I think my bladder has broken :(

[iwantittobepink]

Hi there everyone!
I am 39+4 and have gotten used to having the bladder of a 100 year old. During the day, whilst i'm always on the look out for the closest toilets I don't feel as if i'm different from other pregnant ladies!

However, I don't sleep. At all. Last night within 7 hours of being in bed I got up 28 times. I wake up feeling as if I'm desperate for the toilet, go to the bathroom, sit down... and a dribble comes out. I then get up and before I've gone back to bed I need to go again. I've tried standing up and peeing, sitting very far forward, sitting leaning back, everything I can think of. I've fallen asleep twice on the toilet and banged my head on the sink. I've stopped drinking after 6pm even though I'm very thirsty, and won't eat past 7pm.

I suppose my question is: how normal is this? should I phone the midwifes? or should I suck it up? Is it the babies head on my bladder or is it all in my head?

I feel broken, and i'm starting to shout at my DP as he manages to sleep... I also slightly resent the baby which I was so looking forward too as I feel its going to come any moment and I won't be able to look after it as I am now more exhausted than ever before. Any advice or tips will be gratefully received! :)

Could be cystitis. Get a urine sample to your GP or midwife in case you need antibiotics. Needing to wee a lot is normal but 28 times is way more than average. Hope you are feeling better soon, sleep deprivation is torture.

Oh dear, sympathy for you. No experience of peeing quite that much as am only 31+4 atm, but have you seen a MW fairly recently? It could be a sign of a water infection?

When you finish peeing, try rocking backwards and forwards gently on the loo. It lifts baby's head from your bladder momentarily and should help drain out any liquid left in there!

Hopefully someone will be along with better advice soon, sorry to be not much help!

I'm no expert as on first pregnancy myself at a similar stage. However I'm only waking about 4 times a night. 28 times sounds extreme! I would think it's worth seeing your midwife to see for any signs of a uti in your urine

It does get bad but yours sounds very bad. Could be a uti? I would give your GP or MW a wee sample to rule it out.

28 sounds extreme. I think my record was 11 times. I got checked for a uti after that, but it wasn't one. I'd take a urine sample to your gp and ask for it to be tested for infection tbh.

That is a lot of times going to the loo!! As others suggested call your midwife or GP.

Poor you!!

Does sound like it could be a UTI, I'd ring your GP if I were you.

28 times is pretty extreme - the best I've done is 12. I think I'd go to the Drs if I were you - sounds like a UTI.

Thank you for all your replies!
Ive got a midwife appointment tomorrow anyway just wanted to check that I am abnormal but I've called up so they'll see me this evening too

I don't think it is a uti because there's no burning or anything, but, i know it's still a possibility! My 'D'p said he thought it was in my head because before pregnancy I would still get up up to 4 times a night, however I did explain to him that it's because I'm a light sleeper so if he rolls over it wakes me and if i can remotely feel the need to go I will!

It's hard being this tired and baby isn't even here yet! Hurry up the nights of being woken by a cry rather than this peeing business!! (Yep I know I might regret saying that)

do your symptons match this?

Sounds like a bladder infection. Get yourself down the docs ASAP!

My Gp told me that during pregnancy women might not get the usual symptoms of burning etc, sometimes you get no symptoms at all and it's only picked up when they test your urine. Hope it's sorted quickly for you so you can catch up on your sleep as best as you can before baby arrives x

Well worth pushing to be seen on this. I had similar and it ended up that I couldn't pee AT ALL unless I contorted myself in the bath into a particular position. It was AGONY. I was so relieved when I got to the hospital and they cathetered me momentarily relieved that is, before I really learnt the meaning of agony

Ah, the memories.

Heehiles, nope! Only had my GTT test a few weeks ago, but apart from the peeing I drink as much as ever and have no other symptoms!
We'll see what my useless doctors say later! I just sometimes think I am going mental as I've been so normal during the day, its only night time that I get terrible. Not to mention the pure agony of dragging my ass outta the bed,and just never being comfortable... maybe at night i think too much about it :( But I do want an answer... even if its just being told im unlucky!!

I would say if you're not massively in pain it's also probably quite likely that the baby is coming any day and you are in that hyper-alert phase the body gets into just before labour.

Oh good! Hope you get it sorted tonight!

Iwantittobepink.....

Fear not, I can help! But you won't thank me for it.

Your bladder is like your stomach, when you are used to eating huge meals your stomach expands, but then if you go on a diet it gradually shrinks and you can't manage half of what you used to be able to eat.

The same is true for your bladder, the less you drink, the smaller it becomes and then the less and less and less it can hold. Obviously being heavily pregnant you haven't been able to hold much in your bladder anyway so naturally it will have shrunk a little anyway. However as you have been rationing your fluid intake it will have shrunk even more.

Continence advisers suggesting drinking as much as you possibly can to stretch and retrain your bladder.... This comes with a down side as you are guaranteed to be on the loo MUCH more for the first week (maybe even two), it's a price you have to pay to get your bladder back to full capacity. But at 39 weeks, you might not even have that much time left. Never the less, it will help, as it won't magically disappear after baby is born until you stretch that bladder capacity (I do appreciate there's a limit to this with a heavy baby pressing on it), but you might be grateful of even a small advance in the situation once baby comes along.

So drink plenty, no rationing. Drink what you need and then have another glass.

Good luck.

X