Urine Leaking

You can also do physical therapy. A little embarrassing, I know (I've not done it), but after two kids, my bladder has also descended. Just about anyone who's had a child vaginally can relate, and unfortunately, even people who either have no children or deliver via c-section will some day experience gravity's little joke on women.

It does get better. It was really bad for me for about a year after my daughter's birth, but it's gotten better the past year. Still, I have to make sure to go to the bathroom before jumping on the neighbor's trampoline.

Good luck! There's hope, and at least you know there are millions of other women out here with exactly the same problem.

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I had this very problem after having two 9+ pound babies and dealt with it for nearly a decade before doing something about it...surgery. My gynecologist said mine was one of the worst cases she'd seen and chuckled when I told her kegels weren't doing the trick. Between her surgical skills and those of an amazing urologist, I'm completely back to normal...running, jumping, etc.

I suggest talking to your gyno and seeing a urologist and seeing what can be done. I've had two surgeries in my life--this one and getting my tubes tied--and my gyno did both of them. They were the BEST health choices I've ever made for myself.

Good luck.

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Make sure you talk to a urologist. They have the most experience dealing with this.

Meanwhile, wear a thin pad in your panties to keep from piddling (that's what my mom calls it!)

All my best,
D.

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There are physical therapists who specialize in treating exactly this kind of issue. Before going with surgery you should definitely explore PT! To find a therapist in your area who treats pelvic floor issues go to APTA.org and click on "find a PT" near the top, then choose "women's health" under the expertise menu. Good luck!

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I have the same problem and both my babies were under 8 lbs. I went to a therapist and she helped but still didn't fix me completely. She was very good and I highly recommend her though. Patricia Strott-Wheatley at ###-###-#### or ###-###-#### or ____@____.com may be able to recommend someone in your area. My problem was stress incontenience and a slight prolapse. Never had an urgency to go but had to deal with leakage. Since I still can't run, sneeze, jump, etc I am going to have the sling procedure by a gyno-urologist. I have put it off b/c they said I can't lift anything over 10 lbs for the following 6 or 8 weeks and with 2 little ones, not picking them up for that long period would not work. I'm waiting until my younger is 4 and I don't have to lift her as much.

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Yoga will help strengthen the pelvic floor if done correctly. Maybe you need to do more kegals? I try to to 100 per day while pergnant and post-partum. 10 sets of 10, whenever I can remember to do a set here and there, and any time I'm at a red light or watching TV.

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It's important to realize that there are a lot of anatomical changes that occur when you give birth to a large baby. It's also important to realize that you do not have to live with urine loss. There are two major types of urine loss. #1 Stress incontience and #2 Urge incontience. (There are other types but these are the major causes of urine leakage) The surgery your doctor is talking about is probably the urethral sling (supports the urethra and doesn't allow urine to leak when straining as in running, jumping, laughing, sneezing, etc. aka stress incontience ) or what people call "tacking the bladder". If you bladder hasn't prolapsed (fallen down) then you will only most likely need the sling, but if you bladder has prolapsed you probably will need the "bladder tack". Kegels can help tremendously when it comes to stress incontience. It makes the muscles surrounding the urethra (levator ani muscle) a lot stronger. If you aren't interested in surgery right now you might want to talk to your doctor about urinary biofeedback or pelvic floor strenghtening exercises. They may be able to refer you to a physical therapist who primarily focus's on women's rehab. Hope this helps and good luck with your decision!

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You are certainly not alone! The pregnancy shifted your bladder. This happens all the time (another joys of pregnancy!) so it sits a bit lower than it used to. The Uretha - the tube that connects your bladder to your opening- would traditionally kink when pressure was put on (like running, jumping, sneezing), think of a hose and when it is bent, no leakage. But since your "parts" have shifted, the kink doesn't neccessarily form to stop the urine leakage.
Speak to your doc about it. See a urologist or a gyn with this type of surgical experience.
Step 1: do kegles (sp?). Sounds simple but you must be persistant about it and do it all the time. This may be enough to correct your issues.
Step 2: Talk to your doc. You may need surgery. Now when I say surgery, I mean a small procedure where they can insert a little 'hammock' that goes under the uretha, so when pressure is put on your abdomine (like with a sneeze) and the bladder pushes down, the hammock with support the uretha and create that all important 'kink' in the hose.

I am scheduled for this same procedure since my pregnancy as I too have occassional issues with leakage that kegles did not help. Let me know if you need the name of a doc, I do recommend my Gyn as he is a surgeon with loads of experience in gyn/urology issues. He's proformed several minor surgeries - plus delivered my twins! So I do recommend him greatly.

Good luck, just know that you don't have to keep putting up with this. From everything I've been told and read, you'd need a 3 day weekend to recoup and then you're fine.

J.

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I believe there's a fairly quick and easy surgery that can be done to restore things. I'm not sure if it's considered plastic surgery or what, so I think I'd start with asking my OB first. But I hear it advertised on the radio around here all the time. They say it only takes a few minutes and then you're totally back to normal.

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I have the exact same problem. See a urogynecologist for a total evaluation to see what course of treatment is best. Surgery is not always necessary but only a professional can tell you that. Good luck.

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i developed a love/hate relationship with my bladder when i was pregnant
simply because i was constantly peeing, either on myself on in the bathroom and now eight months later, i have discovered thru trial and error, that now when i have even the slightest urge to pee, i stop whatever i am doing and go pee, because otherwise, i risk peeing on myself. try drinking more water, it helps flush out the bladder more completely. we are talking about six eight ounce glasses, or you can do five glasses of water and two popsicles you can also try peppermint, spearmint or green tea. any of these teas can help calm the bladder. keep a log of what you are trying so that you can look it over later and see what works.
K. h.

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I had a similar problem. I was referred to a GYN and he recommended physical therapy and diet change. Apparently there are foods that can cause "spasms" in the muscles of the bladder. Weird,huh? Anyway, for me the biggest food culprit was yogurt. Even the GYN said a lot women can worsen problems by adding yogurt to their diet. I don't have an overactive bladder but that was the forbidden food list I was given. I took everything out of my diet and introduced the items I didn't want to give up. Over time, I started to feel better. There were some items that I just can't have or if I have them I know that I will have problems for a few days.

As for surgery, I decided to hold off until everything else failed. But so far, diet change has worked for me.
Good luck,
K.
ps. you can google for the food list or email me and I can send it to you.

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I know exactly what you are feeling and how!!!

The things we do for our kids!! (just having them!!!)

Go to your OB/GYN - they can refer you to a urologist who have put your bladder back where it belongs - via a sling - so you won't have this problem anymore.

I've contemplated having the surgery done myself. I know two other friends who have and are SOOOO happy!!

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