Why Mums Don't Jump

Forget Glastonbury! There's a women's health festival happening in Cardiff on Saturday June 24th, 2023, and it's going to be epic! The EveryWoman Festival is about offering empowerment, support and education on health topics that may be difficult or considered taboo to talk about. In this bonus episode, Helen is joined by the colorectal surgeon and EveryWoman founder, Julie Cornish, as well as fellow-speakers: the GP and health educator Dr Aziza Sesay and author of PMSL, Luce Brett. They give us a flavour of what's to come - smashing pelvic health taboos, closing the gender health gap, periods, menopause, mental health and sexual wellbeing...alongside belly dancing, cookery, music and more! You can buy tickets from The EveryWoman Festival website You can follow @theeverywomanfestival on Instagram

If you've ever Googled your pelvic floor problems, you've probably come across Hypopressives. They're not easy to describe, but are essentially a series of breathing and posture exercises for your core and pelvic floor, with a focus on decreasing intra-abdominal pressure. While they're not currently a recommended NHS treatment, more evidence is emerging about the use of hypopressives in treating symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, including incontinence and prolapse. Alice Housman is a hypopressives trainer with a background in gynaecology nursing, and she’s working to publish her own research. She's also a mum with pelvic organ prolapse, who found that hypopressives helped her to become virtually asymptomatic. In this episode Helen and Alice discuss hypopressives - what they are, how they're thought to work and what the evidence is behind them. As ever, this content is not intended as medical advice, so please seek out your own professional support and, of course, do your own research. You can find Alice's website here Alice is @hypopressives_with_alice on Instagram The paper that Alice refers to is Effectiveness of Hypopressive Exercises in Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: A Randomised Controlled Trial (Navarro-Brazález, B.; Prieto-Gómez, V.; Prieto-Merino, D.; Sánchez-Sánchez, B.; McLean, L.; Torres-Lacomba, M. Effectiveness of Hypopressive Exercises in Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: A Randomised Controlled Trial. J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9, 1149. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9041149) Not an ad!

In 2022, for the first time, a pelvic health guide was published to help non-specialist clinicians advise women on pelvic floor muscle training. It's for GPs, midwives, nurses and health visitors - to try to plug a long-standing knowledge gap and help more women with pelvic floor dysfunction to access practical support. In this episode, Helen speaks to Dr Adanna Okeahialam, an Obstetrics & Gynaecology registrar with an interest in Urogynaecology, and co-author of the 'Pelvic Floor Muscle Training: A Practical Guide'. They discuss the sudden spotlight on pelvic health, why pelvic floor exercises are a first line treatment and their role in preventing pelvic floor dysfunction. NICE Guideline: Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and non-surgical management (Published 9 Dec 2021) RCOG Position Statement: Pelvic Floor Health RCOG Survey: Pelvic Floor Health Pelvic health resources from POGP If you're new to pelvic floor dysfunction and want to go back to basics, go back and listen to this episode. The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available NOW!

How do you safely return to exercise when you have pelvic floor problems? Maybe you're afraid to make a prolapse worse, or you leak when you run or jump. Maybe you've been advised to avoid running, jumping or lifting, and if so, how do you find a way to feel strong again? Helen speaks to the pre and postnatal exercise specialist Shakira Akabusi - founder of the maternal wellness platform, Strong Like Mum, public speaker, author and TV fitness expert. They discuss postpartum rehabilitation, the power in taking things slowly, and the role that fitness professionals can play in helping mums with pelvic floor dysfunction. "I have never been stronger than I have after having a baby. Because the really special thing that pregnancy and postpartum gives you is this opportunity to really look at the foundations in a way that I never did when I was a teenager or in my twenties." Shakira is @shakira.akabusi on Instagram Shakira's book: The Strong Like Mum Method is available here If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like this one, with pelvic health physio, Emma Brockwell 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!

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!

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!

