Do you experience any of the following bladder and/or bowel symptoms?!
Peeing more often than every 2-4 hours consistently
Waking up more than 1x/night to pee (if you're not pregnant)
Difficulty emptying your bladder or bowels
Chronic constipation or needing to strain for bowel movements
Feeling as if you have to push your pee out
Bladder irritation from caffeine, alcohol, citrus, or spicy foods
These are all a sign that you could benefit from an evaluation with a pelvic health therapist! Our bladder and bowels and our pelvic floor function go hand in hand!!
Let's chat about some toileting habits and tips that can help you have a healthier pelvic floor!
Use proper 'potty posture'
Grab a stool or Squatty Potty and elevate your feet so your knees are slightly higher than your hips. This will reduce the need to strain during bowel movements. You can also lean forward so your elbows are on your knees to help. We want to focus on breathing during bowel movements and not straining/holding your breath to minimize pressure down on the pelvic floor.
*This image is from Pelvic Guru.
Don't do 'kegels' while you are peeing
We don't want a urine stream that starts and stops! There is a time and a place to work on pelvic floor contractions, however when using the bathroom is not the time! We don't want to train our pelvic floor muscles to contract when peeing as they are supposed to be relaxed while the bladder is contracting to allow the urine out and to empty our bladder fully.
Try to avoid 'just in case' peeing as often as possible
If you are constantly peeing 'just in case,' this can train the reflexes between your bladder and brain to think you need to pee when your bladder is only a little bit full. Over time, this can lead to symptoms like increased frequency or urgency. If you know you won't have access to a bathroom for awhile like on a long car trip or some event, then yes go ahead and pee just in case. However, if you know you will be near a bathroom within the hour, try to just wait until you actually have to pee!
Breathe during bowel movements
To minimize pressure down on the pelvic floor, we want to breathe during bowel movements and not hold our breath and strain. You can practice breathing out into your rib cage and back and down in the pelvic floor. Then, try to keep the pelvic floor muscles relaxed while you contract your abs forcing your pressure down gently as you exhale. This breathing technique is less stressful to the pelvic floor muscles during bowel movements!
Peeing every 2-4 hours
Ideally, on average, we are using the bathroom about every 2-4 hours! This can ensure that our bladder is full enough to have to pee. Typically, our bladder can hold about 400-600 ml when full (or about 8-15 seconds of peeing). So, if you are finding yourself peeing every hour and it's only a few seconds, then likely you are peeing before your bladder is full and training your reflexes to think you need to pee. The amazing thing is our bladder is a muscle and we can work on retraining it with the guidance of a pelvic floor therapist!
A healthy pelvic floor & healthy bladder/bowel habits go hand in hand!! Taking control of your pelvic health is so important at ANY stage of life.
If you need individualized support and guidance to navigate your bladder or bowel symptoms, I would love to help you! Please click the link to contact me through my website to discuss your options or set up a free discovery call to get your questions answered and ensure we are the right fit to work together!
Here's to a happy & healthy pelvic floor!!
Dr. Kaitlin
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