Bladder control problems are common during pregnancy and after child birth. These problems are even more common during a second or subsequent pregnancy. The most common problem is stress incontinence. This happens when you sneeze, cough or laugh and a bit of urine leaks from your bladder.
The muscles of the pelvic floor keep the urethra closed until you need to use the bathroom. Problems occur when these muscles are weakened by pregnancy and child birth. There are several causes of a weakened pelvic floor during pregnancy. One is the weight and pressure of your baby on these muscles. This pressure can cause the muscles to become weak.
During pregnancy, your uterus grows and puts pressure on nearby organs. One of these is the bladder. The changing shape of your uterus can actually cause a change in the position of your bladder and urethra. This change is due to the uterus pressing on the bladder in later stages of pregnancy.
After birth, bladder problems are most common if you had a vaginal delivery. The baby passing through your pelvis can weaken the muscles of the pelvic floor. Having an episiotomy can make these muscles even weaker. Women who have had one or more episiotomies tend to be more at risk for bladder problems later.
You can strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor and prevent problems later. This is done by exercising these muscles to improve muscle tone. Kegel exercises are done to strengthen pelvic muscles. The first step in Kegels is to locate the muscles you need to exercise. To locate the correct muscles, stop urinating in mid stream. The muscles you use to stop the flow of urine are the ones you need to exercise.
Tighten these muscles and hold for several seconds, then release. Repeat this several times, working up to about fifty per day. Another method is to gradually tighten the muscles and hold. Tighten them a bit and hold; tighten the muscles more and hold; then release. The more you exercise these muscles, the better toned they will become.
You can do Kegel exercises anywhere. They can be done while watching television, lying in bed or even in the car. My child birth educator told us to do them at every red light in traffic. The beauty of these exercises is no one knows you are doing it.
In most cases, bladder control problems will resolve on their own within six to eight weeks of your baby’s birth. If you are still having problems, talk to your doctor. There are treatments available to help with bladder control.