To be quite depressed and worried.....pregnancy and cough and....tena lady

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

I am 28 weeks pregnant and have a 1 and a 2 year old. So I've had 3 pregnancies in 3 years basically

I have developed a terrible cough in the last few days that I think is viral that is keeping me up at night a lot so I am even more tired.

However....total horrors.....because the cough is so violent, I'm actually wetting myself constantly. I've got some tena lady (can't believe I had to buy some) but I'm feeling pretty depressed. I'm only 37 FFS and had relatively OK births. Have I completely broken my pelvic floor? I really cannot envisage a life of wearing tena lady for the rest of my days.

What is making things worse is that we are having major building works done at the moment so I'm having to try and dodge builders to leg it to the one available loo. I'm going to the loo loads so I don't understand how there is really any liquid to be escaping when I'm coughing. But there is.

Any tips on what to do? I know pelvic floor exercises but how can I suppress my cough? All of my muscles in my torso are aching. I think it's viral so I won't get antibiotics and I can't take any OTC remedies apart from lockets that work for 30 seconds and then it's back. I don't think all the dust is helping either

unfortunately your going to have to ride out the cough. You may find you have some urinary incontinence after your third birth - not that unusual esp in short spaces between pregnancies. Sneezing is much worse and trampolines are a definite no go

I've only had one baby, but have had a couple of really nasty illnesses, including sinusitis that have caused this for me. The doctor said it was completely normal. The rest of the time I can sneeze without peeing.

Coughing hard makes me leak a little since pregnancy but don't be too scared. I can sneeze, laugh, run and trampoline absolutely fine. It's just deep coughing that causes an issue (not normal clearing my throat coughing). I have had to wear a pad for a chest infection before but I'm ok 99%+ of the time.

Sneezing I seem to be fine - or is this the next horror to await me

I've also been fine re: running etc since DD was born last year. I've not tried a trampoline......

It's just absolutely horrible to wet yourself -so undignified and awful. I'm worried I smell of pee too although I am changing knickers and tena ladies non-stop.

No more babies after this!

Nothing wrong with Tena Lad - in fact you'd stink and be wet without them. Don't knock them. YABU.

Once baby arrives get your GP to refer you for some Physio. Most hospitals have a weekly clinic that you can be referred to.

As for now the weight of the baby isn't going to help, keep up with the Tena and I hope your cough improves.

I found this happened a bit when I was pregnant with my second big baby when I coughed or laughed - I also had SPD.

Both stopped once DS2 was born so try not to worry as it could be occurring just while you're pregnant. Definitely do your pelvic floor exercises as they do help in my experience.

YABU to be embarrassed about having to use Tena Lady. I'm 26 and have to use them every day. I've suffered from (hereditary) stress incontinence since I was 14.
I have previously been referred for physio by my GP which you could look into once you've completed your family. It is surprising the amount of people who don't realise that they are doing pelvic floor exercises slightly wrong, and therefore having no beneficial effect. A few sessions with a physio can ensure you're doing them correctly.

Unfortunately for me, my only option is surgery which they wouldn't do until I'm sure I have had all the children I want.
I'm pregnant at the moment and at an all time low with regards to wetting myself, (it's no longer stress related, although coughing/sneezing does make it worse, it's now a constant trickle) but it's just one of those things you learn to live with.

Once your cough goes hopefully you'll find there's an improvement.

I had a really bad cough towards the end of my first (and only) pregnancy and suffered from the same Gobbolino and I was only 26 at the time. I assumed it was caused by the position of the baby and the loosened ligaments and muscles.

Things improved somewhat when the cold passed and my cough eased. I did go a bit manic with the pelvic floor exercises after the birth and can safely say I have no issues at all now. It was embarrassing having to use tena ladies for a bit though.

As for suppressing the cough - have you tried to old vics on the feet trick yet?

I've had the same in all 3 pregnancies, currently 20 weeks and the cough is finally easing off thank goodness! I didn't have any issues in between pregnancies but make sure you keep doing your pelvic floor exercises all the way through. I also suffer from SPD -don't know if that makes it worse?

plus tena lady is there for a reason - to stop you needing to worry so much about it! use the product designed for the issue as long as you need to and don't worry!

I was like this in preg but it eased off after I gave birth. I kept with the pelvic floors and despite 3 kids I can still sneeze, run and jump. The only thing that can get me is a very very bad hacking cough and even then it's not constant.

I had HG with both pregnancies and when vomiting violently would also wet myself!! DH really saw me at my "best" when I was pregnant!!!

It hasn't been an issue since, so don't panic.

It's not the tena lady that's depressing me - that's just addressing the issue. It's the fact that I'm actually wetting myself

That's good to know that most people have resolved the issue naturally. Not sure how I would make it to physio but would like to try as would have newborn and 1 year old in tow. Hopefully could go when 2 year old is at nursery

See your GP and get checked for pregnancy asthma (might be exacerbated by builders' dust) and for reflux, and that these conditions are being managed properly. Both will cause coughing and can be treated. I had exactly your situation and it was reflux.

I read online that pineapple juice is good for clearing coughs. Not sure if it works but since it's bit medication it may be worth a try whilst you are pregnant.

Buttercup syrup for your cough! Seriously best invention ever. Xxx

I had a cough recently that alternated between making me wet myself a little and making me sick. Not sure which was worse! I generally have a strong pelvic floor even after 2 DC so it took me by surprise.

I'm afraid I agree you need to ride the cough out (I'd recommend painkillers with codeine to suppress the cough if you weren't pregnant) and focus on getting your pelvic floor stronger.

Mine was worse if I was walking, if I was still and focused on keeping my pelvic floor strong I could prevent it - but it happened most often as I was rushing for a train!

I leaked a bit when coughing towards the end of my last pregnancy, completely went away once DS was born. Doctor pointed out there was waaaaaay more weight on my bladder and pelvic floor than there'd be when not-pregnant.

Agree you should see your GP as well for the cough - my childhood asthma flared up badly when I was pregnant and I got an inhaler (plus an entertaining session on a nebulizer) that helped it a lot.

Not sure if this is helpful, but are you suffering from heartburn? If so, the acid reflux could be what's causing the cough, and if you can find something to cure the heartburn you might find the cough eases.

Also, Simple Linctus is a great cough medicine and quite safe to take during pregnancy.
Hope you feel better soon