Kegels - Issues with cardio workouts...

mamsa

My baby was born in November. He's my third. I'm oldish. I wasn't great about Kegels the first two times and now I'm trying but not seeing great results.

Anyone have great success stories about not going wee (and not the FUN kind) when they run or do cardio? You know, not an actual stream but just enough to need a pad and be uncomfortable. Seriously it's one of the things that keeps me from running around with my kids. Hate it...

va_va_voom

My baby was born in November. He's my third. I'm oldish. I wasn't great about Kegels the first two times and now I'm trying but not seeing great results.

Anyone have great success stories about not going wee (and not the FUN kind) when they run or do cardio? You know, not an actual stream but just enough to need a pad and be uncomfortable. Seriously it's one of the things that keeps me from running around with my kids. Hate it...

I had some trouble with this after my second child. Make sure you empty your bladder before going outside to run around with them. That will cut down on what I dubbed "the squirts". Also, do the kegels!

cdirig

I'm 43 and just had my first baby 10 weeks ago. I'm stilling having some issues with pee leakage, but it's improving. At first I was just leaking at the mere site of the restroom, now I only leak after a run or elliptical work. I've gone from wearing gross huge pads that I would change every hour, to super thin max pads which I only change after a workout.

A few things that I believe are helping:

(1) I wasn't too rigorous with kegels at first. Now I do them frequently throughout the day, every day.
(2) My OB prescribed a vaginal estrogen cream. It's a low dose so it doesn't interfere with breast milk production.
(3) I have an epi-no trainer, which strengthens the pelvic floor muscles.

The best thing about the epi-no is that you can measure your results (if you buy the deluxe model with the gauge that shows how much force your pelvic floor muscles are exerting). That's important because you can improve your strength as you try to beat your last measurement. Kegels alone are difficult to measure unless you test yourself by trying to stop your urine flow from time to time to see how well you can hold it.

At any rate, make sure your OB checks you out. Urinary incontinence can be caused by a few reasons after childbirth, such as a prolapsed bladder or nerve damage in the urethra. It's good to know what you're really trying to fix.