April 11, 2014 11:48 am

Regaining Control

Living with urinary incontinence has been a journey filled with challenges, but it’s a journey that has also taught me resilience and the importance of seeking help when needed. Here’s my story.

Urinary incontinence crept into my life uninvited, disrupting daily routines and causing embarrassment. I began experiencing occasional leaks when I laughed, coughed, or exercised. Initially, I brushed it off as a minor inconvenience, thinking it would resolve on its own. However, as time passed, it became increasingly clear that this was a problem that required attention.

The turning point came when I realized that I was altering my life to accommodate my condition. I began avoiding social gatherings, skipping workouts, and constantly worrying about leakage. It was affecting my confidence and my overall quality of life.

After some online research, I mustered the courage to consult a urology doctor. Talking about my condition was uncomfortable, but the compassionate and understanding approach of the urologist put me at ease. We discussed the different types of urinary incontinence, potential causes, and available treatment options.

My urologist recommended a combination of treatments, including pelvic floor exercises, dietary modifications, and medication. While there was no instant fix, I appreciated having a plan to work towards.

I also learned various coping strategies to manage urinary incontinence in my daily life. These included wearing absorbent pads, staying hydrated, and practicing mindfulness techniques to reduce stress, which can exacerbate symptoms.

Living with urinary incontinence isn’t always easy, but it’s manageable. Over time, I’ve seen improvements, and the leaks have become less frequent. I’ve also found solace in knowing that I’m not alone—millions of people face similar challenges.

If you’re living with urinary incontinence, my advice is simple: don’t suffer in silence. Seek help from a healthcare professional who can provide guidance, support, and treatment options tailored to your needs. It’s a journey, but one that can lead to a better quality of life and a renewed sense of confidence. Remember, you’re not alone on this path, and there is hope for improvement.

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April 3, 2014 12:04 pm

34 Weeks – Relief

THE BABY TURNED!!!

Well, more accurately, I went in for a baby positioning check on Monday and we tried to turn the baby again. This time instead of pushing her head to my right, Denise pushed it to my left, and I guess once we got the baby sideways/transverse, she slipped right into vertex position.

We confirmed it with a quick ultrasound and I was sent home with their extra doppler to check heart tones periodically. They got up to the 160s when we were pushing her around but they dropped back down to the 140s before I left the appointment, so that was a great sign. Basically, you don’t want to see “decels” – decelerations – in the heart rate and we didn’t see any at all. Baby seemed to tolerate the ECV really well.

That description makes it sound a lot less uncomfortable than it actually was – parts of it were definitely painful and it kind of felt like all my internal organs were being rearranged, but it truly was a small price to pay for a vertex baby. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Baby movement feels really different now – before there was just a big round head up top, and now it’s all knees and feet and buns and the baby kind of feels like a squid.

I’m a little nervous that she’ll get a wild hair and decide to turn again before she’s born, but I’m doing what I can to get her head engaged in my pelvis and I think now that she’s head-down she’ll probably stay that way. (I hope.)

This breech thing has felt like a huge anvil hanging over my head for weeks. Once I realized that turning the baby was successful, I was so relieved I can’t even tell you. I’m so much less stressed out, and I feel like I’m able to continue planning for and visualizing my ideal birth as opposed to being torn between futilely hoping for a VBAC but trying to plan for a c-section.

Also, I joined the VBAC Facts Community on Facebook, which is a private group full of supportive people, lots of knowledge, and great birth stories. It’s improved my FB experience exponentially – there’s always something great coming up about VBACs on my feed!

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March 25, 2014 2:24 pm

33 Weeks – Mini-ECV

Today at my prenatal appointment, my midwives tried to do a mini external cephalic version turn the baby into a more favorable position. It was weird and uncomfortable (and, yes, parts of it were painful at times) but we got the baby into a horizontal/transverse position before we decided to stop. Baby’s heart tones were good throughout, though she was obviously wondering what the heck we were doing to her. It just got to a point where she kind of needed to turn toward my spine which would have been hard to do and we didn’t want to over-stress her.

Not even five minutes after we were through, she was already head-up again. Stubborn!

Baby’s butt is still kind of off to the side a bit so A) apparently that is just how I grow babies, and B) it’s still totally possible for her to turn. (FINGERS CROSSED.)

I was given some arnica liquid to help with any post-ECV soreness. Denise says I’m doing all the right things, and she suggested I could try acupressure on my pinky toes too.

I continue to have no proteinuria and my BP was 108/68. I’m measuring exactly on target. I’ve gained 27lbs so far, which is more than I wanted to gain but it’s still less than half of what I gained with Wesley. Everything looks fantastic, save for the breech presentation.

I have a drop-in appointment to check baby’s position next Monday, and then my next prenatal is the following Tuesday.

TURN, BABY, TURN!

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