Help! My Pelvic Floor Is Falling!

I guess that I’m the only one that’s said that huh?

Full disclosure, this post is going to get PRETTY TMI, and will involve the use of the words uterus, bladder, and vagina – and not in that kinky way you’re probably hoping for. It’s about issues that lots of women go through after pregnancy or later on in life, and how a simple exercise ball called the Pelvicore can help make things right again, without major surgery (meaning that you’ve CHECKED WITH YOUR DOCTORS AND THEY SAY THAT YOU DON’T NEED MAJOR SURGERY – an OB I ain’t, and I’m not taking responsibility for you thinking that in all my awesomeness that I am one.)

For me, pelvic issues started with the pregnancy of the Ladybug. *sad trombone* I noticed later in my pregnancy that some “weird stuff” happened whenever I had to go to the bathroom to do a little more than urinate.

~Seriously, if you want to stop now, I don’t blame you~

I mentioned it to my then midwife, and at first she stated that it was probably just me feeling the pressure from a growing baby in my lower body. I would have taken her word for it had I not taken a mirror to the bathroom with me the next time something felt off. What? YOU don’t take a mirror with you to the bathroom to check yourself out and make sure that all is right in the world? Okay. Any time that I have had a vaginal delivery, I’ve done it – once with stitches with the cellist – grody – and then when I started with the issues.

I informed my midwife at the next appointment, and she still stated that it was probably from my ligaments loosening. I didn’t like that answer, so the next time, I took a picture. Yep. took the picture, and had my camera accompany me to the next OB appointment. THAT got her attention, I mean, who wouldn’t stop in their tracks at the blaring photo of someones vajayjay captured so eloquently on digital camera?

It turned out that I had a prolapsed bladder and it was pushing into my vaginal canal. Hmm, share much? I was told to do kegels and keep it moving. Which worked just fine until I got pregnant with the twizzlers. They messed me up sideways from Sunday and it became a permanent issue. I can’t laugh, sneeze, cough or even stand without worry about what may happen. I was starting to look at depends y’all. I wanted to weep into my youth and accept that I would be indeed accepting opportunities from all of the misdirected AARP mail that was littering my front door.

Anyhow, after attending a Health Hot Buttons conference at Rush University Medical Center (which I will always remember as Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center – old habits die hard) earlier this summer, and being introduced to the Pelvicore, there may be hope for me yet.

The exercise ball is easy to use, as you put two legs through elastic bands (think putting on underwear) and stop them right around the knee area. Through small movements and exercises you will strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and the pelvic core that you thought you would never have again.  Here are some ladies with their Pelvicore exercise balls on pulled right up to their knees. And because I like to get jiggy with it (you can see me NOT facing the way that everyone else was) I threw in some unauthorized moves. This program reminds me of a cross between Zumba and strength training. We definitely had to focus on what we were doing because the entire purpose is to exercise AROUND the Pelvicore to increase pelvic floor strength.