Controlling Your Bladder During Pregnancy

One of the things that you may have noticed that has changed since you’ve become pregnant is how urgent your need to pee is. You may not even make it to the bathroom in time and be forced to use incontinence pads whenever you leave the house. If your bladder is giving you fits because you’re pregnant, there are some things you can do to minimize the embarrassment of making a beeline for the bathroom every time the urge hits you.

Knowing when urinary incontinence starts and what causes it helps you gain better control of the condition.

This guide helps you identify the changes that you’re experiencing with your bladder and gives you sound advice on things you can do to stop the pee-pee dance before it starts. You’ll walk away from the blog feeling more confident than you did before because you’re able to show your bladder who is in charge!

What Causes Urinary Incontinence in Pregnant Women?

When hormones fluctuate, they cause your bladder to act accordingly. Relaxin and progesterone are to blame because they’re what keeps the muscular organ in check. When the hormones go haywire, your bladder doesn’t know what to expect, so it works in overdrive.

If you’ve had problems with urinary tract infections, given birth vaginally in the past, weigh more or are older when you become pregnant, you’ll likely experience urinary incontinence while carrying a child. If you sneeze, laugh or cough, you may notice that you’re unintentionally leaking urine. Carrying spare pads and maternity underwear with you in your purse is one way you can take care of the issue right away.

When Should I Expect My Bladder to Become Overactive?

Not long after becoming pregnant, you’ll notice that your bladder controlisn’t what it used to be. Many women experience urinary incontinence during pregnancy. It’s nothing to be ashamed of because its symptoms can be minimized rather easily.

There are many things you can do to retrain your bladder and even strengthen it. If urinary incontinence is something that you experienced with prior pregnancies, you know what a nuisance it can be. Taking charge of the situation gives you greater relief than you can even imagine especially when you’re out and about running errands or visiting with family and friends.

What to Do About Urinary Incontinence?

There are many things you can do to reduce episodes of urinary incontinence. The first is to do three sets of 30 Kegels a day. This strengthens the muscles that control urine flow. You’ll be able to prevent yourself from peeing until you get to the bathroom.

Eliminate bladder-irritating foods and beverages such as coffee, soda, citrus, and tomatoes. Keep a supply of pads on hand for emergency situations and come up with a schedule for peeing while pregnant. Every 30 minutes is a good starting point as it trains your bladder to behave.

Controlling your urge to pee every two seconds while pregnant takes skill.

It’s easy once you’ve gotten some practice, however. When you take control of your bladder rather than let it control you, you’re able to get more done and go more places with ease. You won’t be posed with the difficult question of “Where’s the bathroom?” wherever you go.