Has anyone ever had a problem with urinary incontinence BEFORE delivering their first child??

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Here is my dilemma. I am 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant and 1.5 centimeters dilated...Basically I could go any time now...For my entire life ever since I got out of diapers I have always wet my pants when I laugh and I mean not like I leak a little bit I mean like a full bladders worth of urine... When I use the restroom instead of relaxing to let the urine flow from my urethra(?) I tense up too much and cause myself not to completely empty my bladder so then I have to go to the bathroom again about 2 minutes later this has been a problem my whole life. When I was about 17 I went to a urologist who did kegel exercises with me and biofeedback she measured my urinary output and the stream of my urine and said that I was bearing down when I went to the bathroom instead of emptying completely. I never stuck with it. Fast forward to now I am 22 years old and about to have my first child. My doctor is letting me decide whether or not I want to have a C section because there is no diagnosis for what I actually have and he does not want to tell me its not going to get worse from a vaginal delivery....Honestly in a perfect world I would LOVE to go vaginal but I was a 10.5 baby and my estimate is that my baby is going to be around 9lbs...they say the ultrasounds are almost always off but at 36 weeks and 2 days he measured at 21.6 cm and was 6lbs 7oz I am currently 38 weeks and 3 days....My doctor says that 90% of women tear during their first natural delivery regardless of the size of the baby and that most of the time it makes the urinary incontinence worse. However he said with a c section there are also other major complications and it is possible that they could nick or cut into my bladder during surgery although rare. He also said that there is no guarantee that the C section would make my urinary incontinence better or even stay the same. He said in very RARE cases that sometimes even the vaginal delivery can make things better but most of the time it makes it worse and the things "stretch out" during a vaginal delivery.....I need some personal opinions and also if there's any medical professionals in here please throw your advice out on the table. P.S. I have talked to several urologists about this and none of them can give me a definitive answer but this is what they have told me: Most of them think it is urinary stress incontinence which is when you put pressure on the bladder (i.e. when you laugh, cough, sneeze, but right now its only when I laugh) they say that they believe it is a nerve related issue and not a structural issue but they truly cannot tell me either way because they cannot do any type of formal testing on me when Im this far along) One of my doctors stuck his hand up my vagina (sorry graphic) and examined my pelvis he said that he thought I had more then enough room to deliver the baby and that he most likely would not get stuck on the pelvic ridge. However this same doctor I straight up asked if worst case scenario I would have to wear diapers for the rest of my life and he said he honestly could not give me an answer because labor is considered a "wild card". He also said though that it may help to "loosen things up" whatever that means and that my problem may actually get better from carrying and pregnancy (he did not touch on the type of delivery in that aspect) My OB has only seen me a total of like 3 times my entire pregnancy because I came to him late due to medicaid and he is going by statistics and he says 9 times out of 10 vaginal deliveries make urinary incontinence worse....What do you ladies think? Sorry for the LOOOONG post! 

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3 Replies

  • Posted

    Hello Dana

             Sounds like you have quite a choice to make. I am no doctor, but I would rather take my chances having a normal vaginal birth then putting myself through a more risky C section that could cause as you say major complications as well as the possibility of possibly nicking your bladder.

             That does not sound like a risk I would like to take and you already have enough to deal with why add more stress to your plate. My own personal opinion is to have the baby the way nature intended if you can have it that way. Try to relax and not think about what if, what if. Think positive that everything will be better and you will see what happens when you think positive, not negative.

     Also say some prayers along the way and keep those prayers going. Today is Sunday and I am off to church shortly. I will say a prayer for you that whatever happens you make right decision to have your baby in the manner that is the best for you. However, in my heart and my thoughts I think your baby would have a great start and so would you if you have it again, the way it was intended to enter this world, not by C Section. I think C Section is an alternative for those women who cannot deliver their babies safely in the usual manner and it is a good alternative if there is no other choice.

                                              Blessings to you

                                              Lynn 

           

    • Posted

      I have a prolapse bladder that happened to me about 10 years ago and I have to get up at least three times a night to go to the bathroom. I had both my children the natural way and was cut a little bit in the vagina area for the baby's head to have more room to get out, but other then that no major issues. Its just my opinion that if I were having a baby, I would want the baby to have the best birth possible and a birth that was not going to cause any complications or nicking of my bladder. Me, I would be thinking only of what is the best for my child and I come second. Sorry, if this sounds insensitive, I don't mean it to. You are important to regarding whatever decision you make, but I am just thinking that usually things turn out better when you think of the other persons safety and security and not just think about what is best for us. Does that make sense to you? Hope so.

                                                        Blessings to you

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