Just In Case Wee (Jic-ing)

Do you just pop to the loo ‘just in case’ before you leave the house even if you don’t need to? Do you go when you make the kids go before heading out anywhere or every time you are up with your baby? But is it doing your bladder any good?

The bladder is a storage unit we learn to control, going to the toilet more regularly than you need too can actually be training your bladder to increase urine frequency and become overactive as it tries to empty when it is not actually full.

A healthy bladder can hold between 300-500ml of urine (a can of pop is 355ml). When the bladder is empty the muscles of the bladder are relaxed and the pelvic floor is contracting. As the bladder fills beyond half full, stretch receptors in the bladder cause the bladder to contract (detrusor muscles), and the pelvic floor and urethral sphincter relax allowing urine to exit the body. When you wee ‘just in case’ and the bladder is not full enough you confuse the stretch receptors which sends signs to the brain causing an increased urge to urinate more frequently.

Your bladder should be able to last at least 2 hours before needing to empty, and urine flow should last at least 15 seconds (or 7-8 mississippi’s)

Pregnancy can trigger these bad habits when baby creates pressure on the bladder triggering the stretch receptors early. These habits can pass over in to post-partum habits you need to unlearn.

Other bladder bad habits can be hovering on the toilet rather than sitting on the seat, this prevents the pelvic floor from fully relaxing, therefore the bladder is unable to empty….again confusing the stretch receptors.

For more help with your postnatal pelvic floor health why not book a Postnatal MOT appointment with our rehab therapist.