What to do if a pregnant woman has bladder leakage

Bladder leakage is quite common in the late stages of pregnancy. At this time, pregnant women often cannot control their urination, which will cause their underwear to become wet. There are many reasons for bladder leakage, the most important of which is compression on the fetus. If the urethra is congenitally short, it is also easy to cause this phenomenon. Pregnant women should pay more attention to nourishment in the late stages of pregnancy and make sure to urinate at any time. You can also use sanitary pads at ordinary times, and change your underwear frequently.

Reasons for urine leakage during pregnancy

01. Congenital short urethra

Women are born with a short urethra, only 3 to 5 centimeters long. Coupled with pregnancy and childbirth, it is easy for the muscles and ligaments supporting the pelvic organs, especially the urethra and bladder neck, to relax, thereby changing the normal position of the bladder and urethra.

02. Compression of the fetus

As the gestational age increases, the fetus grows larger, which limits the space in the pelvic cavity. The mother's intra-abdominal pressure increases, and the bladder is compressed, causing urinary incontinence.

03. Pelvic floor muscles become loose

The pelvic floor muscles play a great role in supporting you during pregnancy and childbirth. The bladder will sag due to pressure from the enlarged uterus. Afterwards, the pelvic floor muscles bent by the uterus will weaken their ability to support the bladder, causing urinary incontinence.

After delivery, it takes about 3 weeks for the pelvic floor muscles to return to their pre-delivery state. But after this series of pressures and changes, the supporting strength of the pelvic floor muscles begins to weaken, and some muscles and ligaments are likely to be strained, leaving them in a state of fatigue and exhaustion. If you do not pay attention to protection and exercise at this time, you may not be able to recover, which will lead to frequent urinary incontinence in new mothers.

What to do if a pregnant woman has bladder leakage

1. Urinate as much as possible at any time

Before going out or attending a meeting, go to the toilet at home and urinate completely. Do not wait until you have urine to relieve yourself. You can urinate every 2 to 3 hours (the specific time varies from person to person). Do not hold your urine. Holding urine for a long time can easily lead to cystitis.

2. Use sanitary pads

If pregnant mothers are really afraid of urinary incontinence, they can use breathable sanitary pads to avoid unnecessary embarrassment. Expectant mothers must pay attention to hygiene and change sanitary pads frequently.

3. Change your underwear frequently

For pregnant women who do not have severe urinary incontinence and do not use sanitary pads, they must change their underwear frequently, clean it daily and keep it dry.

4. Pelvic floor muscle exercises

Pelvic floor muscle exercises can help expectant mothers better control urination. To do this, get on all fours and crawl, straighten your back, and at the same time contract your buttocks muscles to push your pelvis toward your abdomen. Then, arch your back, hold for 5 to 10 seconds, and then relax.

In addition, if you go to the toilet but urinate very little, you should drink water to promote urination. Pregnant mothers should never limit their water intake due to frequent urination, as a decrease in water intake can lead to constipation, etc.