Frequent urination after childbirth

Some new mothers will experience frequent urination, urgency, or bedwetting for a period of time after delivery. This situation will usually improve and heal completely three to six months after delivery. If this symptom persists for more than a year, it is likely that there is a structural problem. Due to the trauma to the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and postpartum period, the ability of the bladder sphincter to tighten is impaired. When the bladder is compressed, frequent urination or enuresis may occur.

1. Causes of frequent urination after childbirth

1. Muscle and nerve damage

During pregnancy, the uterus continues to expand and puts pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles, causing urinary problems before delivery. During pregnancy and childbirth, the pelvic floor muscles and nerves in the pelvic cavity may be injured due to excessive stretching and then become loose, thereby increasing the risk of frequent urination after childbirth.

2. Impact of psychological pressure

It takes about 6 weeks for the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy state after delivery. Many women will have difficulty urinating 6 weeks after delivery due to the pain of the wound. For example, they are afraid that urinating will irritate the wound, increase the pain, and create psychological pressure. The psychological conflict between women's urgency to urinate and fear at the same time aggravates the urination problem.

3. Drink plenty of fluids

Pregnant women have different living habits after giving birth. For example, they drink a lot of soup every day due to breastfeeding, so they will of course go to the bathroom more frequently.

2. How to determine frequent urination

Generally speaking, it is abnormal to need to go to the toilet less than half an hour, or to feel the urge to urinate frequently but urinate very little. If the situation persists, it is recommended to seek medical attention. The operating mechanism of the bladder is that when the bladder is full of urine, it will transmit information to the brain to notify the body to discharge. Most people can "hold urine" for a short time, but if they have pathological urinary urgency, the urgency of urinating will increase. This condition is more common after childbirth and may be related to overactive bladder muscles. Most women will gradually get better within one year after giving birth, but the situation varies from person to person.

3. Prevention and solutions

1. Avoid drinking tea, coffee, carbonated, sweetened beverages, etc. to avoid further irritating the bladder.

2. When you have an urgent need to urinate, hold it in for a few minutes to train your bladder muscles and improve frequent urination.

3. Use sanitary pads to reduce embarrassment, but they need to be changed frequently to maintain hygiene.

4. Urinate regularly to avoid the risk of incontinence due to the urge to urinate.

5. Develop a regular habit of urinating before feeding to avoid inconvenience caused by urgency during feeding.

6. Perform pelvic floor muscle exercises before and after delivery.

7. Repeat the action of “holding urine”. Tighten your muscles for about 10 seconds each time, then relax. Do 10 times as a set, 1 set each in the morning, noon and evening. You can increase the number of training sessions after you get used to it.

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