Are Incontinence and Pelvic Pain After Childbirth Normal?

A month after giving birth to her second child, Nicole Gerardi-Lukens found herself back in the hospital suffering severe pelvic pressure.

She was diagnosed with bladder prolapse – meaning her bladder had slipped out of place due to muscle and ligament damage in the pelvic floor.

“We know what a blessing it is to get pregnant, to carry a child to full-term, then to deliver a healthy baby. So, you’re so grateful. Most people just don’t recognize what’s going on because it’s invisible.”

Gerardi-Lukens expected surgery and a long recovery  while caring for a young family. Instead, she was sent to Occupational Therapist Tessa Ladd for pelvic floor therapy to ease her pain.

“When we say it’s not normal, what we mean is it’s nothing you should have to live with. It’s something you can rehabilitate and make progress on.”

But a new national survey by Orlando Health finds 71% of Americans agree it is normal to have urine leakage after having kids.

And 51% believe pain during sex is normal after recovering from childbirth. But Ladd says most cases of pelvic floor dysfunction can be healed or improved with treatment.

“We have to breathe properly for pelvic health to be optimal, and aside from that, some things we have to work on [are] lengthening and relaxing the pelvic floor, and other times we have to work on strengthening and coordinating the muscles on the pelvic floor.”

After working with Ladd,  Gerardi-Lukens can now lift her child without the fear of pain or leakage.

She’s urging other women to take this condition seriously and see their doctor.

“We laugh about it. I did a jumping jack, and sure, I had leakage. Like, you can fix that, or you can work to fix that as much as possible.”

Source: Orlando Health