Squeezing When I Sneeze

Being a mum is the greatest experience I’ve ever had the privilege of enjoying. Despite this, the birth of my first child (now 7) was by far the most traumatic experience of my life – failed ventouse and forceps delivery. Six months of physio worked wonders but inevitably the damage was so severe that I still succumb to the odd ‘leak’ here and there.

Of course, I’ve learnt to control it where I can. ‘Mummy has a headache’ usually gets me out of trampoline duty; this also works well for the dreaded parents race at sports day. However, there are some things I just cannot escape.

Summer for many is the most favoured time of the year – however, for me it’s my most dreaded. When the flowers start to bloom and my nose and eyes begin to twitch I honestly want to stay inside and not leave the house until October. But with two children and being a working mum, of course this is not possible. The main cause of my dread is the overwhelming fear of sneezing and losing control of my bladder.

But I know I’m not alone, it’s estimated that 30% of women worldwide suffer with Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI),  brought on by the damaging of pelvic muscles during child birth. Even the celebs aren’t safe. The Only Way Is Essex star, Ferne McCann, recently admitted that she had “wet herself” live on camera when she sneezed during an interview, later stating that her “pelvic floor muscles weren’t up to scratch”. Sound familiar?

I really felt an affinity with Ferne for being so open about something that too many of us hide and feel ashamed about, when let’s face it – it’s not our fault. A friend of mine, Vicki Williams, also recently took the brave decision to speak openly about her struggles with SUI and I thought it was important to share, so that other Mummies realise that they are not alone, and this video above shows exactly that.

It’s a relief to know that there are options available to resolve Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and that we don’t have to suffer in silence, and I look forward to the day when I can join my kids on the trampoline and thrash the competition at the parents race on sports day without worrying that I’ll lose control of my bladder and feel that rising red flush of embarrassment again.

Check out the video now to see Vicki’s story, and you can go to the Bulkamid website for more information. Let us know in the comments if you suffer from SUI and importantly, share this blog by using the buttons above, and below, so that other women don’t suffer in silence.