You may have heard one of your doctors mention the term pelvic floor dysfunction. And your response may have been a puzzled shrug of your shoulders or a bemused “what?” Below, we try to take the what and mystery out of pelvic floor dysfunction. We’ll also talk about the symptoms you may experience with it. Plus, even more importantly, we touch on some ways that you can successfully address these symptoms and get back to your happiest and healthiest self. What Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction? The first thing you need to know is that a series of small muscles line your pelvic floor. In addition to these muscles, it also…
-
-
Diastasis Recti: Less Scary Than It Sounds
The medical world has the tendency of assigning overly complicated words to conditions that are easily explained. For instance, diastasis recti. Doesn’t it just sound rare and terrifying? If you hear that word you’ll probably think there’s something terribly wrong going on. But my friend, that’s why we’re here. As always, I get you and I got you. I’ll explain what it is, what you can do about it, and how it’s connected to leaks. And it isn’t as scary as it sounds — I promise. What Is Diastasis Recti? In normal people language, diastasis recti is just a separation in your ab muscles. It’s very common and by common,…
-
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: Work It, Girl
Riddle me this. What cradles our organs like a hammock and provides support for bowel and bladder control? Cues jeopardy music. Okay, okay, if you guessed the pelvic floor muscles, then you’re right. In addition to providing stellar support, it also helps out with sexual arousal and even achieving the infamous o-face. So in short, your pelvic floor is a big deal. However, sometimes our pelvic floor doesn’t perform the way we want it to and this happens for a variety of reasons. Pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and more can loosen things up a bit. A loose pelvic floor can, in turn, lead to pain, bladder leaks (aka incontinence), and a…
-
An Unlikely Audience: Our Littles
Here at Lily Bird, we feature personal stories written by smarty pants women from our community. That’s because telling your bladder who’s boss is better as a team sport. These women get you. They’re in your corner. And they’re here to remind you that your body isn’t broken. Hey, bodies age, bladders leak, and movie sequels bomb. Right? This week Lindsay’s here to combat the stigma around leaks by talking to an unlikely audience…our kids. Take it away, Lindsay. _____________ “Mom, why do you cross your legs every time you sneeze?” my 5-year-old daughter asked innocently. Is it that obvious?, I wondered silently to myself. My daughter doesn’t miss a…
-
When Every Day Is A Mix Of Emotions
Here at Lily Bird, we feature personal stories written by smarty pants women from our community. That’s because telling your bladder who’s boss is better as a team sport. These women get you. They’re in your corner. And they’re here to remind you that your body isn’t broken. Hey, bodies age, bladders leak, and movie sequels bomb. Right? This week our good friend Liz gets real about pelvic prolapse, leaking, and coming to terms with her postpartum body. _____________ Hi; I’m Liz. The first thing that comes to mind if you were to ask me what I did today would be that I peed myself. Yes, that, over an awesome…
-
The Snapback Secret: How They Do It In France
Raise your hand if your doctor ever mentioned anything to you about re-educating your vagina. If you’re like me, then you kept your hand down and probably raised your eyebrows. I mean c’mon. Why would a doctor need to re-educate you on your own lady parts? However, it turns out that re-educating your vagina is actually a thing. And we Americans could learn a few things from the French. It’s Time To Talk About It Without a doubt, women go through A LOT! Pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and more causes our pelvic floor muscles to weaken over time. Pelvic prolapse can lead to everything from unexpected bladder leaks (i.e. incontinence) to…
-
When Your Baby Bump Comes With Unexpected Sprinkles
Pregnancy can be overwhelming. In between practicing breathing exercises, getting registered at Target, and marking name books comes lots of changes. And while we mamas love to share stories and tips about getting ready for baby, we aren’t very good at having real talk about changes to us. Specifically, physical changes to our bodies. Oh, yeah. We’re going there. So, your pea in the pod has brought on another kind of pee? Good news – you’re not the only one! Below, you’ll find an in-depth and honest guide to bladder leaks (i.e. incontinence) while you’re pregnant and after you’ve given birth. You’re In Good Company One of the most common…
-
Loving My Postpartum Body, Leaks and All
Here at Lily Bird, we feature personal stories written by smarty pants women from our community. That’s because telling your bladder who’s boss is better as a team sport. These women get you. They’re in your corner. And they’re here to remind you that your body isn’t broken. Hey, bodies age, bladders leak, and movie sequels bomb. Right? This week Holly’s here to share how she learned to love her postpartum body, leaks and all. _____________ When my oldest son was just shy of two years old, I started training to become a childbirth educator. At the in-person training, I met a lot of amazing, strong, smart women. Most of…
-
What’s Your Type? (Of Bladder Leaks)
There are so many different ways of talking about urination. We’ll say things like “my bladder is full,” “I have to relieve myself,” or even “I need to pee!” Everyone needs to empty their bladders – it’s a normal part of life. But when you find you’re having urine leaks, you may well not want to talk about it. Ladies who leak are often very embarrassed by it. But you’re not alone! Incontinence is very common. 45% of women ages 40-60 — and 1 in 3 women overall — experience bladder leaks. So, millions of women are in your same situation. How your bladder works To understand which of the…
-
Incontinence 101: Everything You Need To Know
As women, our bodies go through the ringer. Monthly periods. Pregnancy. Childbirth. Menopause. From all that activity, it’s no surprise that our pelvic floor takes a hit. Our muscles and nerves fatigue from all of the work they do and get stressed under pressure. This can cause bladder leakage, otherwise known as urinary incontinence. While leaks can be frustrating, there are lots of techniques that can help make them no big deal. Here’s everything you need to know about those spritz, sprinkles, and urges and how to manage them. And we really do mean everything! What Is The Definition Of Incontinence Exactly? The technical term for bladder leakage is urinary…
