Mom with bladder issues

No wisdom or suggestions, but you do have my sympathy!

Talk to your OBGYN - you may need surgery to correct the issue.

I have a similar problem, but only happens right before that TOM or if I am sick. I was going to suggest the kegels, but you know about that. I would check with your nutritionist, if you have one, or your Dr. Good luck!

I am soooo glad that you posted this. I've been thinking about posting something similar, but wasn't sure how to say it tactfully! I am in the same boat! I have issues when I sneeze, run, exercise....any of that. I have no words of advice, just that I suffer right along with you. Hope you don't mind if I friend you.:)

Many women experience stress incontinence or, weakened pelvic floor muscles often due to injury or child birth (me included x2 UGH!), and sometimes obesity :

Use an extra absorbency tampon or find your nearby adult store, or online and order some BenWa balls. The idea here is that the tampon or balls, inserted vaginally, will create pressure against the bladder wall, and pelvic floor muscles, making them less likely to lose tension. In addition, a panty liner helps me for long runs and of coarse, empty out just before you run/jump etc. I need to buy stock in tampax.... LOL

I didn't learn about any of this till I joined MFP, and the advise was spot on, no pun intended, and has helped me feel secure enough to begin the 5k training with no problems as of yet...

hope this helps. good luck!

Edit to add: After two years at karate, refusing to do jumping jacks, because of this very problem, I went in last week, "prepared" and proceed to do 2 minutes of jumping jacks with little to no problems... YAHOO!!!!

Try a pad specific to the problem, like Poise, as opposed to the usual femine napkin. Find the brand that suits you best, and adjust running wear accordingly. Astronauts wear diapers in space, so that might be a better solution to bunching for an athlete. There are plenty of ladies with the problem and plenty of products designed to provide a solution, so there is no reason to give up exercise and become an old lady before your time.

I totally feel for you! I have the same issues... maybe a little differently. I have to pee all the time and if I don't go right away then well... You know.:embarassed: GROSS and EMBARRASSING! My previous OB mentioned doing the surgery once I'm done having children, but that was about all she could tell me. Well, my situation wasn't getting any better and I was avoiding drinking water because I was sick of having to go to the bathroom all the time. :grumble: I am now seeing a new OB and after explaining my situation she prescribed me a prescription so I wouldn't have to go all the time and it has truly helped! I'm not one to take a lot of medicines and would rather fix things the more natural way, but this just had to stop!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know you aren't alone.

I'm right there with you! After having 5 pregnancies, my bladder control during exercise is shot! I used to run & the best thing I found was using a tampon. It seemed to do the trick. Hope things work out for you.

I know you're reluctant to be seen by a doctor, but after the birth of my daughter and a subsequent hemorrhage and emergency hysterectomy, I was left with literally no communication from my bladder. I couldn't tell when it was full and I had a very hard time getting it empty. I had to change my pants several times a day because of overflow issues. yes, my early months of motherhood were kind of a nightmare. I was prescribed a pessary which I wore for a while to help support my pelvic floor while everything healed. Even if you only wore it while working out, i think you might benefit, until your pelvic floor gets stronger.

I was also taught how to do "elevator kegels" where you contract the muscles moving up the wall section by section and then back down again. If you are doing it correctly, it's very tiring. You will feel how weak your muscles actually are. But for me was effective in getting things working well again. The whole process took over two years. I still have problems when sneezing, but no leakage during aerobics, dancing, or anything like jumping jacks.

Also, have heard great things about Lindsay Brin's DVD called Core Sequencing Method. It has abdominal exercises that are specifically targets at mom's.

I had severe urinary incontinence after having a 10 lb baby. I could not carry groceries into the house without leaking, sneezing meant stop walking, cross legs and squeeze to keep from leaking, and forget exercise. I was constantly in the bathroom and I began to dehydrate myself over time because I did not like to drink fluids for fear of all the leaking. I was 30 when I had my son and I just felt this was no way to live life at such a young age.
I tried the kegals, the training weights (balls), double elimination when I would use the bathroom, medication to control the urge/stress feeling...everything! Nothing worked. I finally got fed up and told my doctor I was ready to explore the surgical options. To my surprise she told me that she had had a vaginal bladder sling put in several years ago because she is a runner and could not run comfortably anymore due to her incontinence. She said the sling surgery was the best thing she ever did for herself and referred me to her urologist.
As I started to research the sling procedure I became terrified by all the bad, scary things I read online about the mesh that is used. I ended up waiting another year because of the fears that I would have these "worst case scenario" side effects. After another humiliating and uncomfortable year I decided that it was worth the risk so I booked my surgery. The surgery was simple, not painful and recovery very fast. I had an amazing doctor (a female doctor) who must have really known what she is doign because I had none of the scary side effects I had read about. I was able to pee without a cathader when I woke up, went home same day, and within 2 weeks my urine was flowing normally and I was not leaking AT ALL. 2 years later I am enjoying a completely leak-free life! Jumping jacks are the only exercise that has caused me to have that familiar "about to leak" feeling but nothing comes out even then. Running, sneezing, whatever I do I am normal now! There are no scars from this surgery and most insurance covers it. I have Tricare and it was no problem. Good luck to you!!!!

OMG...I am right there with you all! I have had three children and it wasn't until after my third that I've had issues. The first time it happened I was running, I hadn't really realized that it was pee until it was way too late. The second time was while working out with my friend doing HIIT 15...embarassing!! It's happened many times since and I've also resorted to using pads (absolutely gross and uncomfy). I plan to go and speak with my doc about it.

bump