3 weeks PP - something wrong with vagina

[Charlottef94]

Im 3 weeks postpartum and last night I explored the area more and was horrified to find I have a bulge blocking the entrance to my vagina when standing up. My vagina feels like it goes backwards around this balloon like thing instead of upwards and so loose. When I’m bent over or lying down the bulge moves inside me and away from my vagina so it feels more normal.

I’m devastated and every time I think about it I cry. I’ve googled it and it sounds like a prolapse perhaps of my bladder as it’s in the front wall.

I feel so worried about needing surgery or not being able to have sex or use tampons normally in the future. I feel like my whole vagina is ruined and something is definitely wrong.

has anyone had anything similar?

Speak to your midwife or HV.

It could simply be part of the placenta or it could be more serious but it definitely needs investigation

I would ring your assessment unit, lots will still see you until 6 weeks post partum...or see your GP if you have a good one. It could be something like a prolapse but it could also be a haematoma or swelling from the birth.

Almost certainly a prolapse but don't panic - you're only 3 weeks pp. Go see your GP. I have a prolapse and it doesn't cause me many issues. I can't use tampons but other than that I don't have any problems.

It is very unlikely to be placenta. You’d be unwell and it would smell terrible.

OP it could be a prolapse or it could just be vaginal wall. Have you been doing your pelvic floor exercises? Do you have any incontinence?

Could be a rectocele - pretty common, albeit can be a bit alarming when you first encounter it after childbirth. Time and physio will help, if so. However, obv get it checked.

Please, please don't panic about this. I had this after my first birth and I spent weeks feeling devastated about it and googling non stop. After two births I no longer have it or have any lasting issues. HVs and midwives had little to no advice, but after extensive research I have lots I can share!

What you have is extremely common but not a lot of people talk about it, or in fact know they have it as they don't look down there. If it's your bladder causing the issue, it's known as a cystocele. They come in different grades. They're the cause of women weeing when on a trampoline for example, lots of women have this issue.

Just after birth your hormones still feeling everything is quite relaxed, especially if you are breastfeeding.

It will likely improve over the next few weeks as things move back up inside. If it doesn't completely go, all is not lost and you can improve it somewhat.

• Once youve been signed off to do exercise, do exercises to improve your pelvic floor. This is more than just kegels, look on YouTube for postpartum pilates or specific pelvic floor workouts. Your core, glutes and hips all need exercising in unison to bring everything back up
• Also look up hypopressives which works on elevating your insides, which also improves a cytocele.
• Book in a "Mummy MOT" with a practitioner near you, a specific postpartum check where they give you an internal exam to review your pelvic floor
• Limit any lifting of heavy things for at least a few more weeks, this causes you to bear down and can make symptoms worse. Put baby in pram rather than carry in a carrier as often as you can
• Eat lots of fibre so you don't end up constipated and pushing when you go to the toilet
• If you're breastfeeding, contemplate feeding lying down during the night so you're not sat up all the time (Lullaby trust has good advice on how to do this safely)

Three weeks is nothing yet, and honestly things do massively improve by the 6th month mark. Hope some of the above helps :)

OP said it’s in the anterior wall so not a rectocele.

This is all excellent advice and as someone who had this after my first birth I agree with all of it. Eldest now 4, have had another (2.5yo) since then - was a CS but not due to this issue - and honestly everything feels normal these days! Still using tampons, enjoying a healthy sex life, no incontinence etc.

@Helpisonitswaydear and others thank you so much, you’ve really helped put my mind a bit more at ease. I’ve been googling and it sounded like only surgery could fix it so I have been beside myself since last night with worry that I’m permanently damaged. I’ve had some urine and wind incontinence issues since the birth which has really been getting me down, I don’t feel like myself at all and it’s so upsetting feeling like I’m wetting myself when I walk. I’ve always been an active person so the idea of never running or lifting weights at the gym again is also really devastating.

ive tried to ring my maternity assessment centre and GP today but both have said it doesn’t sound urgent and unlikely to help until 6 weeks.

Ive got a mummy MOT with pelvic physio booked in at 6 weeks too.

How long did it take for yours to improve?

OP, did you have any tears or an episiotomy?

For me, I clocked mine at around 12 weeks as it was all a bit of a mess down there before then (had quite a lot of stitches, thanks DD for the episiotomy! 😬🙈). Noticed some definite improvement by 8 months, not back to normal exactly but more a ‘bit of an annoying lump’ thing. All good by 12 months but then I went and got pregnant again 😂 went downhill again during my second pregnancy, not as bad as it had been after DD’s birth but weeing when I sneezed or coughed during the second trimester. Pretty much as soon as DS was out it was absolutely fine and no problems since. I do try and stay on top of exercises (as @Helpisonitswaydear says, there’s more than just kegels - I did a lot of postnatal yoga both times which I think definitely helped). It took your body 9 months to grow your lovely baby, it’s fair enough that it might take a while to recover I guess… even though it’s bloody awful waiting! You do what you do to help it along, but part of it is just a waiting game, alas.

To add to this if there were forceps/ventouse involved I think that can impact - DD was forceps.

@UpUpUpU no tears and a water birth - I thought I’d been lucky so I was pretty shocked when I looked yesterday. I pushed him out in 45 mins and I feel like I’ve destroyed my pelvic floor, also my perineum feels lower than it was before and kind of like it’s sagged.

Feels horrible honestly, my bum also feels weird like it’s hard to close my sphincter when I go for a no 2, it’s all just a total mess. I’ve been doing the NHS Squeezy app but will look at other YouTube videos too.

I was googling the same things about surgery too @Charlottef94 and was quite horrified by the thought!!

It took about 6 months to be 80% better, and another 6 to get to 100%. At first I was checking it about 10 times a day with a mirror and then I got less and less obsessive as it improved. The GP probably won't look yet as it will improve over the next few weeks.

Mine was caused by having to push for so long, then getting the flu soon after and having a bad cough.

Second time round I'm 10 weeks post birth and all looks normal down there as I was only pushing for 20 mins. I'm still concious it could develop as pelvic floor is so fragile for first few months.

Another piece of advice to add to the above is stay off your feet as much as you can each day, and don't go for any long walks yet - the more I was on my feet the worse I was at the end of each day.

I promise things will improve over time OP xx

I had a similar thing and I got myself in such a state but it was a relief to tell my GP and he was so kind and checked me all over etc and in a couple of weeks it was all back to normal.
I had a long labour and lots of stitches as my son weighed 11 pounds.
Just get checked out so you can recover and get back to normal.Good luck.

Definitely sounds like a prolapse- squeezing and tightening the muscles help but you need to see your health professional.

Hey @Charlottef94 i know it’s been a while but I have exactly the same now (gave birth 3 weeks ago). How did it go in the end? Xx