Anyone else left with...Tena... moments after childbirth?

[Odysseus]

11 months on and still having real incontinence issues. Anyone got any tips other than pelvic floor exercises which do not appear to be helping me at all?!

No tips really but this is not something you have to just put up with. Go to your gp and ask fir a referral to a physio.

Believe it or not, but I've found wearing a Mooncup can really, really help, although it's probably not something you'd want to do every day. But if you've got a bad cough, or you're planning on jogging or something, it's worth popping one in.

Not a fix though, just temporary relief.

push for a referral to a gynae who has a specialism in this area. you should not have to put up with this. so sorry! xx

I've had two referrals so far - but they've not come up with much...
I've recently got a mooncup and wear it at home, because it reminds me to do my pelvic floors...but it slips and becomes painful so I daren't go out the house in it in case it requires readjustment!!

I went on a trampoline for the first time yesterday. OH MY GOODNESS horrific!!

Aw, bless you. 11 years on I'm still having issues too :).
Go to your GP, really, don't leave it 10 yrs.

Are you sure you have the right size? Also maybe try trimming off a little more of the stem - I actually have a very very short stem on mine because if it's lower down it can rub (ow!) otherwise!

I think part of the issue over permanent (i.e. surgical) fixes is that they don't like to do them until you've finished having children and they think you're sure about it. So post menopause really

Don't go on a trampoline!!!

Try getting in touch with your transverse abdominal, that's the muscle that's the deepest in the abdomen and tightens up when you contract it. People can push down on their bladder without realising it if they are overusing their oblique abdominal muscles. I was doing this for years and had really bad posture - if you then have a baby you become more vulnerable to this and can (over time) literally push your organs out your body. Don't worry though you can rectify the situation easily. You just have to find a personal trainer in your area who knows how to change your abdominal pattern around. www.dianelee.ca has a section on her website about the different abdominal patterns that can cause extra pressures and stress within your body. Since switching on my transverse (which is what they try to get you to use in pilates) I have stanilised my pelvis, sorted a neck problem, have much reduced shoulder tension, sorted pelvic floor and have much improved posture. It's a shame that most UK physios tend to treat pelvic floor in quite an isolated way. Hope this helps x

No experience of this, but I do Pilates every week and it's amazing what it can make you do with your pelvic floor muscles - isolate different ones and 'lift' and practically dance the blood tango.

So my suggestion would be to find a really good Pilates instructor in your area - don't go for gym classes, look for a studio with lots of wierd looking equipment (reformers etc), and if you can afford it, some private sessions. You start off spending ££ to lie on a bench breathing, but it's so worth it in the end.

A couple of sessions from a personal trainer who knows how to switch you from an oblique dominating pattern to a transverse one is so worth it. I know a good one in edinburgh area and also london - if you are somewhere else, email daine lee and ask her as she has trained a load of them! Has saved me so much money long run cause I don't have to go to a chiropractor anymore!

The same as 30andmerkin - pilates!! When I had my first baby I sneezed and did the biggest wee all over the floor. Gutted! But I started pilates just after and even now with a few weeks to go before my second baby my pelvic floor is holding up great. I really recommend it. And it doesn't matter how soon after your baby you start. My mum does pilates with 50 year olds who have this problem and it works for them.