I learned the hard way that urinary incontinence often happens in pregnancy. Sure, it’s listed as a side effect in every pregnancy book, but it’s one I joked about and kind of ignored… until it happened to me. Wetting myself when I sneezed, coughed, laughed or just thought too hard about needing to use the toilet was no fun, and once the jokes and frustration faded, all that was left was embarrassment—and more laundry.
It took an unfortunate allergy attack to convince me I needed to do something about my new problem. First, I turned to the only thing I knew: menstrual products. Always was my go-to line for my period, and since I had a box of pads already, I gave them a try. They worked, sort of, and in a pinch I’d use them again if that’s all I had on hand. Even though the menstrual pads gave me an extra level of protection, they weren’t ideal for urinary incontinence. For one, menstrual pads absorb blood at a much slower rate than needed for the sudden flow of urine during a sneeze attack. For another, the plastic edges of the pad irritated my skin, perhaps because it was in contact with urine (gross, I know).
I appreciated the peace of mind, but I wanted something more suitable for my situation, so I got over my embarrassment and tried the Always Discreet line of products for urinary incontinence. Bingo! Just what I needed. I found that the Always Discreet Very Light Liners were perfect for most days, and I only needed something heavier at night, so I used the Always Discreet Moderate Pads. The improvement over menstrual pads was immediately noticeable—I never had an issue with leakage and they also seemed to control odor better. Plus, no skin irritation!
Though it was still not fun feel that gush of wetness, I became much more comfortable with my urinary incontinence once I was able to manage it effectively. And it was nice to have one less thing to worry about during pregnancy.
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