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

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/

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

The gender health gap. It's a phrase we're hearing more and more and is relevant around the world. So what's it all about and what does it mean for those of us with pelvic floor dysfunction? Helen chats to the award-winning health journalist, Sarah Graham, founder of the Hysterical Women blog, which looks at inequalities in women's health, and author of a new book on the gender health gap, due out in 2023. They discuss the impact of living with a healthcare system designed 'by men, for men', and how women sharing their own stories is helping to force change. You can find Sarah on Instagram and Twitter More on the UK government's Women's Health Strategy here More on the Scottish government's Women's Health Plan here Further reading about the gender health gap here RCOG report on long waits for gynaecology services here This episode is sponsored by Modibodi, the go-to brand for any of life’s leaks. They have very kindly given us a discount code! Use WMDJ15 for 15% off your first order excluding sale items, bundles, gift cards and Maxi-24hrs.

Crazy times at WMDJ HQ so no full episode this week, sorry! Instead, here's something to make you smile from a listener, psychotherapist and poet, Jacky Power (aka The Therapeutic Poet). Normal service resumes next week! Jacky hosts The Therapeutic Poet podcast. Her first collection of poetry is available here.

Pelvic floor problems are surrounded by stigma and shame, but have you ever wondered why? Why do we find anything remotely related to our genitalia so embarrassing? And if we didn't, what difference would it make to how we feel? Helen meets Dr Catherine Blackledge, a scientist, journalist, sex and fertility education advocate and author. In 2003 she published a book to celebrate everything about the vagina, Raising the Skirt: the Unsung Power of the Vagina (originally published as The Story of V). In this episode, Helen and Catherine explore historical attitudes towards female genitalia and the importance of language, when even the words we use have a literal root in the Latin for ‘shame’. They look back to a time when the vulva was feared and revered and ask 'what changed?'. You can find Catherine's website here You can find out more about Helen O'Connell's pioneering work into the anatomical study of the clitoris here You can read more about Anasyrma here This episode is sponsored by Modibodi, the go-to brand for any of life’s leaks. They have very kindly given us a discount code! Use WMDJ15 for 15% off your first order excluding sale items, bundles, gift cards and Maxi-24hrs.

Diastasis recti is where the muscles that run down the middle of your stomach separate during pregnancy. It's really common and usually goes back to normal within eight weeks of delivery, but sometimes it doesn't. And it can lead to back problems and hernia - both things that Niki Odogwu has been dealing with since her daughters were born, as well as stress urinary incontinence. In this episode, Niki tells Helen how her back troubles got to the point where she couldn't get out of bed and how a postpartum fitness programme changed everything - helping her to manage her back pain and strengthen her pelvic floor. They discuss how a lack of information leaves women in the dark about our own bodies and why we need to do better at postpartum care: We don't focus on ourselves and our own care. It's like we don't matter. And as women we need to get out of that mindset and stop feeling that by looking after ourselves, we're being selfish mums, or we should be putting everything into the children, or this is the price you pay for having children. It shouldn't be like that. You can find more information about Diastasis Recti here and here The postpartum fitness programme MUTU System* is here *This is not an ad, Why Mums Don't Jump has no affiliation with MUTU System.

It's a big day in Helen's pessary saga! After a year-long wait to be fitted for a vaginal pessary, she's offered a private appointment with a specialist in London. In this episode, you'll hear what happens at a pessary fitting when Helen visits Tracey Matthews - a women's health physio, former British rower, strong woman, cross fitter and proud pessary wearer. She's passionate about the benefits of pessaries when it comes to helping women with pelvic organ prolapse or incontinence and walks Helen through an assessment. Helen leaves with a cube...but will her pelvic floor be up to the task? Tracey talks about the shock of discovering her own prolapse after the birth of her first child, her decision to specialise in pessaries and why it's so important to end the stigma around them: We've got to shout about it and make it so that it's not a taboo...and pessaries aren't a taboo. I fit more pessaries in postnatal and younger women than I do in anybody over 60.HUGE thanks to Tracey Matthews who is @prolapsestrength Instagram and part of the team at White Hart Clinic in London For an easy guide to vaginal pessaries, read this blog For more pessary chat listen to last seasons episode Vaginal Pessaries: A Deep Dive Check out the new UK guidelines for patients and clinicians, which were mentioned in this episode For more information about 3D printed pessaries of the future (!) go here To see a video of a pessary fitting with Tracey go here

