Pregnancy Incontinence Stories & Tips

The following are four short pregnancy incontinence stories that I personally experienced in each trimester due to morning sickness, a cold, being hugely pregnant, and labor contractions. I’ve also included helpful tips to reduce and manage any leaking experienced. Let’s get started!

On This Page

6 Minute Read
↓First Trimester Morning Sickness
↓Second Trimester Severe Cold
↓Third Trimester Very Full Bladder
↓Strong Labor Contractions
↓No Shame!
↓Pregnancy Incontinence Tips
↓Billy Madison Clip

Pregnancy Incontinence Story #1 – First Trimester Morning Sickness

During my very first pregnancy in the first trimester I woke up early one morning and immediately went to the refrigerator to get some food. (This is what every pregnant person should do first thing in the morning to prevent morning sickness!) As soon as I opened the refrigerator door, a less than desirable food odor hit my nose.

Before becoming pregnant I would have thought nothing of this particular smell, however, with pregnancy it about pushed me over the edge. I started gagging, which led to dry heaving, which unfortunately, made me pee. But wait, there’s more! I unfortunately didn’t have pants on. My husband, who was also in the kitchen, watched in horror as I proceeded to pee on the kitchen floor. Ugh!

Pregnancy Incontinence Story #2 – Second Trimeter Severe Cold

Further on when I was 20 or so weeks pregnant, I caught a nasty, nasty cold. I was congested, coughing, sneezing… it was the worst. I found myself blowing my nose all the time and suffering through coughing fits. I don’t usually medicate myself when I am sick, but if I were not pregnant at the time I would have taken SOMETHING. Anything! Alas, I was knocked up and left to natural remedies like a humidifier, vitamins, teas, neti pot, etc.

Like I said, when this nasty, nasty cold infected me I started having these crazy coughing fits. The coughing went on and on, and eventually made me pee my pants! I guess my bladder waved its white flag and was D.O.N.E.. The coughing fit coupled with the pressure of a banana sized baby on my bladder made it feel like I had absolutely no control over myself.

Pregnancy Incontinence Story #3 – Very Full Bladder @ Full-Term

Later on down the road when I was super pregnant, probably around 37-38 weeks, my mother and I were leaving a restaurant after celebrating a friend of mine at her baby shower. For some reason, I decided not to go to the bathroom before we left. I distinctly remember thinking to myself that I had to go pee, but I decided to just leave and go to the bathroom when I got home. This would have worked just fine before I was pregnant…

And so I walked out of the restaurant door and started walking to the car, which was about a five minute walk. Less than a minute into our journey I had to completely stop because if I kept going I thought I would pee all over myself. Every time I tried to walk I almost peed! My bladder was too full to manage the weight of my full-term pregnancy. So my mom did what any mother would do whose daughter was struggling on the sidewalk… she walked to the car, and came and picked me up. She then drove me to the nearest bathroom. I was so grateful! Crisis averted.

Pregnancy Incontinence Story #4 – Strong Labor Contractions

At the tail end of this same pregnancy, I remember coping through some really intense pushing contractions while on my hands and knees. My water had been broken, and I was no longer traveling to the toilet to go pee. I was in the zone. I distinctly remember feeling a gush of fluids every time I pushed. You can even see a trickle running down my leg in the photo below! Anyways, after putting chux pads underneath me, my midwife mentioned that I was probably peeing AND leaking amniotic fluid at the same time. What a surprise!

Believe it or not, being in labor does not mean you’ll stop peeing in your pants (or on the floor). The combination of a well hydrated woman in labor (it’s important to be drinking at least 8 ounces per hour) with the strong downward pressure of uterine contractions, can absolutely make a woman leak urine. If her water has already been broken, amniotic fluid may also gush during contractions. Honestly, it’s pretty normal to unsure about what is leaking – amniotic fluid and/or urine!

No Shame!

The reason I share these stories is to help you feel less shame when it comes to pregnancy incontinence. Just because people don’t post about peeing their pants during pregnancy on IG, doesn’t mean it’s not happening! I mean, I think you have to have a bladder of steel in order to NOT pee on yourself at least once during the 9/10 month ordeal. Everybody pees on themselves every now and then. In fact, you ain’t cool unless you pee your pants! (See video below.)

Pregnancy Incontinence Tips

Here are a few tips to help with this frustrating side effect of pregnancy.

• Visit a pelvic floor physical therapist whether you’re experiencing pregnancy incontinence or not. This is probably the most worthwhile thing a woman can do to care for her body during and after the strains of pregnancy. I’ve been to pelvic floor PT and it was a very positive, educational experience.
• Kegels may or may not help pregnancy incontinence. If tight ligaments are what’s causing leakage, kegels may make things worse. See a PT.
• Learn the difference between stress induced incontinence and urgency incontinence. All the scenarios above were stress induced, not urgency induced.
• Urgency induced incontinence is when you get home and all of the sudden you need to pee RIGHT NOW because your brain knows you’re home and near a toilet.
• Kegels are helpful when dealing with urgency incontinence. After feeling that sudden urge to urinate, start doing kegels while you make your way to the bathroom. The kegels signal to the brain that it’s not an emergency and the urgency feeling will decrease.
• Don’t “hold it” and assume that you can go to the bathroom later on like you did pre-pregnancy. Listen to the body’s signals and go when you need to go.
• Wear pads if you’re vomiting (because of morning sickness) or coughing (because of a cold) and experiencing leaking.
• Wear an adult diaper during labor. They’re comfortable and make cleanup a breeze!
• PS – Years later after a lot of pelvic floor physical therapy I was cleared for a bladder sling surgery and am a HUGE fan. I love it!

You Ain’t Cool Unless You Pee Your Pants!

For some humor, here’s a clip from the movie Billy Madison, where Adam Sandler attempts to normalize peeing in your pants with a group of small children. Of course, he’s doing this to get on the good side of a teacher he’s interested in. 😉