It’s Normal to Pee Yourself
From the moment we become pregnant our body starts to make room for another being. The hormones that curse through our body rise and fall, the way our hips and ribs are positioned change, and the way all of our systems work together shifts.
During pregnancy, our body’s main function is to keep the fetus alive and give it what it needs to grow and eventually thrive outside of the womb.
For those of us who delivered our baby vaginally, we then get to experience urinary leakage: peeing ourselves while during regular activities, and especially when doing things that require more physical effort.
This is normal and caused by our pelvic floor muscles having worked really hard: at first to keep the baby inside of us and then to push it out.
So, if you have ever experienced leakage, there is no shame. However, there are solutions- this doesn’t have to keep happening for you!
We’re sure that some of you might have heard about performing “Kegels”: contracting your pelvic floor muscles like you’re trying to hold in pee. Working our muscles that way is needed, however, not as much as you might think.
The main reason we experience incontinence after birth is actually because our pelvic floor muscles are overworked (they’ve done too much contracting) and haven’t been developed when it comes to lengthening and relaxing.
So, put your Kegels aside for the moment and spend some time focusing on breathing and lengthening those muscles. Here’s how:
Focus on your breathing: in through your nose and exhaling as much air as you can out through your mouth (think of releasing a big sigh)
Practice both contracting and lengthening your pelvic floor muscles (see this video for some cues)
There you have! Two ways for you to start taking small steps towards improving the health of your pelvic floor and eventually, not peeing yourself anymore.
DISCLAIMER: this article was not written by a Physical Therapist (PT) and isn’t meant to diagnose or treat Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. Always consult your physician or PT when starting something new and discontinue if you experience any pain.