Why Mums Don't Jump

Helen is joined by Carina White - broadcaster, cultural commentator and co-host of the podcast Black Mums Upfront. Carina shares her experience of incontinence after childbirth and her long journey towards finding help. She talks with passion about how it's affected her socially, how she's found strength in sisterhood and why she wants to speak out. 

Carina White is @_carinawh on Instagram
Black Mums Upfront is @blackmumsupfront on Instagram

This episode is sponsored by Modibodi, the original period and leak-proof underwear brand. They have very kindly given us a discount code! Use WMDJ15 to get yourself 15% off (excluding sale items, bundles, maxi-24hrs and gift cards).

You can find Helen @whymumsdontjump on Instagram and Twitter or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

If you're anything like me and you know you're supposed to be doing your pelvic floor exercises but...(insert excuse here)...fear not! Here's a sixty second squeeze-along to help you get it done!

In this bonus episode you'll hear the dulcet tones of comedian and fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Elaine Miller. You can follow along as many times as you like!

Have a listen and it will all make sense, I think! I plan to have it bookmarked on my laptop and squeeze along at my desk.

If you're not sure HOW to do a pelvic floor exercise, watch this video.

Elaine is @gusset_grippers on Instagram.

You can find Helen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

Ring, Gellhorn, Donut, Cube, Shaatz, Gehrung. They might sound like Trolls' characters, but they are, in fact, types of vaginal pessaries. A pessary is a plastic or silicone device which can be inserted into the vagina to help support the pelvic organs after prolapse or to help with incontinence. They've been around since time began (almost) and come in so many different shapes and sizes it can put your head in a spin.

In this episode, Helen speaks to the pessary expert and 'Pelvic Angel', Gaynor Morgan for an overview of what's available, how to try one and the incredible story of how she came to invent her own. Gaynor, who also teaches Pfilates (pelvic floor pilates), says for some women, the right pessary can make a huge difference: 

Gaynor reveals how incontinence affected her mum's mental health, her impactful legacy and why pessaries won't work for everyone.

Gaynor is @pelvicangel on Instagram. You can find her website here.

For a written guide to vaginal pessaries, read this fantastic blog. 

Check out the new UK guidelines for patients and clinicians, which were mentioned in this episode.

You can find Helen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

Pop Club is back! Helen catches up with 'Skye' and 'Jess' -- friends with pelvic organ prolapse who keep each other smiling. There's a new baby, talk of surgery and reflections on birth trauma, mental health...and a ban on mirrors.

The previous Pop Club! episode led to unofficial Pop Clubs forming in the UK and around the world. If you'd like to know more, read this.

For more on having another baby after prolapse listen to this

The fitness trainer Jess mentions in this episode is Dana Landgren

And if you'd like to know more about getting back to fitness with pelvic floor dysfunction listen to this

You can find Helen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

Wands. Cones. Probes. Biofeedback. Stimulators. Shorts. Apps. Weights. Chairs. Video Games?! Pelvic floor tech can be confusing but fear not! In this episode, Helen speaks to the pelvic health physiotherapist and self-confessed gadget nerd, Amanda Savage, for an overview. 

Helen and Amanda run through the differences between stimulation devices, biofeedback, weights, tracker apps and more. They discuss what they're for, how they work, how to use them and why it's not a great idea to do the big shop at the same time.

Amanda is @supportedmums on Instagram. You can find more detail about pelvic floor gadgets on her website here.

You can find Helen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

Helen chats to Dr Jan Russell, a listener with a prolapse, a coach, a grandmother, an author and, in her own words, 'a feisty old crone'. Jan talks about pelvic organ prolapse after menopause and the shock of finding out the day before her 60th birthday cruise:

Helen and Jan talk about getting past the blame and the shame, learning how to manage it all with good humour and advocating for our own health:

Jan is @drjanrussell on Instagram

Jan mentioned working with the personal trainer, Lisa Gimenez-Codd, from OptiMum Health. You can find her here

You can find Helen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

Having another baby when you have pelvic organ prolapse is a big one. There are just so many unknowns. Will pregnancy make your prolapse worse? Would it be better to have a caesarian? Can you do anything to protect yourself? Helen speaks to the pelvic health physio Clare Bourne who opens up about her experience of prolapse:

Clare has gone on to have a second child and tells Helen about her experience of birth, healing and doing it all again. They talk about how to approach pregnancy the next time around, the importance of staying active and about re-writing the narrative around prolapse:

Clare is @clarebournephysio on Instagram

Holistic Core Restore is the pelvic-floor-safe fitness programme mentioned in this episode.

You can support Why Mums Don't Jump on Buy Me A Coffee

You can find Helen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

Helen is joined by Peace Bailey, a mother of two who lives in Spain and blogs about moving there from the UK. She shares posts on Instagram about motherhood, race and faith. But she's also chosen to speak out about nighttime urinary incontinence, or bed wetting, which she experienced after childbirth. 

Helen and Peace discuss the stigma around pelvic floor dysfunction, how hard it is to access good information, and how mums owe it to themselves to get help.

Peace is @baileysinspain on Instagram

You can find Helen @whymumsdontjump on Instagram and Twitter or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

Sex with pelvic floor problems. We're going there! Intimacy after childbirth can be difficult at the best of times. How do you even begin to navigate that if you then have incontinence or prolapse or pelvic pain? Helen and the pelvic health physiotherapist Jilly Bond discuss postnatal sex and the issues women with pelvic floor dysfunction can face, both physically and mentally: 

Jilly and Helen talk about the process of getting back to where you'd like to be and how you can access the help you need to get there.

Jilly Bond is a pelvic health physiotherapist based in Wales, with a specialist interest in pelvic pain. She's on maternity leave until Summer 2021. She is @jillybondphysio on Instagram and @jilly_bond on Twitter.

NHS information about sex therapy, including finding a psychosexual counsellor or therapist can be found here

The charity, Relate, can also provide relationship support

For a list of pelvic physios near to you, check out the Squeezy Directory here

For more about Jamie McCartney's Great Wall of Vagina go here

And to get involved with the UK Government's consultation on the gender health gap go here

You can find Helen @whymumsdontjump on Instagram and Twitter or at www.whymumsdontjump.com

(TW: birth injury, forceps, trauma, surgery)

Bowel incontinence after childbirth. It's a taboo within a taboo. But it's not uncommon. The charity, MASIC (Mothers with Anal Sphincter Injuries in Childbirth) says 1 in 10 women who have a vaginal delivery will have problems holding either poo or wind.

In this episode, Helen meets up with Chantelle, a mum from Manchester who is charting her journey with birth injury and bowel or faecal incontinence on Instagram as @tears_from_tearing. They discuss a difficult birth, treatment, supporting other mums and how we shouldn't be ashamed to talk about it:

Chantelle is @tears_from_tearing on Instagram

The charity MASIC can be found here

The Birth Trauma Association website is here

Find Helen @whymumsdontjump on Instagram and Twitter or at www.whymumsdontjump.com