Causes of little leaks

If you’re pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, you’ll soon find out about split abdominal walls, navel popping and the incredible sensation of having your baby kick you in the bladder, creating a severe “need-a-toilet-now” urgency. Another ‘enjoyable’ consequence of pregnancy is the movement that takes place when your organs scoot over to make room for your growing bundle of joy. 

 

Not many people know this, but there are other elements that affect the mother’s bladder during pregnancy. When you’re expecting a child, your body undergoes hormonal changes that weaken your muscles and affect the tone of your perineum. This is why, even in the early stages of the pregnancy when the foetus is too small to kick the bladder, many women need to go to the toilet more often. 

 

The growing uterus puts pressure on the bladder which causes frequent toilet visits, but also there is an increased blood flow during pregnancy, the kidneys work more efficiently and therefore also produces more urine which also means more frequent toilet visits.

 

Hormone levels go back to normal after childbirth. However, the muscles surrounding your bladder have endured extra pressure from the baby and if you want to recover as smoothly as possible, you have a lot to gain by doing pelvic floor exercises during your pregnancy. Another thing that can do wonders for your well-being is talking about the little leaks with your friends. The old saying “a problem shared is a problem halved” is very apt when it comes to a topic like this. And chances are many of your friends will be able to relate too. 

There’s this unwritten norm that decides what a natural birth entails. Preferably, you should give birth naturally and you should stay away from the painkillers. But you know what? All births and the conditions around them are different and it’s really the end result that matters. How you got the baby out shouldn’t even be a discussion topic. However, it’s about time we dismantled the taboo surrounding what happens to the female body after childbirth. Things like ruptures and having a weak bladder after birth are normal and common and we think it’s time to start talking about them. 

 

After delivery – no matter if you gave birth naturally or had a caesarean – your pelvic floor will remain stretched for a while. You will also have a lot of extra fluid to get rid of after pregnancy. All in all, you will go to the toilet much more frequently right after giving birth. And with a weakened bladder post-birth, little leaks are bound to happen. As if the new, tiny, delicate person wasn’t enough to think about, right? 

 

There’s not much to do about the extra fluid, but by doing pelvic floor exercises for a few minutes each day you can speed up the recovery of your pelvic floor muscles. If you haven’t had the baby yet, talk to your midwife about exercises that you can start during pregnancy. Or check out our workout section here.

 

Little leaks in pregnancy and after birth. Read here

There are many perks of getting older. Extra life experience often goes hand in hand with more confidence and a better understanding of what’s important in life. You might also finally have the time to do the things you used to long for, back during the years with small children or the stressful start of career part of life. You might feel like it’s finally time for you to do what you want to do. 

 

The last thing you want to worry about when this glorious time in life starts is little leaks. However, one of the side effects many women face during the menopause is light bladder weakness. This is because there’s a reduction in the quantity of oestrogen in the genital and lower urinary tract area and which can cause the vaginal and urinary tract tissue to become drier, thinner and less elastic. Pelvic floor muscle degenerate when they are not stimulated by oestrogen. 

 

Fortunately, there are products out there that offer total protection against leaks, so light bladder weakness doesn’t have to be a big deal. FeelFresh Technology^TM in lights by TENA liners locks away moisture and odour so quickly that you can shrug of little leaks. You can just keep going about your business as usual – without worrying about Oooops moments.