9 Ways To Prevent A Post-Pregnancy Pee

No one wants a ‘Post-pregnancy-pee’ situation. When you think you’ve stopped peeing but it turns out you actually haven’t and feel the trickle down your leg. When you’re too scared to do your jumping jacks in your barre class or running for a bus, or sneezing / coughing / opening a window or having too much of a lol with your bestie over an almond pic.

It’s definitely something that we could all do without. As if child birth and motherhood isn’t hard enough already. So check out the below ’9 ways to prevent a post-pregnancy pee’ so you have one less thing to worry about*.

According to Dr. Monique Tello of Harvard Medical School, an estimated 45% of women experience some form of urinary incontinence at some point in their lives.

1. Start doing Kegels on the reg

From the minute you find out you’re pregnant for the rest of your life. No word of a lie. Start doing 50 reps whilst you’re pregnant and continue when you remember for as long as you can afterwards. So that they become part of your daily routine. For more info as to how to do Kegels, click here.

2. Do exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor (right now)

Get into a habit of doing these 5 super simple yet incredibly effective exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles as often as you can. Do each exercise for 1 minute so the whole shebang will only take 5 mins.

Bridge – Start with your knees bent and your feet flat. Pushing through your feet, begin to raise your hips up as high as you feel comfortable. Pause at the top, squeeze your glutes, and lower your hips back down one vertebra at a time into the mat. Continue slow and controlled for 1 minute.

Bird Dog – Begin in a four point kneel. Your stomach muscles are engaged, and your arms remain straight. Reach out with your right arm and your left leg, getting your body into a straight line as best you can. Return your hands and knee to the mat. Continue alternating sides for 1 minute.

Pelvic Tilt – Lay back on the mat with your knees bent and your feet flat. As you inhale, rock your hips forward towards your feet. As you exhale, rock your hips back, pressing your lower back into the mat. Continue slow and controlled for 1 minute.

Toe Taps – Lay back on the mat with your legs at table top. Bring your right foot down to tap the mat and return to table top position. Bring your left foot down to tap the mat and return to table top position. Continue alternating legs for 1 minute.

Dead bug – Lay back on your mat with both your legs at table top. Extend your arms up toward the ceiling. Reach back with your right arm and out with your left leg at the same time. Pause, then return to centre. Continue alternating legs for 1 minute.

3. Think stability before mobility

Get into the habit of squeezing up and holding your pelvic floor muscles right before you cough, sneeze, lol or lift something, especially when suddenly picking up your bub, the crazily heavy stroller and getting in and out of bed or the car. Repeat after me….Think, Squeeze, Move. TSM.

4. Never hold a wee in for too long

Try going to the bathroom every 30 minutes even if you don’t think you need it. It sounds extreme I know, but you need to go before you feel the urge. Then try to extend this slowly working towards going hourly. There’s also no harm in trying to stop your flow from time to time as a little challenge.

5. Sit tall on the toilet

Work on your toilet posture. Sometimes it’s hard not to just fold over with your head in your hands to have some much needed rest but try to lean slightly forward, keep your back straight. Think long spine, length through back of your neck. Look straight ahead. Lovely deep breaths. Open chest.

6. Drink water, little and often

Keep drinking at least eight glasses of fluids every day (cutting back on water to control the peeing only makes you vulnerable to dehydration and urinary tract infections). Basically, keep drinking and weeing all day long! But slowly. Try not to drink too much all at once. You can always mix up the water with coconut water, or try popping your fave herbal tea bag into your water bottle or treat yourself to a homemade nourishing smoothies. Try this hydrating green smoothie.

7. Switch to kind-on-your body exercises

Start burning calories in your own home, since all those extra pounds are still putting pressure on your bladder. Try these simple, fun, low impact quick exercises every day to help ease you back into exercising slowly and to help you feel slightly more normal again. You don’t need any equipment and can do these anywhere. Even in the luxury of your lounge in your PJ’s.

8. Eat more fibre-rich foods

Try to avoid constipation after pregnancy, so full bowels don’t put added pressure on your bladder. Think prunes, apples, kiwis, spinach, beans. Try making a batch of these delish 3-ingredient peanut butter energy balls and pop at least one a day.

9. Go easy on the caffeine

Obviously we all need this back in our lives the minute we pop out our gorgeous little bub. A guilt-free strong almond pic over a good chat with another Mama is crucial in my eyes. but try your hardest to limit to one cup a day to avoid irritating your bladder (and making it harder to control).

*How do I do Kegels?

• Pull your vagina (front/birth passage) up inside you. Pull up from below, and squeeze and hold. This is like holding in a pee or stopping a pee once it has started.

• Tighten the ring of muscle around your bowel (back passage) like you are holding in a fart.

• Try to do both these front and back muscle pull-ups at the same time.

• Hold the lift for 2 or 3 normal breaths

What should I feel?

• a lifting up from below, and

• a squeezing and lifting in the muscles around your front and back passages.

*These tips may not work for everyone and it’s dependent on the pregnancy / the birth / individual recovery. There are medical factors that can cause or worsen incontinence including. certain medications, uncontrolled diabetes, bladder infections, constipation, and menopausal changes. Your primary care doctor can help identify and treat many of these issues so please seek medical advice before exercising and if you need any further help at all.