Women are pretty amazing at talking and sharing life experiences when we need to debrief or feel understood.
Whether it's giggling about a first kiss, giving a tampon to a colleague who just got her period, comparing baby bumps in the doctor’s office, or crying over how hard new motherhood is: we share our lives with each other because it helps us to connect and feel seen.
Isn’t it funny though, that while we might be happy to share details about sore nipples, or the colour of baby’s poop with strangers at our new mother’s group, there are some details we skip over. You know, that we now pee a little when we laugh at a joke, or run for the bus.
Over 50% of women experience this unexpected peeing or light bladder leakage (LBL) as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.
Yep – that’s a lot of us. One in 2 women over 35 years actually pee a little bit when we run, laugh, bend, lift, sneeze or jump. Yet 0 in 2 of us talk about it.
We don’t need to put up with wet, uncomfortable undies, or stop doing the things we want to do (like jumping on the trampoline with our kids, not missing that bus, or simply having a good laugh).
For most women, it starts with a surprise pee that in most cases can be resolved with a quick change of undies and a pad. But in the case of pee versus period blood; not all pads are created equal.
The Poise Thin & Discreet range are specifically designed for 3-in-1 bladder protection, offering superior dryness, odour control and comfort; all of which a typical period pad cannot provide. Poise Thin & Discreet pads are not only comfortable, they’re also incredibly thin versus the standard range of Poise pads, and unbelievably dry versus ultrathin period pads allowing you to get on with your life without compromising on the fun stuff to avoid peeing.
Mamamia spoke candidly to 13 women about the time they peed a bit in public and how they managed to remain poised under pressure. Let's debrief.
1. Annie*, at the kids’ athletics carnival
"I’ve always been a fairly fit and active person.
"After my first pregnancy, I was faced with the reality that sprints, jumps or anything of the likes could not be done unless I had an empty bladder and some panty liner protection.
"It got better over time and I modified what I did and I eventually forgot about my bladder leakage.
"Until I was asked to run the Teacher-Student Relay at the schools’ athletics carnival.
"Sprinting used to be my thing and I am super competitive.
"We had a slow start, but when it was my turn to bring it home in front of 1,200 screaming girls I was leading, with a male colleague an arm’s length away.
"Then it happened. All the exertion and thumping of my feet brought back a feeling I had totally forgotten about. I had leakage.
"I had two choices: stop suddenly and pretend I pulled a hamstring with 20 meters to go, or hope for the best, finish the race and just keep running off the field straight to the toilet. I chose the latter, lost a few seconds and came second – if only they knew why.
"Turns out there were no obvious signs of what really happened thanks to some dark active wear. Next time, I’ll be prepared."
2. Carla*, footy with my son
"I don't go anywhere without wearing pads because I don't want to chance a sneeze, cough or bending or lifting in some way that will cause me to pee.
"If my son wants me to play footy or run around with him in the backyard, I sometimes say no.
"I don't want to because I'll pee myself. He says, "Mummy you can just stand there and kick the ball, you don't have to run?" Then I feel like a bad mum, so I put a heavy pad on and go outside."
3. Laura, on the dancefloor
"I’ve actually wet my pants three times, but unfortunately one of those times was on the dance floor at my brother’s wedding. Dancing too vigorously, I guess?
"I was obviously horrified and went straight to the bathroom to sort myself out. Luckily between my just-in-case menstrual pad, my undies and my Spanx, my dress was still dry, and I don’t think anyone noticed.
"As soon as I could I took myself back to my beloved women’s health physio for some help with exercises.
"Turns out since my pregnancies, my body no longer has the reflex where pelvic floor muscles automatically turn on when coughing, sneezing, dancing or running. I now have to switch them (the muscles) on deliberately."
4. Philippa, at work in front of inmates
"As a custodial correctional officer, I sneezed whilst conducting a lockdown of over 50 inmates.
"I felt the moisture immediately. Luckily, we wear really dark pants and it wasn't obvious but I became very self-conscious and worried that someone would notice.
