You often hear more experienced moms joking about "peeing a little" when they laugh, but there are other struggles women with postpartum incontinence know all too well. Struggles that can be embarrassing, hilarious, and sometimes downright ridiculous. Most new moms assume they won't have the same problem, and maybe they won't, the first time around. Or, perhaps it will be mild after the first baby, and then your second baby will be gigantic and you will have a ridiculously fast labor and delivery, only to find yourself essentially "screwed" in the pee department. That could just be me, though.
In all truth, though, this is an issue that many new moms face, if only for a short period of time. I prefer to laugh and joke about it instead of lamenting about the condition of my pelvic floor, in the hopes that we can reduce the stigma around postpartum incontinence. Growing up, I remember seeing ads for older and middle aged women, and I didn't really understand why a woman would suddenly develop bladder problems. I know there are other issues that can cause incontinence, but let's be real: pushing a small human out of your vagina, after said human has been sitting on your bladder for months, is pretty hard on your pelvic region. There's no shame in admitting that things have changed, and that perhaps you need some physiotherapy (or pantyliners).
I currently need both, because when you dilate to 10 centimeters in two hours, and push a nine-and-a-half pound baby out of your body in 15 minutes, your pelvic floor may need some help getting back to normal. In the meantime, I struggle with postpartum incontinence, and I refuse to be ashamed of it. With that in mind,here are eight struggles women with postpartum incontinence know all too well, because solidarity is freakin' awesome.