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Urinary Incontinence During Pregnancy – How to Deal With it

0 Comments September 29, 2021

When you fall pregnant your body will go through some incredible, superhuman changes in really such a short time. Some of these changes may include, thicker, longer hair, stronger nails, some women even feel sexier!  Some changes are not as welcome, however, such as urinary incontinence during pregnancy. Pregnancy can play havoc with your bladder! You may only be a few weeks pregnant and already finding that you need to pee more! This can often be attributed to hormonal changes on your ever-changing body. This frequency may increase as your bump gets bigger and there is more pressure on your bladder.

For some women, these hormonal changes and growing baby bump can also lead to a weakening of your pelvic floor muscles which can then cause leakage during pregnancy.  The most common form of urinary leakage during pregnancy is stress urinary incontinence, which means that urine leaks out at times when your bladder is under pressure, eg when you cough, sneeze, laugh, even run for the bus.

 

Tops tips to prevent and manage urinary incontinence during pregnancy

 

Of course, there are things that you can do not only to prevent leakage during pregnancy (and beyond) but that will also help you manage your symptoms if you are leaking urine during your pregnancy:

 

Pelvic floor exercises

 

Throughout the Bump Plan Hollie will be carrying out plenty of pelvic floor exercises with you. Your pelvic floor muscles are just like any other muscle, they need to be exercised to remain strong. I would encourage you to do your pelvic floor exercises every day, ideally 2-3 times a day. Aim to do 10 repetitions of 10 second holds and 10 fast repetitions each time you carry them out. If you are unsure of how to do them Hollie has this covered and will teach you a variety of ways of how to do them. Remember, like any other muscle it will take a few weeks, even months to strengthen them. However ,research has found that by carrying out pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy you can improve symptoms of urinary leakage

 

Get the KNACK!

 

When you cough, sneeze, laugh or lift something heavy squeeze your pelvic floor. The technical term for this is ‘the KNACK’ and is essentially a strong well-timed contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, carried out just before downward pressure is exerted on the pelvic floor and is useful in preventing any urinary leakage

 

Avoid constipation

 

A full bowel can place increased pressure on your bladder and when we are constipated we often strain to open our bowels. When we strain, this causes increased pressure on our pelvic organs (which include your bladder) and this can further weaken your pelvic floor muscles. Keeping active and eating a balanced diet and drinking plenty can help avoid constipation.

 

Keep hydrated

 

This might seem counterintuitive, surely when you leak, the more you drink the more you may pee? Well not necessarily! It is important to drink little and often throughout the day which will not only support your bladder health but also help reduce constipation. It is however useful to avoid drinks which may irritate your bladder like fizzy drinks, caffeinated drinks and of course alcohol.

 

Keep active and strong

 

During pregnancy it is really important to keep active and maintain strengthening exercises. UK Government guidelines suggest carrying out 30 minutes of physical activity at least 5 times a week. However, if you love high impact exercise but are leaking then lower your impact. Rather than running or high impact exercise classes, consider walking, using the cross trainer, static bike or of course, Pilates.

 

See a pelvic health physiotherapist

 

Pelvic health physiotherapists treat all things related to pelvic health including urinary leakage. They will help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and teach you other ways to care for your pelvic health throughout pregnancy.

 

Will I continue to leak urine after pregnancy?

 

I would highly recommend that as soon as you have had your baby that you commence your pelvic floor exercises. In my opinion every woman should see a pelvic health physiotherapist after having baby. But, if you have experienced urinary incontinence during pregnancy (regardless of delivery or whether you are leaking now) do ask your GP to refer you to a pelvic health physiotherapist for bespoke assessment and rehabilitation. The great news is that pelvic health physiotherapy is an extremely successful way of helping you to improve (and in most cases) resolve urinary incontinence. Remember it is common but not normal to leak urine during and after pregnancy and help is out there.

As always if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me via my Instagram @physiomumuk

 


 

Useful Resources

 

  • Listen to the ‘At Your Cervix’ Podcast here
  • Follow Emma Brockwell on Instagram here

 

Related Blogs

 

  • Perineal Massage: What is it and is it Worth the Hassle?
  • Pelvic Floor Pregnancy: Everything You Need to Know
  • Pelvic Girdle Pain During Pregnancy: What is it?

 


pregnancy workouts

 

If you enjoyed reading this article on Urinary Incontinence During Pregnancy and would like to discover more about prenatal fitness and your changing body I would love you to check out my pregnancy exercise program ‘The Bump Plan’ for FREE today – simply click here to get started

 

 


 

Emma Brockwell

Emma is a specialist Pelvic health physiotherapist focusing on problems related to the pelvic floor and pelvis. These include incontinence, bladder and bowel dysfunctions, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, constipation, painful intercourse as well as aches and pains during pregnancy. She specializes in helping post-natal women return to running and exercise, in addition to leading a popular running group and helping women meet their running objectives. She has co- authored published returning to running postnatal guidelines for medical, health and fitness professionals. She is passionate about treating all women with the highest level of care. She is the co-host of At Your Cervix - The podcast and has her first book, ‘Why Did No one Tell Me’ due out in 2021.

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