"It's not something that you would ever live down working in a men's correctional facility. I had to discretely turn around and check myself."
5. Kathryn, while skipping
"Nineteen years postpartum and it’s been pretty good until my trainer got me to do some skipping. I have now banned skipping from all my workouts."
6. Anne, playing tennis
"I had the ‘sling’ operation (the urethral surgery) and never looked back.
"I used to pee when I played tennis. The operation is done under full anaesthetic and they use a mesh to close off part of the urethra.
"There is an overnight stay in hospital and you can go home once you pee a lot and they can see that everything is working. Thankfully, I could go back to playing tennis."
7. Natasha, while sneezing
"I am currently 24-weeks-pregnant and peed when I sneezed last weekend!
"My husband thought it was HILARIOUS and friends have all said, ‘oh yes been there!’
"I’ve made a point of telling everyone because we pretty much all go through it and it shouldn’t be so taboo. Time to step up my Kegel (pelvic floor) exercises."
8. Peta, bouncing with the kids
"This is definitely not something we should feel embarrassed about. I have three kids and I have light bladder leakage too.
"It first caused me real anxiety when I was with my kids at the local trampoline park. My son wanted me to jump with him and I leaked. I also leak if I don’t brace when I sneeze. The older I get, the worse it gets."
9. Marayke, while trampolining
"Trampolines are the worst.
"Particularly due to the need to explain to the curious children why there is now a large puddle on the trampoline dripping down below.
"I keep a change of clothing in the car or if using public transport, I have a change of undies along with some baby wipes or wash cloth and water bottle. That way I can do a quick clean up and get back to living."
10. Laura, while teaching a class
"I think my biggest incident of LBL was laughing at a student's joke just before break time – my bladder was full, and I nearly completely peed my pants.
"I seem to go through phases of difficulty, but often wear pads or thicker undies for extra protection."
11. Asten, playing netball
"I literally pee my pants every time I play netball. I make sure that I empty bladder before playing but still get leakage.
"I openly joke about it to my netball team as they are all much younger than me with no kids and I want them to know that it’s common and totally normal.
"For context, I have had two nine-pound babies in the last four years. I go to a women’s health physio but it’s expensive and it’s ridiculous that this is not covered by Medicare."
12. Helena, laughing with friends
"I remember the first time I peed myself was when I was pregnant and out for dinner with friends. Someone told a story that had us all laughing, and I felt a bit of pee leaking into my undies.
“I was very surprised and also grateful to be wearing black pants so that no one noticed. From that point on I began to wear Poise pads every time I went out – just in case!”
13. Arrah, during squats, sneezing, swings and running water
"I had big babies and have been left with LBL. Nobody ever told me about pelvic floor exercises until after I had kids, and then I just didn’t have the time to do them."
"Now I pee my pants every time I run, squat, jump on the trampoline with kids, go on the swings – even when they scare me. Oh, and moving heavy objects does it too.
"When I feel a sneeze coming on I have to brace myself and cross my legs... it’s ridiculous.
"I’ve even gone to the toilet, finished, walked out the toilet door, sneezed and peed my pants. Another time just turning the tap on and hearing the sound of running water made me pee my pants."
Take it from these 13 poised women: bladder leakage is totally normal and it shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love. So, whether you leak when jumping, dancing, running, sneezing or laughing – Poise Thin & Discreet will help put the pee back in its place.
Poise Thin & Discreet pads are available in three lengths and absorbencies: Regular, Super and Extra and can just be picked up in all leading retailers and pharmacies.
They are also incredibly thin (45% thinner than the regular range of Poise pads so you'll barely feel them) and dry (they're twice as more absorbent and at least three times drier than leading ultra-thin period pads), with a Thin-Flex core designed to hold its shape all day without scrunching, bunching, twisting or curling. Love that for us.
Don’t let bladder leakage hold you back. Order your free sample at poise.com.au
*While these women are known to Mamamia, names have been changed on request for privacy reasons.
Feature Image: Supplied.