The research was carried out by Always Envive<\/strong>, and as a reaction to the results they have launched the Sense and Sensitivity campaign in partnership with the Wellbeing of Women<\/strong> charity.<\/p>\n Their aim is to encourage women to act on advice given to them at antenatal and postnatal consultations.<\/p>\n Wellbeing of Women Director, Liz Campbell<\/strong>, said: \u201cOur pelvic floor muscles go through a lot during pregnancy and childbirth, which is why women are encouraged to do pelvic floor exercises.\u00a0 Unfortunately, women are so busy caring for a new baby and juggling home and family life that many forget to exercise their pelvic floor.\u00a0 It is therefore not surprising that so many are affected by stress incontinence after giving birth. The message has to be whatever the degree of your condition you should talk to someone and get help to manage it. Adult incontinence is not something women have to live with after having a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n Fronting the campaigning is writer, broadcaster and mum to four, Ulrika Jonsson<\/strong>. She experienced LAI after the birth of each of her four children. Ulrika said: \u201cI would say the first step is to talk to someone, even if you have the slightest hint of a problem. It is much, much better to deal with this sooner rather than later. If you don\u2019t feel comfortable or confident enough to talk to a medical professional in the first instance, talk to other women, particularly those who have had children. You will be astounded to find out how common stress incontinence is and hugely relieved to know you are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulrika Jonsson<\/strong><\/p>\n Women\u2019s health spokesperson for the Royal College of General Practitioners, Dr Sarah Jarvis<\/strong> said: \u201cThe message has to be that while prevention is naturally better than cure, it\u2019s never too late to tighten up pelvic floor muscles.\u00a0 They need to be given a regular work out \u2013 this means doing the exercises for about five minutes at least three times a day.\u00a0 Fortunately, they can be done at the same time as something else \u2013 even while watching television!\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Sarah Jarvis<\/strong><\/p>\n Women should not be embarrassed about going to see their doctor about LAI. There are plenty of resources available to help them. There are leaflets, websites, NHS direct and over 360 NHS continence clinics across the UK.<\/p>\n For more information visit: www.alwaysenvive.co.uk<\/p>\n How to exercise the pelvic floor muscles<\/strong><\/p>\n To make sure you are using the right group of muscles, it helps to be lying down or sitting when you first try to do the exercises.\u00a0 Remember to breathe normally.<\/p>\n Imagine that you are trying to stop yourself passing urine and at the same time trying to stop yourself passing wind. The muscles should feel as though they \u2018lift and squeeze\u2019 at the same time.<\/p>\n You need to practise long and short squeezes.<\/p>\n Long Squeezes: Tighten your pelvic floor muscles and hold for several seconds and then relax for the same length of time. Repeat until the muscles feel tired.<\/p>\n Short Squeezes: Tighten your pelvic floor muscles for a second and then relax. Repeat until the muscles feel tired.<\/p>\n Most women eventually aim to do 10 long squeezes followed by 10 short squeezes but you need to start with what you feel suits you and gradually increase the number of repeats and the length of the hold over a few weeks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Women in the South West are suffering in silence when it comes to getting help with light adult incontinence (LAI).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bristol-news"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"ulrika\"](\"http:\/\/chopsybaby.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/ulrika.gif\" "\\"ulrika\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"jarvis\"](\"http:\/\/chopsybaby.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/jarvis.gif\" "\\"jarvis\\"")
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