Bladder problems after having a baby

If you’re having bladder problems after having a baby, you’re not alone. In the three months after childbirth, a third of women suffer from incontinence. * Yet a third of those women were embarrassed about mentioning it to their partners, and almost half with friends.

Pregnancy frequently leaves women with a weaker bladder, which is hardly surprising when you think about the impact of carrying the weight of the baby around for nine months. Childbirth can cause more problems , especially if you have a long labour or delivery, or a larger baby, and pregnancy hormones can also play their part. By relaxing tissues and joints to help with delivery, they decrease support for your bladder.

This can result in two types of incontinence – stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

• Stress incontinence is a sudden unintentional loss of urine during normal day-to-day activities. If you have this problem you may notice leakage if you laugh, cough, sneeze, walk, exercise, or lift something.
• Urge incontinence is when you have sudden urges to go (even though your bladder may be nearly empty) but leak before you can make it to the bathroom.

And while urinary incontinence is very common among new mums and women who have had babies, fortunately it is treatable, so we would certainly encourage you chat to your GP, nurse or midwife about the various lifestyle changes, treatments and options open to you.

Bladder problems after having a baby are not something to be ashamed of and in those first few weeks or months, can easily be managed with female incontinence products, like pads and pants, disposable and washable. There are other products you might helpful, such as waterproof bedding and seating.

If you would like advice on finding a product to suit your needs, please do give us a call on 0800 389 3597, or if you’d prefer, drop us an email at info@arelle.com We have over 20 years of experience in matching products to people, and would be delighted to help.

* https://www.nct.org.uk/life-parent/your-body-after-birth/10-truths-leaking-urine-pregnancy-and-after-birth