Urinary incontinence during or after pregnancy

The need to go to the bathroom can still increase as the weeks of gestation go by . This affects, according to doctors, 10% of pregnant women.

Urinary incontinence is rare in the first trimester in primiparous (first-pregnant) women, but it can already occur in those who have had multiple children or are expecting twins because the uterus puts more pressure on the bladder.

Because it happens

The frequent urge to urinate is given because the uterus puts greater pressure on the muscles of the pelvis.

The uterus increases markedly in size, becomes large and heavy, from 7 cm to about 36 cm. We must also add the weight of the baby, the placenta and the amniotic fluid.

Furthermore, progesterone plays a fundamental role, which is a hormone with a relaxing effect on the muscles .

When you’re pregnant, the perineum muscle takes on another important function: it keeps the uterus in place. Instead, in the moment of childbirth, it becomes thinner in order to allow the birth of the child.

During childbirth, the nerves, ligaments and muscles of the pelvic floor are subjected to severe trauma because their fibers stretch and therefore give rise to or aggravate this disorder.

Once the baby is born, 30% of new mothers continue to have this problem and it is necessary to resort to the help of the midwife to attend pelvic re-education courses which allow the woman to recover from the situation.

The ideal would be to arrive at the time of delivery with this muscle trained , just like any other muscle in the body is trained. My advice is to have the midwife who follows you teach you the exercises for tightening and relaxing the perineum and how to massage this area as it makes everything more elastic.

Natural remedies and exercises

Exercises

Stand with feet apart, arms along the body soft, fan the fingers and then release them. Focus your attention on your feet, you must feel good support in the heel and little toe and big toe. If you feel tension in your lower back, bring your knees slightly bent.

When you inhale Imagine a wave rising from your feet to your head and stretching your spine as it passes, when you exhale let your body stretch naturally through your feet. Inhaling, tip the tongue on the palate, exhaling the tongue rests on the floor of the mouth. Imagine your mouth as if it were the pelvic floor.

Kegel exercises

They are recommended exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor during pregnancy and postpartum. Easy to do, you can do them at home at any time, but also at work sitting down or in lines at the supermarket!

Diet

Regularly drink at least two liters of water a day. Avoid caffeine, carbonated drinks, citrus fruits, sugary drinks, spicy foods as they irritate the bladder.

After giving birth

• Herbal tea: Put 15 drops of Rhus aromatica root fluid in two fingers of water, add the sugar and mix. You have to drink it every night before going to bed.
• Green tea, according to an international study, contains substances in its blend that relieve the annoying symptoms of incontinence.
• Yoga: Tadasana, the mountain.

Supplements

Magnesium, performs a relaxing action on the muscles allowing a uniform emptying of the bladder.