Dealing With Pregnancy Incontinence

One of the issues of pregnancy that can cause inconvenience, discomfort and quite a bit of distress as well as embarrassment is urinary incontinence or the inability to hold on to urine in the bladder efficiently. The reasons for urinary incontinence during pregnancy and even after child birth are many:

• During pregnancy, as the growing baby puts more and more pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, there are chances of urine leakage occurring.
• On the one hand the urinary incontinence could be caused due to an overactive bladder that spasms more often and that in consequence requires a pregnant woman to urinate more often.
• On the other hand, stress incontinence is caused by the bladder sphincter not working as well as it should be when it comes under added pressure. This will likely cause urine leakage when you laugh, cough, sneeze; it could even be junior taking a well aimed kick at your innards that causes the leakage.
• Another reason for urinary incontinence during pregnancy is that there may have been damage caused to the nerves that control the bladder.
• Since the growing baby and consequently expanding uterus tends to move a lot of things around inside the woman’s abdomen, it is possible that the urethra and the bladder have moved to accommodate the baby.
• Some experts believe that an episiotomy performed during childbirth can also contribute to urinary incontinence later.

There are several things you can do to deal with pregnancy incontinence:

• Go to the bathroom regularly and as soon as you feel the urge. Don’t hold on to the urine and put more pressure on your bladder than you can help. When you go, lean forward to make sure that you have thoroughly and entirely emptied your bladder.
• Perform Kegel’s exercises regularly throughout pregnancy. It will help strengthen the pelvic floor helping not only with incontinence but also with the impending delivery.
• Wear a panty liner or a sanitary pad, depending on whether you are at home, or going out for an extended time. Also this would depend on the extent of your urinary incontinence.
• Carry extra underwear to deal with any accidents. If going out, be sure to tuck an extra panty into one corner of your bag; it could just come in handy! Or you can keep a change of clothes such as a fresh panty and neutral colored pants or skirt in your car.