3 Tips for Reducing Leakage during Sneezing
Pee when you sneeze?? It’s SUPER common in pregnancy when there’s a ton of pressure on the pelvic floor and postpartum when you are recovering from birth. Many moms find that sneeze peeing sticks around for a while, and it’s a common joke in mom groups. Of course, when the cold season hits it can be especially bad. And here in Alabama, where the pollen is INSANE, sneezing can be a sign that Spring is upon us, that we have about 2 weeks before it hits 98 degrees.
You’re doing your kegels, but you’re still peeing when you sneeze. What gives?
In this blog I’m sharing with you a few ways to reduce leakage during sneezing so cold season doesn’t have to come with MORE laundry.
Learn to relax AND tighten the pelvic floor
So I’m not knocking the kegel, just FYI. However, there are plenty of other ways to train the pelvic floor. The kegel just doesn’t get that full spectrum of movement that the pelvic floor requires, especially since the pelvic floor is made of several layers of muscles with muscle fibers that run different ways. It isn’t just about squeezing, but squeezing, lifting, AND relaxing.
So to make the kegel more effective, learn to relax the pelvic floor then focus on a more 360 engagement of the pelvic floor muscles. How? Well, when you breathe in- do you feel the pelvic floor relaxing? Hip bones getting further apart? Pressure into your vagina, rectum or chair? If not, you can try pressing gently down on your knees or thighs to help things along.
Then when you exhale, everything should lift up and IN gently. Imagine the motion of sipping a milkshake through a straw or drawing a tissue out of a tissue box. Focus on the four attachment points- both hip bones, tailbone, and pubic bone- drawing closer together then your vagina and rectum lifting gently upward.
This movement helps the pelvic floor contract with more efficiency during higher demand activities- like sneezing.
Pre-sneeze lift- or The Knack
Once you learn the above strategy- here’s something you can do to help manage leaks during sneezing- the pre-sneeze lift, commonly called The Knack
Obviously this doesn’t really help when you’re caught off guard by the sneeze or if you expect one sneeze and end up sneezing for 10 minutes straight (much like my first and second trimesters when I learned pregnancy rhinitis was a thing.)
But most of the time, doing an intentional lift of the pelvic floor before sneezing can be SUPER helpful to completely eliminate or reduce leaking. Now I’m not talking about squeezing the crap out of your pelvic floor and holding it super duper tight the whole time- I’m just talking about a gentle pre-cue of the pelvic floor. Some may need to squeeze a little harder than others, but it should never be 1,000% effort from you. Just enough to mitigate the pressure.
Shift positions
Another thing that can be really helpful for reducing or eliminating leaking during sneezing is to shift positions. Here’s what I mean by that:
Shift weight to one side if sitting or standing
Stick your butt out or tuck it under
Move your rib cage slightly forward, up, or down
Cross your legs or move your knees together
Put one foot in front of the other
Really, whatever helps. Play with your position during unexpected sneezes to see what helps reduce leaking and what doesn’t.
Bonus- See a PFPT, if you have access to one
And, I gotta say it. If you have access to a pelvic floor physical therapist, make an appointment with one to check out what’s really going on. They can give you a more individualized plan and help you solve any other problems that may be going on!
There you have it, friends! 3 tips to help reduce or eliminate the sneeze-pee’s. If you’re looking for a whole body approach to pelvic floor to compliment your pelvic floor work, reach out on Instagram here.