postpartum urinary retention please help me

[Inanna]

It's not common darling but not uncommon... That probably doesn't make sense.... I know I was unusual as it happens after any sort of operation or any of my births. Sadly I have lost 3 babies & it also happened after them. (I had 3 early miscarriages but it didn'thappen then - just when I actually birthed or had an anesthetic)...

So, it certainly happens just that many people don't have to experience it. Keep me posted about how you're going. Also, try and get into a post natal physio that's important - and I would be seeing a urologist.

[GabberQueeN]

It's not common darling but not uncommon... That probably doesn't make sense.... I know I was unusual as it happens after any sort of operation or any of my births. Sadly I have lost 3 babies & it also happened after them. (I had 3 early miscarriages but it didn'thappen then - just when I actually birthed or had an anesthetic)...

So, it certainly happens just that many people don't have to experience it. Keep me posted about how you're going. Also, try and get into a post natal physio that's important - and I would be seeing a urologist.

Yeah that makes sense wow you have this prob everytime?? how to you get thru it? i'm just scared it won't come back after a month

my doc is following up some specialist for me, she said the hospital should of done that she was not impressed.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your babies that must of been so hard for you to go thru that and then put up with not being able to pee again.
i'll chase up a post natal physio i saw one in hospital and all she said what do my pelvic floor exercises and that's all she could help with

[GabberQueeN]

update after 4 days of not going at all i just went 500mls myself but still had to cath 300mls i know i should not hold more than 500 mls at a time and i haven't but this time i held to much in. i did do the cath 3 hrs before that big pee i hope i haven't done damage.

[Emma1979]

i'm also having problems, different to yours but equally debilitating and depressing... i'm 4 weeks post partum with no sign of improvement... i have what they call 'stress incontinence', as in when you laugh, cough, lift something heavy etc, but i don't have to do ANY of those things to leak or wet my pants, i just have to stand up, or not have gone to the toilet for say an hour, and i am wet.... i am in tears several times a day and avoid leaving the house... i am told the same thing, it will get better in time.... i am so sceptical due to the severity of it, i just want to book in for surgery and get it fixed, i have a great baby and feel these first few months will be tainted as one of the worst times of my life due to this condition, when i should be enjoying my family.... with my first born i had a traumatic birth and very difficult baby, which also made the first 6 months or so a terrible time.... i finally feel like its my turn to have things semi under control, and i have a baby i feel i can 'manage', ie he isn't screaming the house down, and here i am too scared to move on the couch cos i keep pee-ing my pants.
sorry i've had such a whinge, just wanted to let you know there is someone else in a similar position as you....

i have just read that breast feeding can worsen incontinence due to the lack of oestregen levels, and when i give up breast feeding i will notice an improvement.... so now i have the added stress of choosing whether to breastfeed my baby, which it has been going relatively well, to giving it up and hoping my condition improves, and possibly getting a better quality of life for myself and my family as a result, and avoiding depression which i am inevitably headed towards...

sorry i've rambled, i am just so so so distraught, can't even go to the shops without having an accident, feel like i can't look after my family properly.... nobody is really helping me although i am seeing a physio on monday... everyone else just says 'give it time'... yeah meanwhile i am housebound and sobbing.

xx

[Inanna]

Emma big hugs my love - it sounds like things are really tough

Many women do have this & it is true it does get better in time. I know that is hard to hear but it is true. I had it to a lesser degree after my 3rd baby.

You do need to see a physio & I am shocked that you haven't been referred before now. It's very important. I have seen many women with what you describe & it can be treated & helped very effectively a great deal of the time by a good physio with postnatal specialty.

In the mean time it would be helpful to get some incontinence pads so you don't have to worry about accidents. It's very very important to do your pelvic floor exercises as often as you can... It's also helpful to "double void"... This is when you go to the loo to empty your bladder - do your thing. Get up and then sit down & do it again. Sometimes with the weight of pregnancy on your bladder &/or the strain of labour you can do some damage to the nerve endings. So your bladder doesn't feel full & it is. Or it feels empty but it's not.

