Urinary Incontinence After Giving Birth: Causes & Management

Motherhood comes with a lot of changes; among these, bladder incontinence after birth is the most common and overlooked sometimes.

Urine may leak when you laugh, sneeze, or lift your baby—is it happening? Don’t stress out! The good news is that these leakages are treatable, and you can take easy steps to avoid them.

Let’s explore this blog for urinary incontinence after childbirth, its causes and management techniques.

What is Bladder Incontinence After Childbirth?

Postpartum urinary incontinence is the inability to control urination after childbirth. It may be an occasional leak when one coughs or sneezes, and it can also be more frequent and uncontrollable.

There are two major types:

1. Stress Incontinence

Leakage resulting from the pressure on the bladder during activities like laughing, sneezing, or exercising.

2. Urge Incontinence

An overwhelming urge to urinate that leads to leakage before reaching the toilet.

According to research, close to half of all women suffer from urinary incontinence after giving birth. For some, it becomes a thing of the past; for others, it does not and needs further care and treatment.​

What Weakens Bladder Control After Giving Birth?

Pregnancy and childbirth are very stressful activities for a woman’s body, especially the pelvic region. This may cause temporary or permanent bladder control problems.

These are some of the main causes:

1. Pelvic Floor Weakness

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and bowel. During pregnancy, these muscles stretch to accommodate the growing baby. Vaginal delivery can weaken or even tear these muscles, making it harder to control urination.

2. Hormonal Changes

During pregnancy, hormones like relaxin are produced, which relax muscles and joints so that when the baby is about to come, delivery can happen without so much effort from the muscles. Though this has to happen for delivery, it weakens muscles around the bladder.

3. Mechanical Trauma of Child Delivery

• Episiotomy and Tears: Tears during delivery or during episiotomy damage muscles and tissues around the bladder.
• Labour: Long-term labour also puts more strain on the pelvic region.
• Instrumental Delivery: The use of instruments like forceps or vacuums increases the risk of injury to the pelvic floor.

4. Epidural or Spinal Blocks During Childbirth

Epidurals or spinal blocks used during labour can temporarily numb the bladder, making it harder to feel the urge, causing peeing while coughing. Additionally, if a catheter was used, it might weaken bladder control for a short time. These effects typically resolve within a few days as your body recovers. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

5. Contributory Factors

• Delivery of the large baby (more than 4 kg).
• Being multigravid.
• Past medical conditions like obesity are likely to exert pressure on the bladder.

How Long Does Postpartum Incontinence Last?

Bladder incontinence after giving birth may take a few weeks or months to subside. As your pelvic region heals, your pelvic floor muscles regain control, and these urine leakages will disappear. You can take voluntary steps to help your body heal and regain control.

How Do You Know If You Have Incontinence After Pregnancy?

Should you feel that you’re suffering from postpartum incontinence, you should look out for the following indicators:

• Unintended urine leakage on sneezing or coughing, or even laughter.
• Sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate.
• Difficulty in emptying your bladder.
• Frequent urination, even at night.

These symptoms may range from mild to severe. Some women may have occasional leaks, while others may find the condition significantly impacts their daily lives.

Urinary Incontinence after Childbirth Treatment: Regain Your Control

The good news is that postpartum urinary incontinence is often treatable. Whether you prefer simple at-home exercises or need medical support, many solutions can help.

1. At-Home Management Techniques

• Kegel Exercises

Kegel exercises are easy and simple ways to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. You repeatedly squeeze the muscles that help you stop urinating. Begin with 10 repetitions a few times daily, and gradually increase as your muscles strengthen.

Know more about Kegel Exercises.

• Bladder Training

Bladder training helps retrain your bladder to hold more urine. Begin by urinating at scheduled times, even if you don’t feel the urge. Gradually increase the time between trips to the bathroom as your control improves​.

2. Lifestyle Tweaks

• Stay Hydrated: Drinking enough water helps prevent bladder irritation caused by dehydration.
• Watch Your Diet: Reduce your intake of bladder irritants like caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods.
• Maintain a Healthy Weight: more weight stresses the bladder further, regaining one’s health post-pregnancy.
• Prevent Constipation: Fiber intake may keep things regular, avoiding stressing on the pelvis.

3. Medical Solution

• Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Pelvic floor physiotherapists focus on strengthening the bladder-supporting muscles. They can also guide people in posturing and breathing exercises to decrease the pressure around the pelvic floor.

• Medications

Some medicines help relax the bladder or enhance muscle strength.

• Pessaries

Pessaries are small medical appliances placed inside the vagina to hold up the bladder and diminish leakage.

4. Advanced Women’s Health Treatments

Empower RF is a cutting-edge treatment aimed at improving the wellness of women, including addressing postpartum urinary incontinence. Among its tools is VTone, which applies intravaginal electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) to strengthen and rehabilitate weakened pelvic floor muscles. The method is gentle and non-invasive and addresses stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence by re-educating the muscles for improved bladder control and pelvic health.

When to Seek Professional Help for Incontinence After Pregnancy?

Many women see an improvement in their symptoms within months, but it is crucial to seek the opinion of a doctor if:

• Leaks are frequent or getting worse over time
• You are experiencing pain or blood in your urine or having recurrent infections
• Urinary incontinence interferes with your ability to look after yourself or your baby.

Your doctor will treat your condition and offer appropriate treatments. Sometimes, a referral to a specialist physiotherapist or urologist will be required.

Step Towards Treating Urine Leakage After Delivery

Postpartum urinary incontinence is one of the common challenges of new mums, but it is also manageable with the right approach. There are many solutions that you can pursue, from strengthening your pelvic floor to seeking medical advice and consulting for Empower RF treatment to help you regain control and confidence. Don’t let embarrassment get the best of you—many women experience this, and healthcare professionals are here to help. So, take proactive steps toward enjoying precious moments with your baby.

FAQs

1. How do you treat incontinence after giving birth?

Maintaining a healthy weight, lifting objects properly, avoiding bladder irritating foods, and doing Kegel exercises may help treat incontinence after giving birth.

2. How to stop urine leakage in pregnancy?

Avoid caffeinated drinks, do pelvic floor exercises, follow fibre rich diet, hold your tummy while moving, lift objects properly, and keep your water intake adequate to manage urine leakage in pregnancy.

3. Can a C-section cause incontinence?

Women who have had C-sections are more likely to experience urinary incontinence compared to women who haven’t given birth. The risk is even higher for women who have had vaginal births.

4. What is the surgery for urinary incontinence after birth?

Vaginal mesh surgery uses a strip of mesh to support the urethra and help with stress incontinence. It’s also called tape surgery