For mommies who workout, has this ever happened to u?

jamaicanlady
jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
edited October 5 in Fitness and Exercise
WARNING: TMI!!!!!! STOP READING HERE IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT!

I had my daughter naturally 1 year and 4 months ago and now I find that I just cannot hold my urine like I used to. Especially when I workout. If I'm doing cardio that requires me to do any kind of jumping, and I want to pee even just a little, I can expect to have wet panties when I'm done. Take yesterday, I was doing some jumping jacks and felt like I wanted to pee but it wasn't urgent, after like 15 jumps I could literally feel me wetting myself. By the time I was done, my panties were soaked. Sorry to gross you out but I need to know if I'm the only one who has experienced this. It doesn't happen every single time, but to me one time is too many.

If anyone has experienced this, did it eventually pass as time went on? Or did you do any kind of exercise to prevent it? I was looking into Kegel exercise and I think I'm going to incorporate that into my daily routine just like I would any other exercise. Anyone with me?

PS. I also notice that my orgasms aren't as intense as before either.
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Replies

  • catherine4211
    catherine4211 Posts: 944 Member
    I had my daughter over 16 years ago and this just started happening. So I have no idea if this happens because of childbirth or other things. Same thing happened to me this past week when my trainer had me do jumping jacks. Peed my pants like no other. Had to laugh because the only other option was to cry.....I have no advice to offer but can tell you it happens to me too.
  • XtyAnn17
    XtyAnn17 Posts: 632 Member
    It also happens to me, but not just when im working out, it happens all day throughout the day, so i have to wear a pantyliner all the time. ANNOYING. I have 2 kids, and it started in the end of my 1st pregnancy. I finally am heading in to see a Urologist to see if this situation can be reversed somehow. Your not the only one. Children ruin your body! lol
  • Loverj79
    Loverj79 Posts: 65 Member
    i have two kids 7 years a part and yes its normal and Kegels will help!
  • WhitneyJerome
    WhitneyJerome Posts: 80 Member
    yes definitely do Kegal exercises they help that problem. I had the same problem after I had my baby but its a lot easier to do jumping jacks and whatnot now

    FYI the easiest way I can to explain how to do Kegals is when your peeing flex those muscles and draw them up and make yourself stop. This is just to figure out what muscles to flex. Then you can do them whenever driving, eating dinner ,watching tv ect.

    This tightens vaginal muscles as well and it helps after the stretching it takes during childbirth. (not sure if that sentence makes sense or not lol)
  • I totally understand. You need to be doing Kegel exercises to tighten the muscles down there. Just one of the bad side effects of having children, despite what a blessing they are!!
  • mrsmarsh2b
    mrsmarsh2b Posts: 4 Member
    Yes kegel exercises are the key, try the older FIRM videos, they do a lot of kegel exercises. I have this problem when I sneeze or laugh to hard lol
  • tuneses
    tuneses Posts: 467 Member
    Yep. I will use the bathroom at least once in my workout. When you will do jumping jacks go pee first and lean forward to empty your bladder as much as possible. My baby just turned 1 and she was a vbac. It's slowly getting better.
  • Iheartsushi
    Iheartsushi Posts: 150 Member
    Yep! Like everyone has says...time for Kegals.

    Also, you may want to look into Ben Wa balls. They are weighted balls that you insert in the vagina and practice kegals with. They come with a set of two. You start with one until you get stronger and then you can insert two, eventually. Keep one in for maybe 5 or 10 min at first and focus on keeping it inside as you do your daily activities. It will slip out at first until you strength those muscles! Some women have such strong muscles that they are able to keep two balls in all day and go about their business with work, laundry, etc!

    The Ben Wa balls will also do wonders for your sex life/orgasms for obvious reasons. :tongue: You can find them at sex stores, online, and even amazon (that's where I got mine! lol).

    In the meantime, put a pantiliner so you don't go to ruining all your clothing during workouts!
  • Do your Kegals to music and talk to your doctor about a pessary. It's a little plastic thingy that wedges up in your hoo-ha and supports the weakened muscles around your urethra. It's fitted like a diaphragm and comes in 20 or 30 shapes to make the best fit. I only know this because I noticed a poster in the gyno's office about 15 years ago that showed this huge selection of weird little shapes and said "PESSARIES" at the top and I asked her what they were.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    When a woman gives birth vaginally (and sometimes just because of pregnancy), often the neck of the bladder gets stretched such that it leaks. I used to leak every time I jumped, ran, etc. Probably why I didn't exercise after having my kids.

