a sorry about that move 🙄, just seemed like one thing after another and I think that made my mental health bad, I’m glad you’re doing so well because it is a dark lonely place! 💕

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Firsttimemummie · 13/02/2024 15:45

I’ve finally got an appointment with physio therapy on the 6th of March, wish me luck! 😬

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Nattalie18 · 13/02/2024 16:15

9 weeks pp here too and in the same boat. Just wanted to say you’re not alone. I noticed mine about 4 weeks in and as with you my GP was quite dismissive, despite me being in tears! I have been religiously doing my pelvic floor
exercise and have noticed a slight improvement I have the first physio appt next week. As previous posters said - don’t lose hope, it will get better!

Powerplant · 13/02/2024 16:31

I have a recent diagnosis of a mild prolapse however I have gone through the menopause I’m early 60s so maybe different advice to what I was given. I have the NHS Squeezy app and since doing the regular pelvic floor exercises I have noticed a considerable difference. My GP also advised self referal to women’s health physio - still waiting - so may go private. She said a couple of sessions would be really beneficial and also suggested Pilates would help. The next approach for me would be a pessary and surgery as a very last resort. However, please check with your GP first as advice for you may be different.

Firsttimemummie · 13/02/2024 19:43

@Nattalie18 isn’t it horrible! I’m fed up with being constantly uncomfortable and in pain 😩I don’t get how they can be so dismissive if you can see someone’s upset and worried, maybe it’s because we’re just a patient to them 😩, I hope you don’t mind me asking but how bad is the prolapse? Please don’t answer if you don’t want to! Can you let me know how the physio goes? I’ve been doing the squeezing exercises when I can, life’s so busy with an 8 week old 😅. Thank you so much 💕

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Firsttimemummie · 13/02/2024 19:47

@Powerplant the furthest I’ve got so far is waiting for my first physio appointment I’m excited to get things rolling and really hoping it can help me physically and mentally, I’ve never felt so low 😔I’ll have a look at that squeezy app thank you, I hope you get your appointment really soon 💕

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Firsttimemummie · 06/03/2024 13:43

Hi all, just an update, I had my physio appointment today and the prolapse isn’t as bad as I thought, they said they can see myself getting pretty much back to ‘normal’ within a year. Postnatal depression wise, I’m so much better now the medication has kicked in and I’m enjoying my little bubba so much. Thank you to all that commented with reassurance, it really helped xx

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IBE45 · 12/03/2024 11:09

@Firsttimemummie I'm so glad to read that you're doing better and that your prognosis is so positive. Onwards and upwards.

SallyWD · 12/03/2024 11:46

Hi OP, I'm do glad to read your positive update.

Firsttimemummie · 12/03/2024 12:58

@IBE45 thank you! Yes upwards and onwards 😁 hopefully this time next year I’ll be back to my normal self 😊 but right now I’m going to enjoy being a mummy to my gorgeous boy 💕

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Firsttimemummie · 12/03/2024 12:58

@SallyWD thank you sally😁 thank you for your kind words 💕xx

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