2 pregnancies 2 births
13 months PP
I am a 22 year old wife and mother to a great husband and 2 wonderful little boys. I have never been extremely happy w/ my body even though I’ve always been on the small side it makes me sick to look @ old pics b/f kids when I thought I was so fat. I found out I was pregnant w/ my 1st son when I was 18 and I threw up every day all day for the 1st 4 months but after that it was a breeze. I had to be induced at 40 weeks b/c I couldn’t go into labor on my own on August 16 2010 I had my 1st boy Isaac he was 7 pounds 13 oz. and very handsome lol When he was 2 my husband & I decided we were ready for another baby & on December 15 2009 we welcomed our 2nd boy Wyatt he was 8 pounds 6 oz. the pregnancy was much better this time so I was prepared for round 2 lol but it didn’t quite go as planned. Once again I had to be induced at 40 weeks b/c I didn’t go into labor on my own & everything went fine until it was time to push… I gave birth to my beautiful son and then came the afterbirth & then came my uterus- yes my uterus I instantly knew something was wrong & asked the dr. what happened & he told me my uterus came out! I was freaking out the nurse was making calls & asked if I could @ least hold my baby b/f they took me to surgery they let me touch & glance @ him then told my hubby to take him to the nursery. The dr. wrapped up my uterus & we headed to surgery. The last thing I remember is them putting me on the table ( I passed out from blood loss) I had to have 4 units of blood & I was so weak I couldn’t even sit up. I am so thankful for my dr. for being trained on what to do in this rare situation. Anyway sorry this is such a long post thank you for taking the time to read my story. I still have a way to go to fully love myself & appreciate my body but I wouldn’t trade my boys for anything! I have recently started Insanity so I hope I will get some great results & post some amazing after photos! Once again thanks for reading my story and thank you Bonnie for creating this site :)
The 1st 4 pics are of me now 13 months pp & the last one is a pic of my handsome boys :)
Updated here.
You have such a tiny waist and trim legs! I’m jealous.
I have a really random question though…did you get to keep your uterus? Like…did they put it back in? Or does a situation like that result in a hysterectomy? My cousin had a partial prolapse early in her third pregnancy but it corrected itself as the baby grew bigger.
You look great…and good luck with Insanity, not sure what that is, but I hope it works for you. And I would also like to know what happened to your uterus? I’ve never heard of this happening
Thanks for the kind comment! Lol they put my uterus back in. I didn’t have to have a hysterectomy because I had a good experienced Dr.
You look great and your boys are beautiful. I love your positive attitude towards a rather traumatic situation after your 2nd delivery. Well done!
Hi First I’d like to say I am really sorry that you went through so much trauma in your last birthing experience. I am not a nurse or Dr, so I don’t have any medical training whatsoever, however I’ve done some reading, and I have this “gut sense” about what happened to you and others. First, lots of women do go into labor past 40 weeks if left to go after 40 weeks. If your Dr was patient enough, he could have left you alone to go into labor at your bodies own timing. I don’t know your medical history, but the Dr should have left your body alone, if you were healthy. You, most likely, would have gone into labor. 2nd, I have been induced, too. When the nurses told me it was time to push, I did. I pushed so hard, that I now have a slight prolapsed uterus. I believe it is this way because I couldn’t feel myself pushing. I was not following my own bodies natural pushing rhythm. Imagine yourself pushing really hard, harder than normal for a bowel movement. Well, you wouldn’t do that, but I think that is what is happening when we unnaturally push a baby out when we have a epidural. So, because you, myself, and lots of other women who push into the dark because we can’t feel a darn thing, we harm ourselves because it’s unnaturally too much pressure. It is not our fault. It is not your fault. I am somewhat angry that Dr’s don’t allow our bodies to do what it is supposed to do because they are afraid to get sued. They should be sued for interfering too much! See the movie “The Business of Being Born”. There are other movies like this that will just open your eyes. I am glad that you got to keep your uterus. You are so lucky to be alive to see your beautiful children. Will you be able to have more if you choose to? Anyway, again, I am really sorry that you went through such a traumatic experience and I hope that you are healing, physically and mentally. Take Care!
@Jenny W thank you! Insanity is an intense 90 day workout program. I had complete uterine prolapse which is very rare(in my Dr.’s 25 years of practice I was the only patient to have this) the dr. said it had something to do w/ the placenta being in the wrong place which put pressure on my uterus and caused it to come out w/ the placenta. Luckily my dr. had been trained to handle the situation. I am healthy now & have no side effects. @ Sarah thanks!
That’s pretty crazy, glad you had an experienced Dr…good luck with the workout..you should post after the 90 days, i’d like to see how this worked
Kelly:
I think you have some very needed advice on the topic. These are extremely scary situations happening to women. Thank you for your voice.
@ Kelly Thank you! That does make sense. I don’t blame my dr. though and the second time around I could tell when to push but like you said it is still too much pressure. I have Mirena but I could have more children if I wanted to. I don’t think I’d ever make it through the pregnancy though because I’d be scared of delivery & all that stress & anxiety wouldn’t be good for the baby. Plus having 2 little boys is enough for me lol The chances of that happening again are slim to none but I don’t want to take that chance. I have 2 beautiful healthy little boys & I am so greatful to be here to take care of them.
@ Jenny W Thanks! I will definitely post after the workout :)
Confused.. You had your first son in 2010 and your second son in 2009? Did those dates get mixed up?
My mistake lol My first son was born in 2007.
Kelly- It’s obvious you have no medical training and are not a doctor or nurse, so I’m very glad you prefaced your ignorant comment with such a warning!
Perhaps you should try doing just a *tiny* bit of research other than watching Ricki Lake documentaries before doling out advice about preventing prolapse by not using induction methods or epidurals. If you did, you would know that there are many risk factors for prolapsing and that many women will have a prolapse even with a “natural, drug-free birth” and have no reason to feel guilty for their pain relief options during birth or feel that forgoing an epidural would have prevented their prolapse.
Hope you educate yourself in the future! Take care!
@Anna- thank you for that comment… I get so annoyed when people think they are “educated” because they watched a documentary with a clear bias (for one thing Business of Being Born NEVER makes the distinction that in those countries with all the midwives attending births- they have University degrees, equivalent to CNM’s in the US… but in the US the midwives who attend most homebirths are Licensed, no degree necessary).. anyways… I actually had more trauma from my home birth than my hospital birth so I guess I have some bias too ;) And hey, I am pretty sure I’ve read about a prolapsed uterus birth story in Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin, so apparently it happens with natural births too.
Anyways- Tosha- I feel for you hun, what a rough time, your boys are beautiful and you still have a great body Mama!
Your story feels so close to my heart! I am so sorry for your experience. I am 23 years old and in July 2010 I gave birth to my first baby, a beautiful 8 lb. 9 oz boy. 10 days postpartum I felt something just drop and I ran to the bathroom and found that my entire cervix was protruding from my vagina. I have since been diagnosed with grade 3 uterine prolapse, grade 2 rectum prolapse, grade 1 bladder prolapse and my back vaginal wall is prolapsed. I am on a 3 year waiting list to see the best doctor/surgeon in my province. They told me that they have never seen anything this severe in a woman my age with just one baby. I would like to have another baby so they won’t do surgery. I have difficulty completing my daily tasks but I am coping as best as I can.
U said that you would be able to have another baby if u wanted to. I was told I am high risk for my uterus to come out and they said if that happens I will never have another baby again. Your surgeon seems intelligent. There isn’t a chance that you live in Canada? I am looking for someone to be there if I have complications with another birth. Someone who will know what they are doing.
I am so happy you are better now…
Thanks for reading & your kind comments :) I am so sorry to hear about your complications. I am sorry to say I don’t live in Canada I live in the U.S. I can’t believe you have to wait 3 years to see a Dr.! I sincerely hope that you get the treatment you deserve :)
Hi Tosha,
Thanks for sharing your story :) I haven’t met many other people who have had this happen to them. I was also induced at 39 weeks due to my blood clotting condition and also had an epidural during labour – after 3 hours of pushing I had a forcep delivery which resulted in a 4th degree tear, when the dr went to deliver my placenta thats when things started to go wrong and my uterus starting coming out through my vagina. I lost heaps of blood and was taken immediately into surgery as well as having 3 blood transfusions. I think the worst part about it is having that gut feeling when you’re lying on the bed that something really bad is happening and you might not make it back to be with your baby and family. I’m lucky they knew what they were doing, the dr told me afterwards that it had never happened to him before but he knew how to deal with it because it was part of the studying he did to become an obgyn. To be honest it has put me off having a second baby. :(
Oh Anna and Nichole,
You don’t need to be so mean and rude. Are you this nice to your friends when they have a serious issue? I have read many articles and books. Yes, I have read Ina Mae Gaskin. I am not stupid. I may not be a Dr or Nurse, but I am in the dental profession and part of being in dental (and many other medical professionals) is that we have to take continuing education classes. One of them that is mandatory in some states is the topic of Medical Errors. They happen ALL THE TIME!! Dr’s and nurses screw up and people get hurt. The USA has a high rate for mother/baby DEATH when compared to Europe. What does that say? I NEVER said that women should feel bad for having an epidural. Going natural or with meds is a woman’s choice in most cases. I have seen many videos on birth and ONE of them happens to be the current Ricky Lake documentary. I used it as an example. Women need to educate themselves when having babies. We need to know as much as possible to make smart choices so when we go to the hospital we don’t have unnecessary interventions that hurt us or our babies. Or if we choose to have a home birth we find the most qualified Midwife. Do not insult me. I didn’t insult Tosha. I sympathized with her and I am glad she is recovered. I agree that there are many reasons for prolapse. I simply put out there a combination of what I have learned through books, talking to Doulas, Midwives, and Dr’s. So, pushing when you can’t feel anything, is more likely to cause a problem because you can’t tell how hard you are pushing. If you push, with out drugs, you know what is happening if you listen to your body. I also know that when we have to sit on our tush, because we have an epi, and that’s the preferred position for Dr’s-not ours, it actually reduces the size of the opening so it’s actually more difficult to deliver a baby that way. Delivering while squatting or on all fours is actually preferred and more comfortable by laboring women. OK ’nuff said.
