Have you just become a mother? Congratulations!

You and your baby are the focus of everyone’s attention. Your day is changing. Your body changed a long time ago. No matter how much this worries you, you should still look after your baby and yourself.

In the time after the pregnancy, you may notice certain symptoms that should be taken care of. Some of these symptoms relate to incontinence. For example:

  1. Frequent desire to urinate.
  2. Urgent need to urinate.
  3. Involuntary urine leakage (incontinence).
  4. Difficulty holding urine, especially when you cough, laugh, lift weights or, in general, move any way that exerts pressure on the abdomen.

In most cases, post-partum urinary incontinence can be treated gently and definitively. The only condition is that it is caught early.  You should not, therefore, postpone talking to your doctor if you experience incontinence symptoms. It is important to find the time you might need for tests, so that the doctor can pinpoint the cause of the issue and its extent. So don’t hesitate. Your own health and well-being is the most important gift you can give to your baby!

Light post-partum incontinence:

According to studies, one-third of women who give vaginal birth may, to some extent, develop urinary incontinence up to 3-6 months after birth.

Sometimes the nerves that feed the muscles may be damaged.  Muscular atrophy may appear slowly over time. That is why, sometimes, post-partum urinary incontinence appears quite some time after birth.

Whether you experience symptoms of urinary incontinence or not, seek out special use pads for the time after birth. These are post-partum pads that are specially designed for increased absorbency compared to regular sanitary pads and effectively absorb moisture (urine, blood in post-partum conditions, etc.) and unpleasant odours.  They will provide you with the hygienic protection that you need at this time!

 

Kindly contributed by Urologist – Andrologist Surgeon, Dr Charalambos P. Asvestis