Most women expect a broad waistline during pregnancy, but when they find many other changes like frequent urination and leakage, they are left surprised. Read on how to deal with increased urination and incontinence in pregnancy.Bladder control problems are common in pregnancy. However, the best thing is that they are temporary. The problem arises because there is pressure generated on the bladder, urethra and pelvic floor muscles due to the growing weight of your unborn child. This pressure can lead to frequent need for urination as well as leakage of urine at the time of coughing, sneezing or even laughing.
Why am I urinating so much?
Most pregnant women need to go to the washroom more frequent than before. In fact,
frequent urination is a very common problem and almost all pregnant women have to bear with this. Some women even feel that their bladder has shrunk and they need to go to the bathroom perhaps every few minutes.
During pregnancy, your kidneys work more efficiently and there is a substantial increase in the volume of body fluids, ridding the body more quickly of waste products. At this stage the growing uterus is in the pelvis next to the bladder, leading to an increase in urinary frequency. This will continue until the 3rd month or until the uterus rises into the abdominal cavity. However, in the mid of your pregnancy term, you will find some relief from this problem because the uterus no longer presses your bladder.
Again, in the final weeks of pregnancy, you will find the same urge to urinate often. The reason is that your child has now dropped into your pelvis and is
preparing for labour and his head is pressing the bladder and cervix.
Is it true that some women do not urinate that much?
If a person regularly urinates often, there might not be much of an obvious difference. Another factor for reduced urine flow could be the lack of enough fluid intake. If you are not having at least 8 glasses of liquid a day, you could be susceptible to a urinary tract infection.
What is stress incontinence (leaking urine) and what can one do about it?
In the
last trimester, some women leak urine when they laugh, cough or sneeze because of the increasing pressure of the uterus on the bladder. Exercises, which help tone up the pelvic muscles for delivery, would help in this case too. In fact, it would also help prevent post-partum incontinence.
How to cope with frequent urination during pregnancy?
Here are some tips for coping with frequent urination during pregnancy.
- Keep your weight gain under control. Even though your weight is tended to increase, you need to keep the increase moderate because extra pounds will only increase this problem.
- Try to work up and do yoga asana that are advised during pregnancy. Make sure you attend some renowned class or talk to your doctor about this.
- Train your bladder by going to bathroom in every 30 minutes no matter whether you need the urge or not. Increase the time gradually every day and stay comfortable.
- Do not make the mistake of lowering your fluid intake just to minimise the frequency. This will even worsen the situation leaving you dehydrated. Just keep in mind that at least eight glasses of water is essential every day when you are pregnant.
- Eat well and add fibre to your diet more if you experience constipation during pregnancy. The bowel should be clear because this leads to many other problems also.
- Cross your legs when you feel like sneezing and coughing or at the time of laughing.
- Use of pads or panty liners can also help absorb urine leakage.
When to call your doctor?
Although frequent urination or incontinence is common in pregnancy and in almost all cases it is temporary, it can be annoying, messing and embarrassing. If you are leaking urine, you should take a quick smell test because if the leakage is odourless and clear, it might be amniotic fluid. If your urge to urinate is accompanied with pain or there is burning sensation, there can be an underlying problem. If you find that even if you feel like urinating and you are unable to pass urine, there must be some infection. Consult your doctor immediately.
Many women experience temporary urine incontinence or leakage during pregnancy. There are exercises that are recommended that help reduce the problem of incontinence in pregnant women. These exercises also help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles after delivery.
What are the causes of frequent urination during pregnancy? How to deal with frequent urination and urine leakage during pregnancy? Which exercises help to prevent urine leakage during pregnancy? Discuss here. 