    Kegels help, but don't remedy the problem for all women. Other non-surgical options include a pessary (plastic ovalish thing inserted in the vagina to put pressure on the bladder neck and keep it closed), which I guess I should have considered before I was done having kids, because I missed a lot of bounce house fun for fear of peeing.

    Once we were done having babies, I went to the uro-gynecologist and elected to have a bladder neck suspension procedure. It's an outpatient operation, they made 3 little incisions, inserted a mesh sling, and screwed it into the pelvic bone with titanium screws. Over time, tissue grows over the sling and there sin't enough metal in the screws to raise issues at airport security or anything like that.

    The procedure was immediately effective at stopping the leaks, BUT...I couldn't lift anything over 10lbs for six weeks. That's a little more than a gallon of milk. No lifting kids into the car, changing table, etc.

    The pain was minimal -- like a really good inner thigh workout. I was at the hospital all of 5 hours, and away from work just two days. I probably could have gone to work the next day.
  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
    Thank u ladies for replying. It's a little comforting to know that I'm not the only one who has experienced this. Started doing my Kegel exercises already.
  • andiechick
    andiechick Posts: 916 Member
    its natures way of telling us as women we don't suffer enough!! i was fine after having a section with my first, but had to have an episiotomy with my daughter, plus she was forceps, now I daren't wait to long after feeing that first 'urge' that i need to pee and she's almost 2 1/2!!! i started doing my 'muscle' exercises as soon as the swelling went down and it is better but still not how I was before I had her ;0(

    x
  • Lainn
    Lainn Posts: 281 Member
    First sign you are a mommy? Peeing your pants when you laugh, jump, sneeze, cough, exercise, have sex, or just because.

    Our pelvic muscles get weak with pregnancy and labor.

    As many others said KEGALS!!! They will certainly help, but I am afraid it never completely goes away. My mother is 58 and still has that issue. Exercise and kegals will certainly help and make it tons better!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    This happens to most people - either as a result of birthing and / or getting older. Kegels help. Exercise generally helps. I had trouble for about two years postnatally, but found that being more active and doing regular kegels did sort it out.

    If you're very concerned you can get (I kid you not) 'weights' to put up inside that you use to make the kegels more effective. I haven't used these myself, but have friends who have and who swore by them.
  • slr622
    slr622 Posts: 31
    I've been there! I try to remember to do my kegels and I'm sure eventually it'll get better. But for now I always use the bathroom *right before* I do my workout (even if I just went 3 minutes ago) and lots of times I wear a panty liner, just in case.

    Your are not alone ;)
  • ninjakitty419
    ninjakitty419 Posts: 349 Member
    I have the same problem and I will go pee immediately before beginning the workout and I STILL pee when I do jumping jacks. Unfortunately this happened when I was at my first day of tae kwon do class and we had to do like 100 jumping jacks and by the time we finished my pants were very obviously wet. I never went back to that class after that.
  • midwifekelley2350
    midwifekelley2350 Posts: 337 Member
    kegels can help but it is a natural phenomenon (unfortunatly!). i have had 3 vaginal births and have the same problem...forget about jumping on the trampoline with the kids!

    ps...kegels will help with the orgasm too
  • LosingWeight2012
    LosingWeight2012 Posts: 62 Member
    Kegals can help but surgery is the only option thats permanent. Ask your dr.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
    There are also pads that you can wear. Your panties never need get wet again. Depending upon the amount of liquid passed, you can either get by with a regular menstrual pad, or if you need more absorbency, the special pads developed for the purpose of helping women with this common problem are also useful.

    Kegels help. But using a pad in the interim helps you get your exercise in while keeping your clothes dry until your spincter strength builds up.

    And, as others have mentioned, there are pessaries -- useful if you are suffering from prolapse of the uterus, and surgery.

    Childbirth changes your body, and in more ways than one. You are noticing changes re orgasm. Just adapt, and you`ll do fine. I had my kids naturally too, and when I said I wanted a natural birth (2 children born w/o drugs), my gyno exclaimed that I would be like the grand canyon down there! and that he had patients demanding c-sections so that they could remain nice and tight for their husbands. I retorted that those weren't my values. And we got along great after that.

