Now I can resume my favorite activities without worrying about my incontinence pads.

Because of a progressing prolapse, I was warned not to lift weight over 10 pounds by my GP. However, I’ve always been an active grandmother and that was a difficult rule to keep…

About 4 months into my pregnancy, I experienced some leakage while running. I persisted for a few weeks by not drinking anything before a run but continued to leak. How bothersome! I couldn’t enjoy my run because I was thinking about how to tense up my pelvic floor while running, which of course is near-impossible.

I was diagnosed with primary vaginismus by my pelvic health physiotherapist at 28 years old. Since trying to insert my first tampon in my early teens, I avoided anything that might give me that same pain – including tampons, intercourse, and pap tests.

Boom! I had a baby. I felt like I was superhuman. I was so proud of myself and my body for carrying and delivering that sweet human. It was unbelievable. But time passed and the frustration crept in about how my body didn’t feel like it was returning back to normal.

The first and arguably most important thing I learned at pelvic floor physio was how my body works; what I have, where it is, what it does, and how it serves me- in good or bad times. How can we expect something to operate optimally when we don't understand it's function?