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Very embarrassing TMI question...

Laila619

Super_Ideal_Rock
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This is an embarrassing question, but here goes. For those of you who gave birth vaginally, especially if you had a larger baby, do you sometimes feel like you're a little, er, looser down there? I gave birth to a 9.5 pound baby four months ago ( :errrr: ), and I do my kegels faithfully. However, I still don't feel like I'm back to where I was. :(( When I had my first baby, he was only 7 pounds and I feel like I bounced back right away. This is kind of depressing. Ah the joys of childbirth!
 
I had two big babies vaginally.

For a long time post baby I felt like everything was falling out! :lol: ;( :errrr: I also had stress incontinence with the first and to a lesser extent, my second.

I found that kegels helped, but also running again has helped a tonne! Basically, the pelvic muscles get really stretched, and I found anything that helped strengthen my core and pelvic muscles helped me. Since starting to run -- I do about 18km per week now -- I have noticed a huge improvement. I think all the stabalizer and pelvic floor muscles get stronger from running and I can really tell in how my pelic muscles/organs feel.

Now, the bigger issue for me that I don't think excercise will correct is that I have bladder prolapse and also some other related issues. It sucks, but thankfully no serious negative consequences yet -- like no incontinence or pain. But it bother me a lot and in uncomfortable at times :blackeye: Worse is the changes in my colon, which I won't detail, but going to the bathroom is really not the same. Sigh. It was worth it. I guess :halo:

ETA: Oh, and to your specific point, I am sure that I am looser and everything has changed. Like, I can't use tampons anymore comfortably because its hard to position them. But, I don't have uterire prolapse and DH doesn't complain about anything so I am ok with the vajayjay! Its the bladder and colon changes that really get me down.
 
Hi Dreamer,

Thanks for weighing in! I'm sorry for your issues too, but sounds like you're doing pretty well. Yes, it's worth it, but it still sucks sometimes. :blackeye: I hope once the weather gets better to start walking/jogging. Maybe that will help me.
 
My baby was big but not huge (8lb11.5oz). But his head was positioned so that it was sort of diagonal, so he might as well been 12lbs. I also pushed for 3.5 hours, so all of my muscles were pretty torn up. I had a ton if bladder problems that required physical therapy. Luckily, the vajayjay itself wasn't bad. I did have a lot of scar tissue up there that had to be worked out. If anything I felt tighter just because it all hurt so much. I hope everything works out. It took me a good 5 months to feel better.
 
Hi Laila,

I had two babies vaginally - they were not big, 6.5 lbs and almost 7 lbs - but I had them sans epidural so they felt plenty big. :errrr: I had a second degree tear with the first baby.

I didn't do kegels, but I started doing home workout DVDs and what really helped a ton was a DVD by Jillian Michaels called Killer Buns and Thighs. Even though it's supposed to target butt and thighs, there are a lot of pelvic exercises that really helped tightening up everything in that region. It also got me back to my old prebaby size. HTH!
 
Laila, when I had DD, I had a similar issue. She was actually pretty small though. I wasn't *active* after I had her because I was a teenager and terrified of getting pregnant again. But it was a solid year before I could use a tampon. They would literally fall our if I engaged my pelvic muscles all. It eventually just resolved itself.

I didn't have any issues after having DS1. In fact, things felt a little too tight for a while. I think that had more to do with how my episiotomy healed.
 
Sorry to hear that, Laila!

If the problem persists, you may want to see a physical therapist who works with pelvic floor issues. I actually see one for the opposite problem- my muscles are too tight, which is causing a HUGE host of issues. I'm so glad I never wasted time with kegels...
 
Another vote for PT. it can be incredibly helpful for a range of issues. Apparently in France all women go post childbirth as routine care. So be like the Frenchies!
 
Thanks so much for the advice, gals. I'll definitely look into PT. Having a 9.5 pound baby really wrecked me. ;(
 
I was watching weeds last night and there was something on the episode about a vagina weight. Haha I know that is a terrible source but I was curious being 4.5 months pp myself and it is a legitimate treatment for weak pelvic floor muscles. Just google vaginal weight and there will be a ton of different options. Mine are already on their way to me.
 
If all else fails, there's vaginal "rejuvenation" surgery...
I'm afraid I'm of no help - I had two babies vaginally, but I don't notice much difference (and DH said that he doesn't either). I have exercised regularly for years and years (and it was no different before, during, and after pregnancy), so I really feel that makes a difference in overall recovery.
 
