Help for Bladder Incontinence After Pregnancy

Sometimes pregnancy and childbirth can affect your ability to control your bladder. Many women also have symptoms of frequent urination during pregnancy. If you are currently pregnant, you may have noticed the extra weight you are carrying on your bladder can cause you to urinate more frequently or have that uncomfortable feeling of needing to urinate. Weakened pelvic floor muscles caused by pregnancy and childbirth can contribute to a loss of bladder control or urinary incontinence due to:

• The altered position of the bladder

• Normal vaginal delivery

• Having an episiotomy

• Having some damage to the bladder control nerves

Most often when you experience bladder incontinence after pregnancy it means that your pelvic floor muscles just need time to recover and the condition is temporary. But a bladder control problem that lasts longer than 6 weeks is something you should mention to your healthcare professional. It may mean there is something else that needs attention or you may need some help in getting those muscles back in shape. In fact, the inability to control your bladder may not show up until much later, so make sure you maintain healthy strong pelvic floor muscles.

If you find yourself experiencing urine leakage, take heart. There is a way to help prevent and correct urinary incontinence problems at any stage of life. Learning how to do simple exercises called Kegels can keep you pelvic floor muscles strong and healthy. This simple exercise can be done at any age, anytime, discretely in just about any position.

The biggest hurtle to regaining bladder control by doing Kegels is that you may have trouble isolating the right muscles to contract and/or you will be tempted to give up before you see any improvement. It is important to note that when you take a behavioral approach, it means that it will take time. It is not like taking a pill or having surgery. Results are not instantaneous. On the bright side, while it may take time, there are no negative side affects from doing Kegels, no recovery time and no invasive procedures. Think of them as you would any good exercise program.

Now, it is possible to use simple devices at home like vaginal weights to help you know that you are doing the exercises correctly. These devices will also give you feedback so that you can measure how much stronger your pelvic floor muscles are becoming over time. This is important to have this feedback so you will continue to practice until you have better bladder control.