Why Mums Don't Jump Helen Ledwick

Helen speaks to listener, Katie Nicolson, who struggled with stress incontinence after having a severe tear during childbirth two years ago. Katie talks about the shock reality of postpartum recovery, her journey to the 2022 London marathon and the medical professionals from Liverpool Women's Hospital who helped to get her there. She shares the highs and lows of becoming a mum during covid, and her determination to get back to running for the sake of her mental health.
'It was honestly amazing. You can't really bottle that feeling and I don't think I'd be able to top it if I ever did another one. I'm just really proud.'
Katie is @mummytolondonmarathon on Instagram
You can listen to the episode with ultra-runner Sophie Power here

You might have heard the term 'pelvic pain' but what does it really mean? And how does it relate to pelvic floor problems after childbirth?  In this episode Helen speaks to Virginia Rivers Bulkeley, a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist and an expert in postnatal pelvic floor dysfunction and persistent pelvic pain. 
Virginia explains what can cause persistent pelvic pain, what it feels like and what treatments are available. She talks about what it means to have a hypertonic, aka overactive, aka high tone (!) pelvic floor, where painful sex (dyspareunia) fits in and the impact of it all on women's lives. 
'We know it's around one-in-four women that can be affected by this kind of persistent pain to some degree, and we know it can be hugely impactful. Whether it stops you being able to fully go to work as you'd want to; fully involved in recreational activities that bring you physical and mental health benefits; family life or relationships - the whole person can be affected.'Virginia is @BulkeleyV on Twitter
For more information about persistent pelvic pain and pelvic floor muscle relaxation strategies, please see the links below
https://www.pelvicpain.org.au/
https://vulvalpainsociety.org/
https://www.jillybond.com/blog/pelvic-floor-release-in-sitting
Find a UK physiotherapist here:  https://thepogp.co.uk/patients/physiotherapists/

In this episode, Helen and the actress Sarah Jayne Dunn talk about postpartum recovery and how hard that can be, especially if things haven't gone exactly to plan. They discuss our lack of knowledge about what our bodies have been through, and the challenge of finding the right support to get us back to where we want to be.
Known for her role as Mandy in the British drama, Hollyoaks, Sarah is the host of the Hot and Bothered Podcast; and a star of Only Fans. She's also a fitness instructor who qualified in pre and postnatal fitness around the same time as she was expecting her son, around seven years ago. She speaks openly about her experience of birth and the difficult recovery that followed; how she found her own path back to strength and fitness; and a new found love of pole-dancing!
'We need to be informed, whatever that looks like....I'd be much more clued up if I had another child, but I wasn't before. It's all about the pregnancy and it's all about the birth and then it's like...and BANG.'Sarah Jayne Dunn is @sarahjaynedunn on Instagram and Twitter
The Female Fitness Academy, mentioned by Sarah is now called Sigma Woman and can be found here
Listen to Helen on BBC 5 live here (available until 14/4/23)
Please see the Resources page for support
You can find Helen @whymumsdontjump on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook and at www.whymumsdontjump.com

If you have pelvic floor dysfunction, there's a good chance you've at least wondered about your surgical options. What treatments or procedures are available, what do they involve, and to what extent do they work? 
Urogynaecology is a sub-speciality of gynaecology that focuses on helping women with problems relating to the pelvic floor and bladder. It's where you might end up if you get a referral to see a specialist. In the first half of this two-part episode, Helen speaks to Dr Charlotte Mahoney, a consultant urogynaecologist at St Mary's hospital in Manchester, about what happens during an assessment, where we're at with pelvic mesh, what treatments and surgeries are available for stress incontinence and the importance of 'prehab'.
In part two (available from 4/4/23) Dr Mahoney gives an overview of treatments for overactive bladder (which includes urge incontinence), she outlines surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse and explains how to get the most from your long awaited appointment.
For more NHS information about surgery and procedures for urinary incontinence, click here
You can find the Cumberlege report (IMMDS Review) here
For more information on Colorectal services, listen to the WMDJ episode, 'Pelvic Floor Surgery: Colorectal'
The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available now!

Picking up where we left off last time: surgical options for pelvic floor dysfunction. What treatments or procedures are available, what do they involve, and to what extent do they work?
Urogynaecology is a sub-speciality of gynaecology that focuses on helping women with problems relating to the pelvic floor and bladder. It's where you might end up if you get a referral to see a specialist. In the second half of this two-part episode, Helen speaks to Dr Charlotte Mahoney, a consultant urogynaecologist at St Mary's hospital in Manchester, about treatments for overactive bladder (which includes urge incontinence), surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse and how to get the most from your long awaited appointment.
For more NHS information about surgery and procedures for urinary incontinence, click here
For more information on PTNS listen to the WMDJ episode 'Sara's Story'
Colorectal services, listen to the WMDJ episode, 'Pelvic Floor Surgery: Colorectal'
The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available now!

In this episode, Helen speaks to listener, Prudent Haughton, who developed prolapse, pelvic pain and incontinence following a severe tear during the birth of her second child, fifteen months ago. Prudent talks about how she, like so many of us, was taken completely by surprise, but how she's tackling her issues head on. 
Prudent describes her experience of birth,  pelvic health physiotherapy, osteopathy and fitness. She speaks about the importance of having supportive family and friends, and the benefits of learning to stop, relax and breathe. 
You'll come into a room, I'll be laying down on my back and my feet will just be up in the air! But it's made such a big difference to learn to just stop, and take a moment.The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available NOW!