My first childbirth was a walk in the park. Literally, I was walking with my husband in a park when I went into labor at 39 weeks. We made it to the hospital where 6 pound 4 ounce Liam made his instant debut. We were overjoyed. Our first child, the first grandchild, the first boy born to several generations of women. Nothing could diminish the light in our lives. Between the joy and exhaustion, I genuinely didn’t notice that I rarely made it to a bathroom without having an early accident for the first 2 months.
And just like that, I was pregnant again. Every change in my body was chalked up to the fact that I was pregnant. Again.
I didn’t give myself the authority to realize problems in my own body until my youngest son was 7 months old. That’s when I started to realize that rushing to a bathroom four and five times in a night just to void an ounce of liquid was not only extremely aggravating, but also not how I used to be. My mother told me changes were to be expected. She wears pads just about every day.
I talked to a few of my girlfriends with kids and none of them knew what I was talking about. That sure doesn’t make a girl feel normal. Fortunately, a friend suggested I speak to her friend, a physical therapy practitioner.
I just want to shout it from the rooftops: PHYSICAL THERAPY IS THE ANSWER, LADIES! My PT had me doing exercises that definitely took some getting used to, but were surprisingly effective in a short amount of time. This had been a disparaging and often disappointing several years-long journey just to come to physical therapy? Why aren’t women given better information on aftercare? The lack of upfront information available to women is astonishing.
As a classroom teacher for special needs children, I do a lot of physical activity. I am up and chasing children all day, and then again chasing my little one’s when I get home. All of that activity is not kind to a leaking lady.
As per my PT’s direction, I started taking Rejoice, a drinkable supplement in tandem with my exercise over a month ago. Because it has natural ingredients, I was more comfortable incorporating it into my day. Now, just like my husband, the only reason I get up at night is for a screaming child! While I can’t believe I passively lived with my urinary incontinence for so long, what has been more distressing to me is thinking about women just like me who are simply ignorant about their options. I don’t have to buy diapers for my kids AND me, anymore.