It's a very good sign that you are voiding okay - now we need to train that bladder to recognise when it's wee time.

I hope you have some help from the physio - let us know how you go...

[GabberQueeN]

i'm also having problems, different to yours but equally debilitating and depressing... i'm 4 weeks post partum with no sign of improvement... i have what they call 'stress incontinence', as in when you laugh, cough, lift something heavy etc, but i don't have to do ANY of those things to leak or wet my pants, i just have to stand up, or not have gone to the toilet for say an hour, and i am wet.... i am in tears several times a day and avoid leaving the house... i am told the same thing, it will get better in time.... i am so sceptical due to the severity of it, i just want to book in for surgery and get it fixed, i have a great baby and feel these first few months will be tainted as one of the worst times of my life due to this condition, when i should be enjoying my family.... with my first born i had a traumatic birth and very difficult baby, which also made the first 6 months or so a terrible time.... i finally feel like its my turn to have things semi under control, and i have a baby i feel i can 'manage', ie he isn't screaming the house down, and here i am too scared to move on the couch cos i keep pee-ing my pants.
sorry i've had such a whinge, just wanted to let you know there is someone else in a similar position as you....

i have just read that breast feeding can worsen incontinence due to the lack of oestregen levels, and when i give up breast feeding i will notice an improvement.... so now i have the added stress of choosing whether to breastfeed my baby, which it has been going relatively well, to giving it up and hoping my condition improves, and possibly getting a better quality of life for myself and my family as a result, and avoiding depression which i am inevitably headed towards...

sorry i've rambled, i am just so so so distraught, can't even go to the shops without having an accident, feel like i can't look after my family properly.... nobody is really helping me although i am seeing a physio on monday... everyone else just says 'give it time'... yeah meanwhile i am housebound and sobbing.

xx

Oh hon, I so get you right now. I feel the same, i'm just so depressed and i bet my DH is sick to death of me whinging about it i also don't leave the house because i don't want to self cath somewhere but home.

please post in here as much as you want. the docs also say to me it will get better in time but i feel it's getting worse. Sorry my post is all over the place i'm crying my eyes out.

[Emma1979]

i am going to see the physio for the first time today, and after that my obsetrician, to hopefully get a referral to get some tests done to see exactly whats wrong.... i am not convinced its going to get better on its own, so i want to get all the groundwork done now so that if i end up having surgery to fix things, i am not waiting months and months to have the tests done and all that... i want to have it all happening now, so that when the time is right, as in, when enough time has passed that they tell me if it was going to get better it would have by now, then i can go straight ahead with surgery...

we have a family holiday booked with another family from my mothers group next month to queensland, and i can't really see at the moment how i can possibly go... i wouldn't even last the trip in the car to the airport without wetting myself.... i don't see how i can go on a plane and to theme parks etc... i would be needing the toilet literally every half hour.... can't believe i am considering cancelling, but what other choice do i have.... what a waste of money too.... its seriously ruining my life right now.

[GabberQueeN]

i am going to see the physio for the first time today, and after that my obsetrician, to hopefully get a referral to get some tests done to see exactly whats wrong.... i am not convinced its going to get better on its own, so i want to get all the groundwork done now so that if i end up having surgery to fix things, i am not waiting months and months to have the tests done and all that... i want to have it all happening now, so that when the time is right, as in, when enough time has passed that they tell me if it was going to get better it would have by now, then i can go straight ahead with surgery...

we have a family holiday booked with another family from my mothers group next month to queensland, and i can't really see at the moment how i can possibly go... i wouldn't even last the trip in the car to the airport without wetting myself.... i don't see how i can go on a plane and to theme parks etc... i would be needing the toilet literally every half hour.... can't believe i am considering cancelling, but what other choice do i have.... what a waste of money too.... its seriously ruining my life right now.

Hey hon, how did the physio go today???
I really hope you don't have to cancel your trip.... i honestly think daily why oh why did this have to happen. Big hugs to you.