When I look back now to my prolapse diagnosis and weird pelvic floor sensations I had after baby #3, I can see now that IGNORANCE was my biggest problem.
I was afraid of my body and what it would do, because I was ignorant, ill-informed...in the dark...clueless.
Everything was,
"Is this gonna make it worse?"
or
"Am I just going to feel this way forever?"
"Do I have to just avoid putting any pressure on my pelvic floor permanently now?"
"Is it too risky to hold my baby?"
"Am I doomed to gain lots of weight and lose my fitness forever?"
"What happens next??!!"
I thought like this because I didn't know better.
I didn't have the information I needed to understand WHAT had happened to my body, WHY it had happened and HOW I could move past it.
The courage I needed to live life again came from EDUCATION that empowered me and got me MOVING AGAIN.
Education helped demystify what the heck was going on with my body and why it wasn't wholly a bad thing, but a SIGN that I needed to change my habits.
Empowerment came from that education and understanding of how my female physiology functioned and how to accept/nurture it to live my life agin!
Movement helped me see that my body still was capable and competent, that I wasn't broken, that pressure in the vagina and organs falling out of my body didn't have to be my new normal....I had options and strategies.
But I can at any moment quickly transport myself BACK to that place of fear when I forget all that I've learned about the pelvic floor, all that I know now about what it does, how to support and strengthen it, how to honor my body.
When I was ignorant, I feared worsening prolapse, I feared surgery, I feared people finding out I had prolapse (I have to laugh at that one since now thousands of people know about it now.)
When I was ignorant, I didn't even understand really where my pelvic organs were, or how posture to poop, lift or vacuum was impacting my symptoms.....or how my Type A personality and rubbish breathing habits had been causing me trouble LONG before babies even came into the picture.
When I was ignorant, I was afraid of all the unknowns because there were OH SO MANY!
Education is the key to moving forward.
It casts out the fear, because it removes ignorance.
Once you're engaged in your body and get what it's doing, you can work WITH it.
You can trust yourself to move and even EXERCISE again.
You can make INFORMED decisions about future pregnancies, physique goals, lifestyle and habits, interventions when necessary.
Kick ignorance to the curb and come and learn ALL ABOUT your pelvic floor, core and female physiology!!!
Your postpartum body and all the new sensations do NOT have to be scary.
In fact, they won't be, once you understand them and have the tools to deal with them.
Conquering your fear and your actual pelvic floor issues starts with getting WOKE about your health.
Ignorance is the enemy.
Wisdom through education is the way forward!
Enroll in Hold Up! and use the code BODYLOVE for a discount today!
Exercise and education
Conquer your prolapse!