No One Told Me to Buy Diapers...for Myself
February 23, 2010
Something I noticed this week that I kind of wished someone had warned me about was the feeling you get in your stomach as you start to get big. I'm 22 weeks pregnant this week, and it's the strangest feeling, feeling like you're completely overstuffed like you've just finished eating a big Thanksgiving meal yet...you haven't eaten anything yet today.
My skin feels all stretched out and my tummy feels heavy. It's not really a big complaint or anything it's just weird. And it's one of those things they don't tell you about beforehand.
Another piece of information people tend to withhold from you until you're already along for the ride is the fact that you're actually pregnant for something more like 10 months...not 9. That is if you count a month as being 4 weeks -- Which I do these days. So here I am 5.5 months down and 4.5 more to go.
I wish someone would have told me to stock up on diapers. Not for my baby but for myself. I used to pride myself in my bladder capacity, and strong urinary tract muscles that would help me form ever resorting to using a public restroom. Last week I had the most humbling experience when I was filling up for gas and the urge to pee hit me.
In my pre-preggo days this wouldn't have been an issue. Once the initial urge hit I could hold it for another hour or two if I had to. These days, the first sign that I need to go pee means I should have relieved myself five minutes ago.
I debated holding it, and while I was just a few short blocks from my job, it was raining and there was heavy traffic, I knew there was no choice but to pee on myself, or go into the gas station and search for their public restroom. I cursed my bladder and the fact that I didn't have a diaper with me. Oh, how Depends would have been a more appealing option right then!
I walked into the convenient store part of the gas station and asked if they had a restroom. I wasn't sure if this was one of those places where they'd just tell you "no" or if they'd hand me a key attached to a giant hubcap to take with me behind the building to unlock their hidden, locked restroom.
Two men behind the counter spoke in their language. It seemed to me as if they were debating if they'd let me use it. I noticed one of the men glance at my belly before he pointed to the back corner.
I braced myself for the worst display of sanitation but luckily it wasn't that bad. I didn't chance it though...I double lined the seat with toilet paper and did my best to squat above that.
I'm not sure I can remember the last time I've made it to the bathroom in time. I mean really...There've been many close calls. I hear this bladder issue gets worse through pregnancy but then goes away immediately after birth and I'm not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to it going away. I'm not complaining though, honest. My baby girl is worth every leak.
Visit Jennifer's personal blog BabyMakinMachine.com.
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Ah yes!
I can totally relate. I had more "accidents" than I can remember (including one particularly spectacular and embarrassing one in the doctor's office waiting room). Believe it or not, I ended up buying some Depends to wear on those occasions I knew I wouldn't be reliably near a bathroom. Like some of the others have said here, it may actually get worse after you deliver. Kegels are the key, but make sure you learn to do them correctly! The midwife kind of told me vaguely how to do them, and they were useless. I ended up having pretty bad incontinence postpartum and went to a urogynecologist and a pelvic rehabilitation specialist. The rehab woman finally explained REALLY how to do the Kegels, and it made a world of difference!
I had a very embarrassing
I had a very embarrassing thing happen to me today, I literally "peed" myself. I couldn't control it. It just trickled down my legs. Thank God I was wearing dark coloured clothes. I'm almost 34 weeks pregnant and cant wait for this to be over I hate not having control of my bladder. I have to go to the toilet almost every half hour during the night. Daytimes are not so bad. Don't know if it is normal or not - to pee yourself.
Oh that sounds so like me.
Oh that sounds so like me. I used to be able to hold it forever and would refuse to use public restrooms. I eventually learned which stores had the nicest bathrooms and would plan errand days accordingly so every other stop had a nice, clean bathroom.
Just wait.
If you have a vaginal delivery, it will be even worse for the first few weeks afterwards. There were times after I delivered my now 2 year-old when I went running for the bathroom in my own house! The Kegal exercises do help with that though.
Start doing kegels now!
Start doing kegels now! It'll help with bladder control as your belly gets bigger and help you recover after L&D.
I can relate!
lol, i chuckled as i read this post. boy oh boy, i can relate! i remember a very unfortunate incident that occurred (during my first pregnancy) when i was on the train heading toward an ultrasound appointment, and i got the urge to urinate. i had to use it soooooo bad, i was practically in tears. it seemed like the train was taking forever, and i was basically trapped!
for anyone who has never been pregnant before, the urge to "go" is so unlike having to urinate when you are NOT pregnant. it really can't be explained in words. sadly, my story didnt end up as nicely as yours (lol). i ended up wetting myself on the train, and thank GOD i was wearing a long, heavy black dress so it didnt show. as soon as my stop arrived, i popped up so fast and darted out the train doors without looking back. I was so embarassed and ashamed. :-( I could have really used an adult depends then. how awful, lol.