    You and your husband simply have to learn your new body, and you'll be fine.
  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
    its natures way of telling us as women we don't suffer enough!! i was fine after having a section with my first, but had to have an episiotomy with my daughter, plus she was forceps, now I daren't wait to long after feeing that first 'urge' that i need to pee and she's almost 2 1/2!!! i started doing my 'muscle' exercises as soon as the swelling went down and it is better but still not how I was before I had her ;0(

    x

    I know right! If it's not one thing it's another. Dammit!
  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
    This happens to most people - either as a result of birthing and / or getting older. Kegels help. Exercise generally helps. I had trouble for about two years postnatally, but found that being more active and doing regular kegels did sort it out.

    If you're very concerned you can get (I kid you not) 'weights' to put up inside that you use to make the kegels more effective. I haven't used these myself, but have friends who have and who swore by them.

    So you don't have that problem anymore??
  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
    I've been there! I try to remember to do my kegels and I'm sure eventually it'll get better. But for now I always use the bathroom *right before* I do my workout (even if I just went 3 minutes ago) and lots of times I wear a panty liner, just in case.

    Your are not alone ;)

    I was just going to say that sometimes I just went to the bathroom when it happens! Guess I'm not in this alone.
  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
    I have the same problem and I will go pee immediately before beginning the workout and I STILL pee when I do jumping jacks. Unfortunately this happened when I was at my first day of tae kwon do class and we had to do like 100 jumping jacks and by the time we finished my pants were very obviously wet. I never went back to that class after that.

    I'm sorry, I had to laugh when I read this. That is one of the reasons I work out from the comfort of my home now. There is only 1 gym in my town and if something like this should happen to me there, not only couldn't I go back, but I'd be the talk of the town for days.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Yes. I wear pads when I do high impact aerobics. There's a surgery to fix it if it doesn't resolved.
  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
    Oh wow, I guess you ladies are saying the Kegels will help but not completely eradicate the problem. That is not cute! I haven't even finished having children yet! <BIG SOB>
  • theoddlittleduck
    theoddlittleduck Posts: 37 Member
    Me.

    I was just doing some Jillian Michaels and I noticed it during jumping jacks. I've also had it happen occasionally during hockey when I'm going all out. It doesn't seem to matter if I just have urinated or not.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    Yes, my first birth apparently did some damage in that area. I'm okay when I jog but lately I've been doing the 30 day shred which includes lots of different jumping movements..... And Tena Serenity is getting a lot of my business lately. LOL. It stinks but it's not unusual among moms. Thankfully my second birth did not make it any worse. It's not a problem when I'm not jumping around. LOL. But yeah this is one reason I am in no hurry to join a gym. Totally terrified of peeing myself during a class or getting into some position where people can see I'm wearing a ginormous bladder control pad. And yes there are surgeries to correct it, but no point in me even considering that until I'm done having kids and that's not for YEARS down the road. So for now I just have a 'workout budget' that includes those nice absorbent pads. Ideally it would be great if I could work out first thing in the morning before drinking a bunch of liquids, but it never seems to happen that way. My workouts always seem to happen in the afternoon, so I use the restroom, put on my pad, and hope for he best. Even if I use the restroom and then immediately start my workout, I still have at least a small issue with it. Apparently the damage that birth #1 did not only affects my control but perhaps also makes it difficult for me to completely empty my bladder. Sucks, but it's reality. Kegels helped to the point where it is not a problem just going about daily activities, but not for my new more vigorous workouts.
  • maceycarey
    maceycarey Posts: 143 Member
    yes i do lol i was thinking the same thing last night... i have had two kids... but i just think you should wear a panty liner till you stop and ive been doing kegal excercise since i was in high school its just a good way to tighten up down there and it will help with that problem... good luck!
  • hi I'm 53 and tryin to lose weight. I have four grown children and four young grandchildren. and a husband who loves to cook...need encouragement
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    yes i do lol i was thinking the same thing last night... i have had two kids... but i just think you should wear a panty liner till you stop and ive been doing kegal excercise since i was in high school its just a good way to tighten up down there and it will help with that problem... good luck!

    I can't speak for all these other ladies but mine often requires MUCH more absorbency than a panty liner could provide. I have to use the special bladder control pads or I'm risking a catastrophic event. LOL
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