Why Mums Don't Jump

Helen Ledwick
Why Mums Don't Jump

One woman’s mission to end the stigma around leaks and lumps after childbirth. Honest chat about incontinence, prolapse and pelvic pain. Not a trampoline in sight. Hosted by Helen Ledwick.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Holly's Story: Prolapse, Pessaries and Getting Your Life Back

    Helen speaks to Holly Puddephatt, a content creator from Leeds, host of the podcast Me, Myself & Mum Life and mum to toddler, Thea.  Holly discovered she had pelvic organ prolapse in October last year, two years after her daughter was born. Like so many of us, she'd never heard of it and was terrified about what it would mean, especially as someone with a huge passion for exercise. 'I love exercise. It's a massive part of my life...and I was reading all this stuff online saying you can't run, you can't do this or that. And for me, that would be like ripping my legs off. That's how it felt.'In this episode, Holly describes how she set about reclaiming her life: absorbing as much information as she could, seeking out the support of a pelvic health physiotherapist, practising hypopressives and sourcing a pessary, as well as sharing her journey on social media. Holly is @hollyandthea on InstagramFind out more about pessaries in this episode of the podcastFind out more about hypopressives in this episode of the podcastFind out more about returning to exercise with prolapse in this episode of the podcast Season 5 of Why Mums Don't Jump is sponsored by IMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally. IMEDicare supplies a range of easy-to-use, medically approved products including Lumana incontinence leggings and running shorts, the Efemia bladder support and Enna Pelvic Ball; a discount code is available via my online affiliate shop. Sign up for the Why Mums Don't Jump email newsletter for the latest news and offers!

    26 min
  2. EPISODE 2

    Getting the Most From Your GP Appointment, With Dr Aziza Sesay

    How do you get the most out of your GP appointment if you have symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction? Whether it's urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sexual dysfunction or chronic pelvic pain - how do you maximise your (all-too-brief) consultation to get the help you need? In this episode Helen speaks to Dr Aziza Sesay, a GP with a special interest in women’s health and an educator, who shares evidence-based health information on social media and through her website: ‘Talks with Dr. Sesay'. Dr Aziza explains how to help your doctor help you - with suggestions on what to prepare, what questions to ask and what to do if you feel you're not being listened to. She lifts the lid on vaginal examinations and reimagines a world where women's health is made a priority. Oh and there's a farting chair. Yep. Dr Aziza is @talkswithdrsesay on Instagram You can find the the NICE guidelines for the prevention, assessment and non-surgical management of pelvic floor dysfunction here You can read more about Perinatal Pelvic Health Services here Season 5 of Why Mums Don't Jump is sponsored by IMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally. IMEDicare supplies a range of easy-to-use, medically approved products including Lumana incontinence leggings and running shorts, the Efemia bladder support and Enna Pelvic Ball; a discount code is available via my online affiliate shop. Sign up for the Why Mums Don't Jump email newsletter for the latest news and offers!

    29 min
  3. EPISODE 3

    Erica’s Story: Bowel Incontinence, Birth Injury and Truth as Armour

    Bowel incontinence, also known as faecal incontinence, is estimated to affect up to one in ten women after childbirth. More if you include those who can’t hold wind, which may sound trivial but can obviously be pretty mortifying. Severe tears in childbirth are a common cause; third and fourth degree tears - which affect the muscle around the anus.  In this episode, Helen is joined by Erica Macdonald - a listener who lives in Devon with her husband and three-year-old daughter. Erica was diagnosed with an a**l injury - a severe tear - after her daughter was born and has been living with bowel incontinence ever since. She talks about the impact it's had on her life, her struggle to access support and her decision to take control of her own story: 'You know when you're pregnant and you wear a badge on the Tube? It's like me wearing a badge saying 'my bum doesn't work'. And I own that. For me it just works so much better.' You can find out more about Sacral Nerve Stimulation here You can find the MASIC foundation here Listen to the Why Mums Don't Jump episode: Sara's Story here NICE guidelines recommend that all women who have had a vaginal birth should be offered a post birth rectal examination. Find out more > Season 5 of Why Mums Don't Jump is sponsored by IMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally. IMEDicare supplies a range of easy-to-use, medically approved products including Lumana incontinence leggings and running shorts, the Efemia bladder support and Enna Pelvic Ball; a discount code is available via my online affiliate shop. Sign up for the Why Mums Don't Jump email newsletter for the latest news and offers!

