It was my six-week checkup and my wonderful midwife was doing her thing, examining me and asking me this and that question. As she was doing a pelvic exam, she paused for a second and said, “So, it looks like you developed a rectocele.”
Color me shocked
I don’t remember exactly how I responded, but it was something along the lines of that I’d never heard of such a thing, and WTF is wrong with my rectum?! She calmly explained that it meant that my rectum had prolapsed so that it was bulging next to my vagina. What that meant, she said, is that pooping might become a little more difficult, and that I might experience rectal pressure and pain.
She didn’t think it was that big a deal or that I had a very severe case, but she recommended that I do some Pilates to strengthen my pelvic and abdominal muscles.
My first question was whether my rectum was literally IN my vagina
Thankfully, that is not what a rectocele means. Phew. My midwife showed me that it was just that my rectum had moved further down and was right smack up against my vagina, with a wall of tissue separating the two.
Honestly, the whole thing was just weird to me, and as long as I wasn’t pooping into or out of my vagina, I felt pretty OK with it. I wasn’t experiencing any other symptoms at that time, and the truth was that I was too consumed with caring for a newborn and a kindergartener to do anything about it.
Well, that plan worked up until a point
A few years after I was diagnosed with a rectocele, the s— hit the fan (pun definitely intended) and I began to develop some symptoms. First, my period cramps began to include rectal pressure, which is super fun. I also was finding it hard to get all my poop out at times. But the worst was that I was beginning to experience rectal pain and pressure during sex. That was really the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I wallowed about it all for a while, and felt like I’d suddenly aged 100 years, because everything was drooping inside me. But soon enough my misery about what was going on whipped me into shape and I decided I needed to do something about it.
It turns out there are several exercise programs out there that can help you get your pelvic floor stronger and can help heal a prolapse. I soon learned that basic abdominal exercises aren’t enough, and some ab exercises can actually make your prolapse worse!
I ended up finding an online program for diastasis recti and prolapses that I liked. It was hard work — you have to do the exercises almost every day and keep up. It took a few months of consistent work before I saw results, and then I didn’t start to feel “normal” till about six months of doing the exercises.
But, they worked
And since then, I’ve been regularly doing exercises to strengthen my pelvic floor. I never want to go back to how things were when my rectocele was bad. I wouldn’t say things are like how they were when I was 20 and hadn’t had babies yet, but my rectocele rarely bothers me, my pelvic floor in general is quite strong, and I feel good.
I know that some folks need more than an online pelvic floor strengthening program. Some more serious cases of rectocele and prolapse require physical therapy or even surgery. But I want anyone who is suffering from a pelvic floor issue to know that help is out there, and it’s possible to feel strong and capable once more.
*Disclaimer: The advice on Mom.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