I had a 3rd degree with my first and a 4th degree tear with my second. With both it took probably 6 months to bounce back.
 
momhappy|1363826246|3409980 said:
If all else fails, there's vaginal "rejuvenation" surgery...
I'm afraid I'm of no help - I had two babies vaginally, but I don't notice much difference (and DH said that he doesn't either). I have exercised regularly for years and years (and it was no different before, during, and after pregnancy), so I really feel that makes a difference in overall recovery.

Thanks again for the fitness plug...what is it you're selling???
 
Although I haven't had a baby, 50 shades of Grey led me to an amazon search for these nifty ben wa balls they spoke about.. *blush* Anyway in the description it mentions strengthening those muscles, as well as better orgasms! So may as well give it a try in between PA etc :cheeky: Here's the link on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Lelo-LELO-Mini-Luna-Beads/dp/B00AIC84J4/ref=sr_1_46?ie=UTF8&qid=1363941848&sr=8-46&keywords=Lelo I think they're just a variation of ben wa balls, I'm not sure they're any different than the usual?
 
monarch64|1363937384|3410938 said:
momhappy|1363826246|3409980 said:
If all else fails, there's vaginal "rejuvenation" surgery...
I'm afraid I'm of no help - I had two babies vaginally, but I don't notice much difference (and DH said that he doesn't either). I have exercised regularly for years and years (and it was no different before, during, and after pregnancy), so I really feel that makes a difference in overall recovery.

Thanks again for the fitness plug...what is it you're selling???

Selling? That's not spam - I'm a 40-something year-old mom. It wasn't meant as a fitness "plug" per se (I apologize if it came off that way), but I do think that fitness had an overall effect on my the way my body recovered after pregnancy/childbirth. What would I be selling if I was advocating for fitness? Gym memberships??? :lol:
I joined pricescope because I was starting a halo ring project and am clueless when it comes to that sort of thing (you can find my threads/posts in Rockytalk), so I didn't come here to sell anything - I'm just sharing like everyone else :)
 
Momhappy, that's great that you bounced back after childbirth quickly. You're very lucky. I am no fitness guru, but I worked out pre-pregnancy and continued to walk up until the end of my pregnancy. I also bounced back relatively quickly after giving birth (as far as weight loss and muscle tone), and the exercise may have to contributed to that, but I can't say that for sure. But I don't think that exercise (other than possibly kegels) would prevent or cure someone from not feeling looser or different after giving birth to a large baby or having a difficult delivery. I know several ladies on here have not been able to exercise for awhile after giving birth due to pelvic floor issues. So, I think that might be why your comments about exercise being the end all be all sort of come across as "flippant" for lack of a better word. I know you didn't mean any offense or anything. I think we can all agree that exercise in general is good for us.

Laila, I'm way late to comment, but I had an 8lb5oz little guy 5 months ago (so not quite as big as your little one), but I had a second degree tear, and I do feel a little different after having him. Not a huge change or anything, but it's noticeable. I've also noticed I do not have as great of bladder control as I used to have, even though I am really making an effort to do kegels when I think of it. I hope you notice some improvement in time or that PT helps if you decide to try it. Hope your little ones are doing well!
 
monkeyprincess|1363963216|3411042 said:
Momhappy, that's great that you bounced back after childbirth quickly. You're very lucky. I am no fitness guru, but I worked out pre-pregnancy and continued to walk up until the end of my pregnancy. I also bounced back relatively quickly after giving birth (as far as weight loss and muscle tone), and the exercise may have to contributed to that, but I can't say that for sure. But I don't think that exercise (other than possibly kegels) would prevent or cure someone from not feeling looser or different after giving birth to a large baby or having a difficult delivery. I know several ladies on here have not been able to exercise for awhile after giving birth due to pelvic floor issues. So, I think that might be why your comments about exercise being the end all be all sort of come across as "flippant" for lack of a better word. I know you didn't mean any offense or anything. I think we can all agree that exercise in general is good for us.

Laila, I'm way late to comment, but I had an 8lb5oz little guy 5 months ago (so not quite as big as your little one), but I had a second degree tear, and I do feel a little different after having him. Not a huge change or anything, but it's noticeable. I've also noticed I do not have as great of bladder control as I used to have, even though I am really making an effort to do kegels when I think of it. I hope you notice some improvement in time or that PT helps if you decide to try it. Hope your little ones are doing well!

