Tired of rushing to wash room time and again during pregnancy?  It is a very common problem faced by pregnant women. There are changes in hormonal levels especially the secretion of HCG hormone causes excessive urination during pregnancy.

Normally a bladder can hold almost a pint of urine, the expansion of uterus during the first trimester of pregnancy exerts pressure on the bladder so the capacity of the narrowed bladder decreases and it wants to empty itself as soon as it can. This happens mainly due to first trimester. The pressure on bladder starts to decrease from the second trimester.

Read More: 21 First Trimester To-Dos

The level of blood, during whole pregnancy, increases fifty percent more than what it had been before conceiving and the excessive fluid in the body increases the urge to urinate. Mainly due to these reasons a pregnant woman spends twice more time in washroom than others.Frequent tours to the loo may turn out to be the cause of broken sleep at nights.

Honestly, there is no permanent solution for this but here are a few home remedies to deal with the problem.

Read More: Is Cloudy Urine A sign of Pregnancy?

Bend Forward while Urinating

Bending forward while urinating ensures you to empty your bladder properly as the last urine drop by double-voiding. The bladder is totally emptied so you require less number of trips to toilet.

Cut Down the Intake of Diuretics

Cut down the intake of beverages like tea, coffee, alcohol etc. as they are diuretic in nature and they increase the urge to urinate.  It is best to stop taking the diuretics altogether during pregnancy. If that seems impossible, do not take more than two cups of coffee or tea a day.

Do Kegel exercises regularly

Kegel exercises are the best way to gain control over your urethra. Kegel exercises are basically the exercise of pelvic muscles and it is usually done by contracting the muscles while urinating. The good thing about the exercises is you can do the exercises any time a day and almost anywhere.

How to do Kegel Exercises

Firstly, you would need to recognize your pelvic floor muscles. For this, while you are urinating, stop the flow of urine midstream. If you are able to stop urinating midway, you will be able toidentify know what muscle you have contracted.

Now, to performKegel exercise, empty your bladder totally.

• Lie down on your back.
• Then tighten the pelvic floor muscles. Just Pull in and squeeze these muscles.
• Take care not to tense the muscles in your buttocks, legs, or abdominal area and also don’t hold your breath. Instead, breathe freely and normally while doing the exercise.
• After you have contracted your muscles, hold this squeeze for 5 to10 seconds, and then relax for the next 5 to10 seconds.
• Do the same again, contract the muscles, hold, and relax. Keep on repeating this for 5 to10 times in a row.
• Do this exercise 3 to 4 times daily. This means you need to do 3 to 4 sets of 10 contractions daily.

Along with the other exercises, Kegel exercise will strengthen your pelvic muscles slowly and gradually.Start doing the exercises from the very beginning of your first trimester of your pregnancy.

Read More: 11 Must Do Exercises For a Fitter Pregnancy

Wear A Sanitary Napkin to be on the Safe Side

Wear a sanitary pad specially if you have a cough or sneeze. Coughing, sneezing or any activity like lifting any objects may sometimes cause leakage. It may turn out to be embarrassing for you. Most of the pregnant women use urinary incontinence pads.

Avoid Going to Washroom at Night

Going often to washroom at night may because you lack sleep. You can avoid this by following some simple steps. Take more fluids during daytime than night. It is very important to keep yourself hydrated so take adequate amount of water and fluids.

Empty your bladder before going tobed. Do not have tea or coffee after dinner and no alcohol.Don’t drink anything for at least two hours before you go to bed.

Cranberries to Prevent UTI

In case you are suffering from frequent urination due to urinary tract infection (UTI). This is a very common problem among pregnant woman. Both cranberries and cranberry juice are effective remedies for treating this.

Cranberries are filled with antioxidants. These are very helpful in fighting against the bacteria that cause UTI. When these bacteria enter into your urinary tract and stick to the bladder and ureters, you get a urinary tract infection. The antioxidants present in cranberry juice have the capacity to break this bond of bacteria with the walls of your urinary tract.

The bacteria are then driven out of your system. However, it is effective in the early stages of UTI. If you have crossed the early stage and are on medical treatment, cranberry juice may actually increase the instances of frequent urination. This is because it is an effective diuretic. Consult your doctor if you should take this juice or not. If you are already taking medicines for UTI consulting your doctor is advised to avoid the risk.

Read More: UTI During Pregnancy: Causes and Symptoms

Ayurvedic Remedy

Ayurveda suggests a simple yet effective home remedy to treat frequent urination during pregnancy. Eat a handful of white sesame seeds with about half a teaspoon of jaggery. You can also use natural brown sugar.

This mixture helps to soothe the vata and pacifies the vata dosha. It helps to prevent excess stimulation that contracts your bladder. By doing this, you can correct frequent urination when you are pregnant.

Other Home Remedies to Deal with Frequent Urination

There are other helpful home remedies that may help you to prevent from visiting washroom time and again. These include:

• Pomegranate juice. Take out the seeds and have 1 cup of pomegranate juice after lunch. Do this daily.
• Fenugreek seed powder. Roast the seeds, dry them and make a powder. Preserve them in a container and have half a tablespoon of this powder daily.
• Plain yogurt
• Indian Gooseberry, banana and honey paste. Take one fresh Indian gooseberry, one banana, some sugar or jaggery. Add one or two tablespoons of honey and make a paste. Have this paste daily.

Read More: Can Vitamin C Prevent Pregnancy?

Conclusion

Frequent urination during pregnancy can be usually treated. You can follow the above home remedies for relief. However, please consult your doctor before you start to ensure safety. If the symptoms don’t go away or become worse visit your doctor immediately. It is always best to get proper medical help to treat any condition during pregnancy.

Usually, you can expect to start having the normal frequency of urine soon after your delivery. However, it would take about a week or two for the already present fluids in your body to go away completely. You may even urinate in greater quantities initially after delivery. Once you get rid of the extra fluid, you should ideally start urinating as you used to do before pregnancy.

Women, particularly older women, who had stress urinary incontinence early in their pregnancy may continue to have problems with leaking urine. This can continue long after giving birth. If you still have stress urinary incontinence or any other bothersome symptoms, talk to your gynecologist immediately.

References

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