Cystocele & Prolapse: What Every Mom Needs to Know About Symptoms, Care, and Recovery

There are some conversations moms rarely have — not because they’re unimportant, but because they feel too personal. We’ll talk about back-to-school chaos, exhaustion, and even the latest dinner shortcut, but not about what happens when your body feels… different. When something inside doesn’t feel the way it used to after childbirth, after years of lifting, or after simply being everything to everyone.

This post is about one of those silent struggles: cystocele (also known as a bladder prolapse). It’s more common than we realize — and more fixable than many of us think.

When You Know Something’s Off

I still remember noticing it — that quiet sense that something wasn’t quite right. There wasn’t sharp pain, just a strange heaviness, a pulling feeling that I couldn’t ignore. Like many moms, I brushed it off at first. We tell ourselves it’s just part of recovery, or part of getting older, or something we’ll deal with later.

But “later” has a way of never coming — especially when you’re managing kids, home, and everything else. Thankfully, I didn’t wait too long. I made an appointment with my OB/GYN, and that one decision changed everything.

After an exam, they diagnosed it as a mild cystocele, a type of pelvic organ prolapse. My doctor explained that it happens when the wall between the bladder and vagina weakens, often due to childbirth, heavy lifting, chronic coughing, or even long-term strain.

And suddenly, it all made sense.

I’d carried babies, moved furniture, lifted boxes — all while rarely resting or asking for help. My body wasn’t broken; it was just speaking up after years of doing too much.

What Is a Cystocele (and Why It Happens)

A cystocele occurs when the muscles and tissues supporting your pelvic organs become stretched or weakened. When this happens, the bladder can drop and push against the vaginal wall.

Common causes include:

Childbirth (especially vaginal deliveries)
Heavy lifting (even household items over time)
Chronic constipation or coughing
Hormonal changes during menopause
Obesity or high-impact activities

The good news? There’s help — and healing doesn’t always mean surgery.

Recognizing the Symptoms (Even the Subtle Ones)

The early signs of prolapse can be so easy to miss — or dismiss. Here are some of the most common symptoms moms overlook:

A feeling of heaviness or fullness in the pelvic area
A bulge or pressure that worsens when standing or lifting
Difficulty starting to urinate or feeling like you didn’t empty your bladder completely
Pain or discomfort during intimacy
Lower back or pelvic ache by day’s end

If any of these sound familiar, please know: it’s not “just you.” It’s not weakness. It’s your body asking for support — the same way you show up for everyone else.

What Helped Me: Listening Early and Taking Action

When my doctor recommended pelvic floor therapy, I didn’t hesitate. I went — and it changed everything.

Pelvic floor therapy helped me reconnect with muscles I didn’t even realize I’d lost touch with. My therapist taught me how to strengthen, release, and realign my core and pelvic muscles. Within weeks, I noticed not just physical improvements but a deep sense of empowerment — because I was taking care of me.

There was no shame, no guilt, just a quiet pride that I’d caught it early and done something about it.

✨ In My Book:

Mom Take Center Stage…

In my book Mom Take Center Stage, I open up about my own experience with cystocele and prolapse — something rarely discussed, especially in our cultural spaces. It was a moment that reminded me how vital it is for women to listen to their bodies and seek help without shame or hesitation. These conversations matter because they break the silence around women’s health — and that’s how healing truly begins.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body or guilty for slowing down, that section is a powerful reminder: you can’t pour from an empty cup, and you can’t thrive in silence.

How to Support Healing and Prevent Future Strain

If you’ve experienced a prolapse or simply want to protect your pelvic health, here are a few steps that make a big difference:

1. Prioritize Pelvic Floor Exercises (Beyond Kegels)

Kegels help, but guided pelvic floor therapy is often more effective. A therapist can teach you how to both engage and relax the right muscles — because tension can be just as harmful as weakness.

2. Be Mindful of Heavy Lifting

Whether it’s groceries, toddlers, or laundry baskets, lift with your legs and exhale on exertion. Never hold your breath while lifting.

3. Stay Hydrated & Avoid Constipation

Straining during bowel movements adds unnecessary pressure on your pelvic organs. Fiber, water, and regular movement help.

4. Maintain a Healthy Weight & Core Strength

Gentle exercise — walking, swimming, or yoga — keeps your body aligned and reduces strain.

5. Listen to Your Body (It’s Always Speaking)

If you notice unusual pressure or fatigue in your pelvic area, take a break. Rest isn’t indulgence — it’s repair.

Why We Don’t Talk About This Enough

The resounding truth is: there’s a deep cultural silence around women’s pelvic health. We’ve been taught to power through pain, to “bounce back,” to keep quiet about anything that feels intimate or uncomfortable.

But silence breeds shame — and shame keeps women from getting the care they need.

Talking about cystocele and prolapse doesn’t make us weak. It makes us aware. It gives other moms permission to stop ignoring their own warning signs. And it reminds us that the same bodies that bring life into this world deserve care, compassion, and rest.

The Mind-Body Connection

Pelvic health isn’t just physical. It’s deeply tied to how safe, grounded, and supported we feel. When we heal our bodies, we also heal the part of ourselves that learned to ignore pain to keep going.

Learning to listen again — to truly tune in — becomes a radical act of self-respect.

Every stretch, every breath, every moment of awareness is a step toward wholeness.

What I Want Every Mom to Know

If you’re feeling something off — a heaviness, a change, a whisper from your body — don’t wait for it to get worse. Get checked. Ask the questions. Seek therapy. There is so much help available, and there’s nothing shameful about needing it.

You deserve to feel strong, aligned, and whole — not just for your family, but for yourself.

Because healing your body isn’t selfish. It’s how you reclaim your power.

💛 Ready to Take Center Stage?

If this message resonated with you, my book Mom Take Center Stage dives deeper into what it means to honor your body, your voice, and your worth — not someday, but now.

It’s available wherever books are sold. And if you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: your well-being matters. You are not meant to live in pain or silence — you are meant to thrive.

Taking Center Stage — Off the Page

Photographed after my latest speaking engagement. Mom Take Center Stage is more than a book — it’s a movement reminding women to reclaim their voice, their story, and their worth, on stage and beyond.