Vaginal birth success stories

[SarahD]

Hi All – I’m 6 weeks away from my due date and was wondering if anyone has any success stories with vaginismus and being able to have a vaginal birth?
Also for those able to have a vaginal birth – did you need to continue dilating post birth? Or did the birth end up being the ultimate cure?
I’ve seen my physical therapist and she said I’m on track for a vaginal birth (if nothing goes wrong during the labour). I have such high hopes if I have a vaginal birth my muscles will stretch enough that I can stop dilating. At the same time I know I need to be mentally flexible for whatever happens in labour.

[mazemelissa]

SarahD thanks so much for this post. I really hope other women out there will respond with their experiences. I think you have set yourself up for success and I too hope you will be able to have a vaginal delivery.

But either way, I think that dilation post procedure might be helpful, just to give you control over your first penetration and how it feels after the delivery.

You also have your PT that you can go to after the baby.

[Heather]

Hi SarahD! How exciting your baby will be here so soon!! 🙂 You’re going to do great! I definitely second what Melissa said. Dilating is a bit of a burden, but it is sooo beneficial to the well being of the muscles inside the vagina. I myself have not given birth, I have no children, but from all my friends and family who have given birth, they suggest waiting a while before attempting sex. Your body may even need a rest period before you can begin dilating again. Consistency with vaginismus is key, but just as equally important to your success is your ability to listen to what your body needs from you. If you attempt penetrative sex and it hurts or it’s tight or difficult, that will definitely be your sign to continue your dilating. Just be gentle and patient with yourself, listen to your body and you’ll know what to do 🙂 I have also heard that birth does indeed stretch those muscles!

[newlywed]

Congratulations!! Just in case you haven’t had your baby yet, I wanted to share my story to encourage you. I got pregnant six months post procedure, and have since had two unmedicated births. The first birth was to a 9lb baby with a head circumference in the 99th percentile, and I did not even tear! The second baby, I birthed the head and body in the span of one contraction and did not tear that time either.

One small tip: knowing about my vaginismus, my provider injected a bit of lidocaine into the entry portion of my vagina during crowing phase for my firstborn. She said she did not inject much at all, and his head was finally born on the next push. I didn’t realize I was “holding” him back, but that little bit of help releasing those muscles was very helpful after having already pushed for quite some time by then (which could have also been because I was so exhausted for other reasons by then). So first birth was a success, and second was a cakewalk (at least, as far as child birthing goes 😉

I hope this is encouraging, and again, congratulations!!

[newlywed]

One last note: intercourse after birth has been sooo much more fun for me. I went to one or two sessions of pelvic floor PT to help strengthen and assess everything and make sure I didn’t “overtighten” the wrong muscles.