Helen is joined by Elaine Miller (aka Gusset Grippers) - a fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and award winning comedian who's on a mission to tackle your pelvic floor...whilst making you laugh, which sounds counterintuitive but actually makes perfect sense! They discuss the long-standing evidence behind kegels for stress incontinence (and for prolapse), why pelvic floor problems are a feminist issue and how using humour really can change lives. Elaine is @gusset_grippers on Instagram Tickets for Elaine's show at the Edinburgh Fringe are available here You can find a 60 second pelvic floor squeeze-along here

Returning to running postpartum is one thing. Then add pelvic floor problems to the mix. Now imagine you're an ultra-runner who likes to do 100-plus mile races. This is Sophie Power. Since a photo of her breastfeeding her baby mid-race went viral, Sophie has been working to empower more women to get active. Then she made a film about her postpartum return to running only to discover - on camera - that she has pelvic organ prolapse. Helen talks to Sophie about pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence and her journey back to fitness after childbirth - despite being told she may never run again - and how important it is that mums are helped to reach their goals, whatever they are. There's so much research that shows that the mums activity level is linked through their children's. So if we want to have active children, we need to be active ourselves and we need help to be active. And what we need to do is make sure that women demand that care and demand that referralSophie Power is @ultra_sophie on Instagram You can watch 'Sophie Power - The Journey from Pregnancy to Performance' here Find out more about Squeezy App here For help with your pelvic floor exercises read this For great advice and info follow physio Emma Brockwell on Instagram Sophie campaigns for the charity, Women in Sport, which you can find here Sophie mentioned EVB shorts - find out more here Helen talks about NHS England's plans to improve pelvic health by 2024, in part by making specialists clinics available to all. You can read more here

Surgical treatments for pelvic floor problems are many and varied, but with the vaginal mesh scandal fresh in our minds, it's easy to feel lost and unsure. Which specialist should you be referred to? What sorts of conversations might you have? What should your options and expectations look like? In part one of this two part series, we focus on Colorectal services - where you might be referred if your symptoms affect the bowel - eg faecal incontinence, constipation or rectal prolapse. Helen speaks to the Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Julie Cornish, about the kinds of cases she sees and some of the lifestyle changes and treatments that might help. They discuss a lack of knowledge amongst medical professionals, a postcode lottery for care and why we should stop using the loo as a sanctuary. Julie Cornish is @jules_cornish on Twitter You can find more about the Bowelle app here You can find more about the Headspace app here The Masic Foundation can be found at www.masic.org.uk

Helen is joined by Sara Duckett, a listener and a mum-of-two. Sara has struggled with urinary and bowel incontinence, as well as prolapse, since the birth of her first child in 2016, but says a non-surgical treatment (PTNS) has been life changing . They discuss the mental health impact of pelvic floor problems, the stigma that surrounds them and the importance of never giving up . You are worthwhile. And if you're not fully fighting-fit and able to live your life then you can't be there for your children, you can't be there for your partner, you can't be there for your friends. You don't deserve to lose yourself to this. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to keep pushing for it and don't give up!You can find more information about Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (PTNS) here You can listen to the Pelvic Floor Gadgets (Vadgets) episode here This episode is sponsored by EVB Sport who make engineered clothing which supports women with prolapse or incontinence. They have very kindly given us a discount code! Use whymumsdon'tjump to get yourself 10% off.

Menopause is having a moment, with celebrities, books and TV programmes taking on the taboo that has surrounded it for so long. But what does menopause (and perimenopause) mean for those of us with pelvic floor problems? Helen chats to a self-described ‘pelvic health nerd’ - the physiotherapist Michelle Lyons - about what’s going on, why knowledge is power and how best to manage your symptoms: 'Move your body every day, in a way that brings you joy; don't get constipated; and don't put up with not feeling well!'Michelle Lyons Website Michelle Lyons Instagram This episode is sponsored by Modibodi, the original period and leak-proof underwear brand. They have very kindly given us a discount code! Use WMDJ15 to get yourself 15% off (excluding sale items, bundles, maxi-24hrs and gift cards). You can find Helen @whymumsdontjump on Instagram and Twitter or at www.whymumsdontjump.com