It didn't go away for me
Hopefully, you will be different, but it was actually way worse after my son was born than it ever was when I was pregnant. I guess I'm weird, because it was never that bad when I was pregnant for some reason. However, my son and I both got H1N1 when he was two months old. Since you have to drink lots of fluids to get rid of the flu and the flu makes you cough and sneeze a lot ... That was a very frustrating time. Anyway, I have to chime in with "Start Kegeling now!" :) Sorry to be a downer. That's probably not what you wanted to read.
LOL..I'm there too!
I've been there too! And I'm having baby number #4 now! Just gotta start the kegal exercises like NOW! LOL
I can not lie to you, as one
I can not lie to you, as one mother to another, you may never regain bladder control or you may never leak after the birth of your baby. I just had my second child and have been doing kegals since I descovered conception of the first about every 15 min. and I still have unwanted flow, but its worth it! I promise! You see these things in a diffrent light once the little one is in your arms.
Ask your mom about any history of bladder problems
I am prego with my 4th in less than five years and my bladder competence has only gotten worse. Then I found out that it can be hereditary through your mother's side of the family. My great grand mother not only had problems with her bladder prolapsing but her birth canal as well. The size of your baby at birth will greatly effect this problem after birth as well. I had 9#4oz, 8#10oz and then 9#10oz babies. Just try to eat healthy and keep that baby' weight down!! I am only 5 weeks along and I am already having problems with this! Help!!!
me sorry!
Before I found out I was pregnant....I would knock over every man, woman, and child to get to the potty (which is SOOO not normal for me). For all the "they didn't tell me" situations...I recommend getting The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine. She's extremely sarcastic, so hopefully you get her humor (a lot of people think she actually HATED pregnancy...in my case, I laughed the whole entire book). Good luck to you and Spawnie as you progress.
~L aka @starlitpr on twitter
6-8 wks left....
Kegel Exercises
You are so right! It's a shame that OB's don't advise women to start kegeling the moment they become pregnant (if not sooner!) But don't despair, you still have a lot of time to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and to combat some of the overstretching that is going on.
I recently did a blog post on kegeling which you can read at www.mamasonbedrest.com/blog. I'll be at the CIMS conferenct on Friday so we can talk more about technique then if you'd like. Good luck and I hope that you and Spawnie continue to do great!
Darline (aka @mamasonbedrest)
I remember waddle-sprinting
I remember waddle-sprinting from the middle of the produce section to the restrooms at the front of the store, leaving my cart behind! :)
It doesn't get better
I hate Kegels. Hate them. And maybe the fact I almost never do them is the reason for my problem, but my bladder control hasn't gotten a lot better since having my daughter almost 9 months ago. I have a terrible cough/cold right now and every time I cough, a little pee comes out. Its awful! However, your bladder capacity DOES improve immediately after giving birth. I don't have to go every 20 minutes anymore:)
I don't like them either
It's not that I hate them, it's just that I forget to do them and it gets a little weird when people tell me over and over to do them... I think it's that rebellion in me. Sadly, I'm only hurting myself, (and my pants).
My thoughts exactly!
No matter what the pressure on your bladder during pregnancy, the incontinence (just gotta call it that) AFTER delivery was a total shock. You don't even realize you have to go until it's almost (or actually) too late!!!
Ahh, pregnancy
Yeah. I am 30 weeks pregnant now and as soon as I feel like I have to go, I'm running to the closest bathroom. If you really want to make sure it goes away after delivery, start doing your Kegel exercises now and strengthening your pelvic floor muscles!
Sorry that you're having
Sorry that you're having these issues but the Keigals should help - my mom always told me to do them so i have always done them off and on since I turned about 13 and I didn't have a problem when I was pregnant so I think they must work. I mean yeah I still had to go all the time! Hope it gets better and I do agree every leak is worth it!! lol
My bladder has lost sensation
I monitor my liquid intake so I know I'm drinking enough, but my body no longer tells me to go toilet. I have to watch the clock but sometimes 5 hours will pass before I remember to go toilet. I'm now 29 weeks pregnant and finding this very odd. Before I got pregnant I used to get teased because I was such a frequent urinator. Anybody else having this issue?
Feeling Full
I know everyone here is talking about bladder control. I went to the restroom frequently even before I got pregnant, so far it's not that big a deal (only 25 weeks though).
No one told me about the stuffed feeling either. It's awful. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode and I haven't even eaten that much. In the afternoon/evening I get really thirsty, and chugging all that water makes the feeling even worse.