Post Pregnancy Questions

To answer #1, yes, that's incontinence. It happens. I guess kegels are supposed to help, I just don't remember to do them.

#2, It could be that you're low on iron. I've always been a bit on the anemic side and that seems to correlate with being cold. Maybe try an iron supplement and see if it helps. You can get tested for that too.

#3, Can't help much here, I don't have too much experience with pumping but I know it has to do with supply and demand. I've heard that oatmeal can help with increasing supply (it's the malt).

Kegels are not the only thing you need to do. You need to strengthen all the muscles that support the bladder. It doesn't matter what type of birth you had, it is caused by pregnancy and the weight of the baby.
1 very simple exercises you can do are pelvic tilts. Lie flat on your back, bend you knees so your legs are pulled up, hands behind your head. Then tilt your hips & pelvis up while keeping your back on the floor. Suck your stomach in, pulling the muscles behind your belly button in and toward the floor. You are essentially making what looks like a bowl out of your abdomen. This strengthens the 2 muscles that separated down the middle of your abdomen so they help keep things in place. It also helps strengthen the muscles deep inside that help hold everything in.
Another exercise that works is basic squats. It helps strengthen the glutes and the muscles all around your thigh area as well as perineum area.
You can work these in to your day very easy. I will do 10 squats while I turn the water on for the shower, giving it a few moments to warm up. You can do them while your coffee brews in the morning.
You can take a minute right after putting your little one to lie on the floor and do some pelvic tilts before going on to something else. You can do they while your little one is on the floor playing.
You do not have to find and commit a 10 minute block that you don't have. A minute here, a couple minutes there really add up and count just as much as setting aside a huge chunk of time that so many of us do not have.

Kegels really help with bladder control. I found it helped if I crossed my legs while standing whenever I coughed or sneezed until I did enough kegels. And it affects women who deliver via c-section, too.

Increased sensitivity to cold is one of many symptoms of hypothyroidism. I've heard it's not unusual to have thyroid issues after pregnancy. It may be worth a closer look?

Good luck.

Well I had my last kid 3 years ago and if I have to pee a little and I sneeze I leak out a little pee. Sucks. I need to do my kegals to see if that helps but I forget.

My body changed so much for at least a year after each kid that weird stuff would happen to my body all the time. I was usually hot though.

I did not pump for daycare so I can't answer that :)

It is normal to lose some bladder control after giving birth due to stretching during pregnancy, labor and delivery. The best thing to prevent that is do do kegels several times a day for several weeks to months. I do kegels frequently and still have trouble when I have a cold or allergies but am much better during regular sneezes or coughs.

Not sure about the temperature thing. I do have more trouble after my kids staying warm or getting cool in general. I have to wear more layers and I sweat more easily than I did before kids.

My milk production went down when my kids started daycare because I found that I wasn't pumping nearly as long as I was feeding. I would also pump immediately after feeding in order to get your supply to ramp up. The more you pump or the more he feeds you will produce more milk. There are supplements but I also found I wasn't drinking enough water either. Continue your pregnancy water intake while breastfeeding and your supply will stay the same. Carefully track your water intake and see if you are drinking less on days you don't get much when you pump vs on days when you get a lot.

I have the same problem occasionally with laughing/sneezing, and my youngest is almost 2! Your OB will probably tell you to do kegels, but I have never been able to get those right. I have a lot more success from doing squats and pliés, any exercise that works your inner thighs. When I stop working out is usually when I start having problems again.

Congrats breastfeeding for 8 months! Just remember that a baby is much more effective than any pump for getting the milk out. How much you pump is not a good indicator of how much milk you are producing. Personally I have never been able to pump more than 1 or 2 ounces, unless I pump first thing in the morning before I nurse. Do you get a chance to pump while he is away at daycare? That can help boost your supply, whether or not you get much. Otherwise don't be too h*** o* yourself if you have to send formula to daycare, you can still nurse him when he is with you!

As for being too cold, I would blame it on hormones. As long as you are still breastfeeding, your body is still producing hormones similar to when you were pregnant. Plus your metabolism will be higher. If you start gaining or losing weight very fast, then talk to your doctor, but it seems pretty common to me.

peeing after birth? common, its called Postnatal urinary incontinence. Exercise and time will help some. If your like me, it is permanent. After my 3rd child and botched Epi, I will have this issue all my life. I can get surgery, and I probably will, but not till I decide to get my tubes tied I will do all of it at once. I wear light pads. Its not that bad. I usual can get away with a panty liner every hour or so. Have it checked, voice concern to OB next time. Not much they can do about it, other than suggest exercises, and keep an eye on it.

Coldness? common, I am also having this issue, like my internal furnace was messed with and the thermostat at low. before all three kids, I was an overweight, sweaty, hot mess even in the winter time. I couldn't stand anything over 75 with out getting irritable and sweaty. After 3rd child. I am cold, cold, cold. Not circulatory, since all my body parts are still warm and pink, just internally cold. I can feel heat. I just dont get hot. I dont sweat. I am enjoying the 100 degree crazy hot this year, with no issues. My husband, who is always cold, is now the one to turn on the air, and I am the one dressing in layers. I even LOST weight and it hasnt fixed any of these issues. Hormones messed with the area in the brain, that controls the regulation of body heat. The body will get rid of it. Since your breast feeding I imagine your body is more focused on getting the milk made, rather than fix the internal heat issue. Its putting the energy there. Once your period returns, it always reeks havoc, on a milk cycle. I had similar problems with making milk. One day I was a cow, one day I was the Sahara. Learned when I was a cow, to pump like a mad woman, and save it for the days I dried up. Peeing constantly is the problem with the urine leakage. Your muscles are stretched. They can not handle any pressure from your bladder. Then you feel the need to pee constantly. Not much on tips to help but I know the pain.

I have always found it amazing that the Mom's bringing me breast milk for the kids in my care pumped almost exactly the amount that I needed each day. If you feel like you need to produce more I know that there is a natural supplement that can help with that. I'm sorry but I don't know what it is called, perhaps someone else can help you with that.

M

#2. Have your thyroid checked. Pregnancy changes thyroid levels and sometimes they don't go back to normal afterward. Sometimes they just take a while, but taking a thyroid med to put the levels in the right place is very valuable if they are off.