Forum Index
»
Expectant and Postpartum Moms
Permanent Damages/Changes Caused by Natural Birth?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Putting aside the politics of C-sections, I am planning for a natural, drug-free birth *but* have heard a couple of bad stories about damage to the pelvic floor and permanent changes to the external appearance "down there" -- both of which likely could be obviated by a C-section (although there are obvious, significant trade-offs).
Does anyone have any good or bad experiences to report? After you healed from natural birth, did you otherwise feel and look roughly the same "down there," and have the same functionality in going to the bathroom, having sex, etc? |
Anonymous
| I gave birth 9 weeks ago naturally and everything feels the same down there- sex, bathroom, etc. My doctor and husband say everything looks the same too. |
Anonymous
| I think most women will tell you it's a bit looser down there, but very much worth it! |
Anonymous
|
The pelvic floor muscles are damaged by pregnancy. My sister had three sections and no vaginal births. She said that her incontinence issues started after her first. There can be extensive tearing, but there is no way of knowing if you will fall into the small percentage of women that have lasting tissue damage from delivery. You may be able to lessen the chances by not getting an epidural, avoiding forceps or vacuum, etc. I would venture to say that your genetically given skin elasticity will have more impact on the outcome than anything else.
I had a few stitches from delivering my daughter. It took about 4 months to stop being sore. It was fine for the last 5 years, but I have had a few issues with soreness now that I am pregnant again. I asked the doc and he said that it is not a common complaint. |
Anonymous
| Do you mean natural (e.g. drug free) or vaginal (since your comparison is to C-section). I had a drug-free vaginal birth. No pelvic floor problems (do your Kegels during pregnancy & after delivery!!!). I had 2nd degree tears, and I think they way I was sewn up is slightly different to what I was b/f birth! It is actually tighter (???) and sex is slightly uncomfortable..... but otherwise, everything is 'normal'. |
Anonymous
| I'm definitely looser. Not necessarily a bad thing though. |
Anonymous
| I agree with 19:18, I was sewn up very tightly making sex uncomfortable for me (great for my husband). |
Anonymous
| I echo one of the previous PPs that pelvic floor damage happens during pregnancy, not necessarily birth. I'm one of the unfortunate women that experienced extensive tearing. I'm definitely looser down there (not diligent with my kegels). As for appearance, I have no idea. And recovery was, of course, much harder than I thought (but probably not as hard as a c-section). Sex is actually less painful. But I'm not thrilled with the lack of bladder control, but I don't think that's due to the birth, but the pregnancy. I don't think you're at any greater risk of damage due to a drug-free birth. A drug free birth certainly isn't going to cause more tearing than a vaginal birth with an epi. Although you are probably at a slightly higher risk of pelvic floor damage during a vaginal birth (natual or not) than a c-section. But that possibility wouldn't have me opting for a c-section, which raises the risk of a host of other much more serious complications than pelvic floor damage. |
Anonymous
TMI - but my DH reports that I'm tighter, not looser  8)
|
Anonymous
|
My mom's next door neighbor is very tiny-she had a vaginal birth for her first and had extensive nerve damage. For the birth of her second child-she opted for a c-section. I didn't want to ask what and how extensive the nerve damage-all she said was she had nerve damage. I'm sure this isn't very common.
I'm a tiny person too and I had a c-section-medically necessary. I thought the recovery was a breeze-I was walking our dog the day we got home from the hospital. I think my husband was secretly thankful I had a c-section-he overheard my mom's neighbor. |
Anonymous
| If you want science-based information on this, NIH held a symposium in the spring of 2006 (on the effects of planned c-sections, compared to vaginal births) and put out a summary on the findings. The bottom line is that the research is not 100% clear on many of the potential pelvic floor issue - most haven't been studied well enough. In terms of incontinence, however, there have been some good studies of nuns showing that age is a much more important cause of incontinence than vagina childbirth. It is true that pregnancy causes many pelvic floor issues, but also true that vagina birth causes more trauma to the pelvic floor overall. However, c-sections pose other problems, including scar tissue around pelvic organs that can cause urinary frequency, BM problems, and reproductive problems. |
Anonymous
OMG. Why don't doctors warn us about this sort of thing? |
Anonymous
Having done 100% natural and epidural my best advice is consult with your doctors and anesthesiologists on pain rating scales and spinal labor. Insane with pain can also cause damage - surgery or extreme dental work without a painkiller? IMHO it is far easier to recover from birth than C section. An extended and extremely painful labor can result in physical damage - remember the books and movies where patients bite down on a rag? |
Anonymous
| My good friend is a uro gynecologist (ob-gyn specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction). She had both her kids vaginal delivery (with epidurals). I didn't think twice about opting for the same for my DD. I had sutures, 2nd degree, have completely recovered and sex is just the way it was before (perhaps a little tighter). External appearance seems just the same. No problem with bladder control (though this can be an issue for many it doesn't have to be - a good urogyn and fix it readily). |
Anonymous
Mine did, but only because I asked directly (and then chose a c-section  )
|