Oh, I completely agree with you - everyone is different. I am certainly not attributing exercise to vaginal muscle tone. I realize that there is much more to it than that and my previous comment did not imply that fitness was an end-all-be-all cure. I said "contributed/effected" not "fixed/cured" so I'm not sure why it would be taken in that context (or why it would be considered flippant)? I guess my point was misunderstood or maybe I wasn't clear enough - either way, my apologies - it was certainly not my intent to cause confusion.
 
momhappy, you certainly didn't confuse me. I understood what you were saying. I was just providing my opinion on why monarch was wondering what you are " selling" based on your exercise comments on a couple different threads recently. Like I said, I think we all agree exercise is a good idea to the extent possible. And it is good to hear what has worked for other people. No hard feelings I hope. How old are your kids by the way?
 
monkeyprincess|1363977969|3411227 said:
momhappy, you certainly didn't confuse me. I understood what you were saying. I was just providing my opinion on why monarch was wondering what you are " selling" based on your exercise comments on a couple different threads recently. Like I said, I think we all agree exercise is a good idea to the extent possible. And it is good to hear what has worked for other people. No hard feelings I hope. How old are your kids by the way?

Nope, no hard feelings at all :)
 
I have to be honest, this is one subject I really worry about when it comes to having babies!
 
^I think it's normal to have those concerns - many of us did/do.
 
Laila I went to see a PT about another issue and while there told her about some of the stress incontinence I was having and she had TONNES of excercises for me to do, to strengthen my pelvic floor. In the end I didn't do them much because I am lazy :lol: Well, lazy for those types of things. And I found when I started running that my pelvic floor strengthened anyways.

I think that fitness pre- and post helps with overall recovery, but women differ a lot in the amount of relaxin that produce when pregnant. That has a huge impact on the condition of you your pelvic floor and organs post-baby. Your pelvic floor and all the organs are held in place with tendons and ligaments. If you have a body that makes a lot of relaxin those all loosen up more than they might if you have lower levels of relaxin. I was one of those lucky ones who made a lot of relaxin -- its a big reason why I had pubic symphesis dysfunction (evil crotch pain) with my first pregnancy. And I think that is part of the reason that I had bladder prolapse and a loose pelvic floor now -- even with fitness. To an extent I bet that has as much to do with the post-baby changes as the actual delivery. But this is just my personal theory :halo:
 
^I agree with you, dreamer. Relaxin also has to do with changing foot size during pregnancy, which again, some women experience and some don't.
 
The weird thing is I don't have any symptoms of weak pelvic floor muscles or anything--I never leak urine even when sneezing or laughing, I do kegels regularly, etc. It just feels looser during sex is all.

I went to my Obgyn, and he was adamant that I do not have a "gaping crotch" or anything (I specifically asked him). He said it all looks perfectly normal, and he has seen thousands of lady parts. :lol: So who knows?! Guess I should just chalk it up to the joys of childbirth.

I'll tell you, if I have a third, I want a C-section. People always say they want to avoid a C-section and have a vaginal birth, but I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be.
 
Dreamer_D|1364008201|3411574 said:
Laila I went to see a PT about another issue and while there told her about some of the stress incontinence I was having and she had TONNES of excercises for me to do, to strengthen my pelvic floor. In the end I didn't do them much because I am lazy :lol: Well, lazy for those types of things. And I found when I started running that my pelvic floor strengthened anyways.

I think that fitness pre- and post helps with overall recovery, but women differ a lot in the amount of relaxin that produce when pregnant. That has a huge impact on the condition of you your pelvic floor and organs post-baby. Your pelvic floor and all the organs are held in place with tendons and ligaments. If you have a body that makes a lot of relaxin those all loosen up more than they might if you have lower levels of relaxin. I was one of those lucky ones who made a lot of relaxin -- its a big reason why I had pubic symphesis dysfunction (evil crotch pain) with my first pregnancy. And I think that is part of the reason that I had bladder prolapse and a loose pelvic floor now -- even with fitness. To an extent I bet that has as much to do with the post-baby changes as the actual delivery. But this is just my personal theory :halo:

Hmm, that makes a lot of sense Dreamer!

I wonder if this is also responsible for why I pushed so little. The first was only 15 minutes of pushing, and the second was 45 minutes.
 
Laila619|1364324405|3413842 said:
The weird thing is I don't have any symptoms of weak pelvic floor muscles or anything--I never leak urine even when sneezing or laughing, I do kegels regularly, etc. It just feels looser during sex is all.

I went to my Obgyn, and he was adamant that I do not have a "gaping crotch" or anything (I specifically asked him). He said it all looks perfectly normal, and he has seen thousands of lady parts. :lol: So who knows?! Guess I should just chalk it up to the joys of childbirth.

I'll tell you, if I have a third, I want a C-section. People always say they want to avoid a C-section and have a vaginal birth, but I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be.

I think there are advantages and disadvantages no matter how you birth - it's really so different for everyone.
 
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