@ Tosha- I decided to give pregnancy another go even with my uterine prolapse. I am currently 25 weeks pregnant.:) I am having another little boy. Feeling some anxiety about the upcoming birth.
I have opted to go for a drug free vaginal birth like I did with my first son. I hope this time though that things go easier for me.
After you recovered from the birth did your symptoms of uterine prolapse disappear? Even after the recovery I still had my cervix coming out of me. I guess I’m just looking for hope that things will at least not get worse!
Your story is an inspiration! Sometimes I feel so alone because its so rare. Thanks for sharing!
@Melissa Congratulations!! I can definitely understand the anxiety you must be feeling. Kudos to you for a drug free birth (I just can’t handle that much pain lol) Thankfully I never had any symptoms after the delivery & surgery. Wishing you all the best! Please keep me updated :)
Tosha- thanks for sharing your story, I am glad you are okay. It helps to know I’m not the only one!
@Kelly- It was better when you didn’t admit to being part of a medical profession, I was definitely more forgiving of that tripe. Guess what, telling someone that the delivery and provider choices they made is part of why they are having physical issues IS placing blame and laying guilt. Like if she had ‘been educated’ and watched the ‘business of being born’ or been at home this wouldn’t have happened? If this happened at home she likely could have died. Just because you have talked to proponents of the homebirth community or read articles on others opinions or Ina Mae does NOT mean you are educated about birth. As a part of a medical profession you should know that, and base your commentary on evidence, of which there is NONE to suggest that method or position during delivery has any effect on prolapse.
I suffer with multiple prolapses and am a mother of three, pregnant with my forth. I have been blessed with three beautiful, natural births, and love my Ina Mae- she helps me through labor- but I only bet my and my baby’s life on actual evidence- I am an RN and am fed UP with people blaming women for things they are not responsible for, and blaming OB’s for saving lives. I call bs.
I live in the uk and have a 4 yr old which was a natural birth no drugs and only 6 lb 15oz so not a big baby. I was not induced I was 10 day over my due date andy body pushed I had no control over it. So anyways I ended up with a grade 3 uterine prolapse and now I’m 32 weeks pregnant I had a pessery in till I was 26 weeks which did not help much after a while but it did a first. My ginormous told me I’d need a hysterectomy eventually. But here’s my dilemma I have been told I’m at risk of my uterus coming out during labour but they still want me to have a natural birth as they said they just shove it back in if that was the case. But as I’m in the uk I can elect for a c section on the nhs if I want which I think I’m going to do. What do u ladies think I should do I do t want it to get worse I’m only 28 yrs old
I live in Barbados, I am 29 and had my daughter when I was 27. I had a normal vaginal delivery, slight tearing, no drugs, though the placenta stuck a little, and getting out that little piece hurt worse than the delivery. About three days post delivery, when i was getting ready to leave the hospital (dressed and about through the door) I felt this heaviness, like i was walking with a ball between my legs. I went and told the nurse i think i have a Uterine Prolapse, she called the doctor and he confirmed it, however it was not a total prolapse and i was told to do kegels. I cried so bad and i was so depressed at first. I should also mention i have Scoliosis with spinal fusion (my spine has bone compacted next to it to straighten it) so on top of the pain the back pain i usually suffer with and the hip pain, the bone that is next to my spine came from my hips (which got worse after delivery, the pregnancy however was a breeze) I had to deal with this. The prolapse is getting better now though although not completely,I still feel itcome out a little when i sneeze, the kegels helped alot, I would sit dowm and do about 100 at a time and i would lie back and just pull it in until i felt it go back inside, it never stayed but i felt accomplised my daughter is almost two years old now and a real handful. I was told not to lift anything heavy (no one gave this informationm to my daughter, she is solid, not fat though). I am in contant pain, i read that low back pain is also associated with that, but i gotta work on getting off the extra weight now, looking to start Insanity, I am just hoping that all the jumping exercises don’t cause a problem, i did some jumping jack recently and it felt weird. I was worried about having another child, however after reading some of the comments on here, maybe not so much anymore.
I am glad that you have a doctor that could respond so quickly and efficiently.
Dear Laura
I like your style! I too am an RN, with three boys and multiple prolapses! How do you have the guts to do it again!??! Do you think you will ever surgically fix things? I have a friend who did and it’s crazy she is like a new woman!!!
well… I think the lady who said something about the epidural and the screwed up dr. advice. yeah, it does cause you to push too hard and jacks shit up. i don’t need a medical degree, I can feel the pain I’m going through right now.