I have had two children, and I seriously love my vagina. :) Comparing my pre-baby vagina with my current one... The only differences I can find are: the sex is way Way better, I can kegal my partner during sex much more easily and with greater strength (terribly fun, give it a try!), and I'm more sensitive. I can't tell a difference in tone at all. And I'm still with (and having sex with) the man who got me pregnant in the first (and second) place. In other words, he'd be able to tell the difference if there was something different, since he had sex with me pre-baby. A lot. ;)
Immediately post-birth, the vagina is stretched out. But the muscle tone returns pretty quickly. There can be permenant loss of muscle tone if there was an episiotomy, which can cut through nerves. (Tearing naturally won't have this effect because a tear will follow the path of least resistance, tearing skin, not muscle and nerve.)
Having a well-toned vagina/PC muscles during the birth is a very good thing. Vaginal muscles are different from, say, your biceps, in that they are incredibly elastic. They are made to stretch around a baby, then return to their former shape. (Like one of those PosturePedic beds, with memory foam. laugh). Having good muscle tone actually makes labor much easier. Your body works much more efficiently... It's like running a marathon. The stronger you are, the easier it is.
Kegals make labor easier. Your vagina does not get musclebound and beefy and unable to stretch. :) It's just like adding more and more rubberbands.
Subsequent births are typically easier because you and your body are more familiar with what is going on. Your uterus responds to the labor hormones more quickly and in a better organized way. The contractions during a first labor tend to be erratic for a long time. The uterus is made up of zillions of bands of muscle, like the heart. They are supposed to contract in a rythmic wave-like fashion, from top to bottom, pushing the baby down and out. But in first labors (and labors where the mother has been stressed or scared) these contractions are scattered, the muscle bands contracting out of order, or all together. In later deliveries, the uterus 'remembers' how to contract in an organized way, making the labor shorter and easier.
You don't give birth so much with your vagina. Your uterus does the work. Having strong vaginal and PC muscles will speed your recovery after the birth.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-07-15 06:42 am (UTC)Immediately post-birth, the vagina is stretched out. But the muscle tone returns pretty quickly. There can be permenant loss of muscle tone if there was an episiotomy, which can cut through nerves. (Tearing naturally won't have this effect because a tear will follow the path of least resistance, tearing skin, not muscle and nerve.)
Having a well-toned vagina/PC muscles during the birth is a very good thing. Vaginal muscles are different from, say, your biceps, in that they are incredibly elastic. They are made to stretch around a baby, then return to their former shape. (Like one of those PosturePedic beds, with memory foam. laugh). Having good muscle tone actually makes labor much easier. Your body works much more efficiently... It's like running a marathon. The stronger you are, the easier it is.
Kegals make labor easier. Your vagina does not get musclebound and beefy and unable to stretch. :) It's just like adding more and more rubberbands.
Subsequent births are typically easier because you and your body are more familiar with what is going on. Your uterus responds to the labor hormones more quickly and in a better organized way. The contractions during a first labor tend to be erratic for a long time. The uterus is made up of zillions of bands of muscle, like the heart. They are supposed to contract in a rythmic wave-like fashion, from top to bottom, pushing the baby down and out. But in first labors (and labors where the mother has been stressed or scared) these contractions are scattered, the muscle bands contracting out of order, or all together. In later deliveries, the uterus 'remembers' how to contract in an organized way, making the labor shorter and easier.
You don't give birth so much with your vagina. Your uterus does the work. Having strong vaginal and PC muscles will speed your recovery after the birth.
:)