    29 min
  4. EPISODE 4

    The Birth Debrief, with Illiyin Morrison

    When we talk about pelvic floor problems after childbirth, you can't escape the fact that many women don't get the birth they wanted or signed up for. A difficult experience can leave you feeling distressed, anxious or traumatised, but how often do you really get to reflect on what happened? And might it be something worth exploring? Illiyin Morrison is a birth trauma specialist midwife and a birth debrief facilitator. Illiyin supports women to overcome a difficult perinatal experience - whether that's pregnancy, birth or postpartum. She's the author of The Birth Debrief and a mum-of-two, who you might know from Instagram as @mixing.up.motherhood. In this episode, Helen and Illiyin discuss what we mean by a birth debrief, who it's for and why it may - or may not - be a useful tool. They talk about how we define trauma, how we begin to pick up the pieces, and how sometimes feeling heard is enough. You can find Illiyin's book, The Birth Debrief: Reflecting on pregnancy, reframing birth, redefining post-partum, here You can find Illiyin's website here For more support with birth trauma check out: The Birth Trauma Association - UK charity that supports women who suffer birth traumaMake Birth Better - Collective of parents and professionals working to end the suffering from birth traumaMASIC - Charity for mothers with anal sphincter injuries in childbirthYou can find further resources for pelvic floor dysfunction here In a previous episode, Helen discussed the mental health implications of pelvic floor dysfunction with perinatal psychiatrist, Dr Rebecca Moore. You can listen here. Season 5 of Why Mums Don't Jump is sponsored by IMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally. IMEDicare supplies a range of easy-to-use, medically approved products including Lumana incontinence leggings and running shorts, the Efemia bladder support and Enna Pelvic Ball; a discount code is available via my online affiliate shop. Sign up for the Why Mums Don't Jump email newsletter for the latest news and offers!

    30 min
  5. Vicky's Story: Leak-free running with the Efemia Bladder Support, in association with iMEDicare

    EPISODE 9

    Vicky's Story: Leak-free running with the Efemia Bladder Support, in association with iMEDicare

    Helen is back with a one-off episode in association with IMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally, sponsor of season 5 of Why Mums Don't Jump. You'll hear from Vicky Grubb who's an upholsterer from Hampshire and mum to two boys. Vicky discovered she had stress incontinence when she took up tennis and then running in her mid thirties. She explains how she found a new lease of life with the Efemia bladder support - a vaginal pessary designed for stress incontinence: 'It's been life changing...I don't think I've ever leaked when I've worn it running'And Helen catches up with iMEDicare's founder Darren Breen to find out what motivated him to start the business 20 years ago, and to take a look at some of the other products that are helping people to manage their pelvic health symptoms: 'Making people aware that these devices exist is the great passion for me, because it can transform their quality of life'Season 5 of Why Mums Don't Jump is sponsored by IMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally. IMEDicare supplies a range of easy-to-use, medically approved products including Lumana incontinence leggings and running shorts, the Efemia bladder support and Enna Pelvic Ball; a discount code is available via the Why Mums Don't Jump online affiliate shop. Find out more about pessaries in this episode of the podcast and this episode of the podcast. Listen to this episode to find out more about what to expect at an appointment with a pelvic health physiotherapist.

    27 min

Hosts & Guests

5
out of 5
77 Ratings

About

One woman’s mission to end the stigma around leaks and lumps after childbirth. Honest chat about incontinence, prolapse and pelvic pain. Not a trampoline in sight. Hosted by Helen Ledwick.

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada