How do I stop the peezing????
Hey Mummy!
Done many star jumps lately?
When was the last time you sneezed without crossing your legs as quickly as possible???
I remember the day I got to a fitness class and I was late so I didn’t want to run to the loo before. I didn’t even need a wee, but much to my dismay the first exercise was a series of movements that got the class jumping over a battle rope. I started off okay, but the drill lasted for a few minutes and the exercises turned into something that resembled hop-scotch. Soon we had to start jumping our feet in and out which was when I totally lost control of my bladder and felt my leggings getting saturated. To my horror, the wet patch travelled all the way down to my knees!!!!
I’m still not sure if anyone realised, but all I knew was that I did not want to risk this happening again!!! I couldn’t understand it either; I was a fitness professional who had always done my pelvic floor squeezes…why was this happening?! I didn’t want to be dependent on wearing panty liners or even Tenna ladies for the rest of my life and I thought, ‘I can’t be the only mum who has experienced this?’
At that moment I became really driven to help other mums to learn how they could prevent the same level of embarrassment as me. I signed up to advance my post-natal qualification, thinking I could learn what I needed to do to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles.
During the training day we had to do practical exercises and I found that the technique I was using to squeeze my pelvic floor was incorrect, but most alarmingly, I could tighten the muscles but not release them fully. The tutor advised that I seek the advice of a physiotherapist. I’ve always believed that my health is my biggest investment and was prepared to do whatever I needed to do, especially after learning on the study day that incontinence is one of the main reasons why the elderly end up in nursing homes. Also, to validate my dislike of Tenna dependency, the Tutors reiterated how we are sold this lie by companies who want us to keep buying their products.
The truth is, we really should be able to get these muscles back in to a good enough condition to see us through the rest of our lives. I booked to see the most welcoming physio called Gillian McCabe who was really understanding and informative. She was not at all clinical in her approach to the internal examination she needed to perform to understand my issues better. It turns out I had a hypertonic pelvic floor. For me, the internal muscles around my bum were too tight, so I had to learn how to allow them to relax, and eventually my pelvic floor muscles balanced out, so my vaginal & anal muscles were equal.
I also started using a natural oil based lubricant called YES OB (oil-based). I learnt that after pregnancy our hormones change and lead to vaginal dryness which can dramatically affect the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles. As they can’t move comfortably if there is dryness and this can contribute to the issue of pelvic floor weakness or tightness.
None of these elements are shared to us freely, and it saddens me to think about how many women suffer with the embarrassment of pelvic floor disorders. So many women will likely have resigned themselves to wearing panty liners or tenna lady like pads, having to change these multiple times a day because of leakage. Even our sex lives can be affected! Think of dryness and muscle tone like wearing a pair of spanx 3 sizes too big and expecting them to do the job you intended them to! My currently 93 years old grandmother is suffering with vaginal issues, partially because of her age and drop in hormones, but in my opinion, primarily due to a lack of education or the willingness for women to be able to talk about such issues and for the need to remain ‘ladylike’!
So ladies, this is the reality of your pelvic floor post-baby… It is a muscle and will lose tone as you get older. Baby or no-baby, vaginal delivery or c-section, it needs to be toned regularly, like - everyday regularly!!!
Top pelvic-floor toning tip!!!
Set yourself a reminder - a pink post-it note where you brush your teeth, boil the kettle, on your sun visor in the car or at your desk is a useful nudge!
Here’s what you can start doing right now to tone your pelvic floor:
Start by breathing fully, inhaling deeply through your nose and allowing your rib cage to expand, tummy to relax, and your pelvic floor muscles to drop (if, like me you find this part a challenge, speak to your GP about being referred to a pelvic health physio or contact one privately). Aim to keep your shoulders relaxed through the inhale.
When you exhale, push all of the air out of your mouth and then pull your tummy in, imagine your belly button leading the rest of your tummy back to touch your spine. This can take time to get the hang of after baby or for years of not practicing this technique. Get used to this breathing pattern and then focus on your pelvic floor. Locate the feeling you would when you stop weeing mid-flow – but do not actually do this as it can lead to infection.
Next, squeeze the muscles you would use to stop yourself from passing gas (if it helps, imagine you were in a lift and a hotty walked in). Squeeze like your pride depended on it!!! Then squeeze both front and back together simultaneously and imagine you were pulling a marble up to your tummy button (the pelvic floor is like a hammock, so you should feel this complete lift).
If you are new to all of this, you will find it easier to do lying down, then to progress to sitting on a chair.
The most complex time you can practice this is during movement, so master is stationary first.
Once you have mastered the breathing and the squeezing, put them together. Inhale and relax everything, then exhale and pull your belly button in whilst squeezing front to back and lifting that marble up . Slowly lower the pelvic floor whilst inhaling.
You can also practice a short pulse when lifted. All muscles have fast and slow twitch fibres and they need to be exercised differently to ensure you get full potential of the muscle (think long-distance runners and sprinters).
Remember!!! these muscles have been under increasing pressure physically and hormonally throughout pregnancy. Restoring the pelvic floor does take time, and just like any other muscle, if you stop using it, the fibres will return to their weakest state.
Use it or lose it!
I ensure my clients are always cued when training so they remember to engage all aspects of the core. If you are working with a fitness professional or alone, make sure you do the same.