Why Do Women Pee A lot While Pregnant?

Pregnant and Peeing ALL the Time? Frequent urination is more common than you think...

Congrats! You just found out you're pregnant! But why are you running to the toilet to pee all the time? Well, your body is not just working to keep you going but to keep your beautiful baby alive too. Even though your child has just started growing, your body will be working hard to ensure your baby’s growth and your well-being. Although this frequent urination may be annoying, it’s just a part of this beautiful journey with your baby.

The Science Behind Frequent Urination

By the fourth week after conception your body has not only tripled the amount of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin hormone) but quadrupled it! The body naturally produces more blood because of the possibility of losing blood during childbirth. Since your body is producing more blood, this means that your kidneys are filtering more blood. Our kidneys filter our blood and remove any wastes or excess water (with the help of ADH and a few other structures too). It’s stated that your kidney function increases by 25%when you're pregnant. This means they’re cleaning MORE blood, generating MORE waste, making you pee MORE. If you don't have time to keep reading, just listen and hear all about the yellow details. 

Is this one of the pregnancy symptoms?

YES. Frequent urination is one of the tell-tale signs of pregnancy and it can come on very early. Morning sickness and/or nausea can also start right around the same time. Luckily, there are NoMo Nausea Bands for any nausea and morning sickness that come with pregnancy. This all-natural peppermint essential oil infused and acupressure wrist band is doctor recommended to stop morning sickness fast. That’s right. DOCTOR RECOMMENDED. So, pick up a NoMo Nausea band next time you are at BuyBuy Baby, Bed Bath & Beyond, www.NoMoNausea.com, or you can find them at CVS. Although they may not help with frequent urination, you won’t have to be running to the bathroom for other reasons, if you get my gist.

 

 

But wait, this doesn’t last forever! In the second trimester, the baby finds its home higher into your abdomen so you don't have to pee as frequently. This is because he or she is no longer compressing your bladder as much and relieves some of the pressure on it. However, as you get into your late second and third trimester, the increasing size of the baby in the uterus causes more pressure upon the bladder allowing it less of an opportunity to be able to fill. This increased pressure and lack of space, cause you to have to pee all the time.

Tips for Incontinence and Overactive Bladders

Almost every pregnant patient inevitably asks “I heard I won’t be able to control my bladder.” Don’t believe everything your friends say. Even though you will be making more bathroom trips, it doesn't mean it'll be uncontrollable. But here are a few tips to help.

• Avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic and will make you pee even more than you already have to. Use the bathroom right before bed. You need your beauty rest! Plus, your body is working hard keeping both you and your baby alive, you deserve it!
• Do Kegel exercises regularly. A kegel exercise is when you tense the muscles surrounding your vagina and perineum.  Try to focus and squeeze the muscles you use to hold urine in for 10 seconds at a time. Aim to do 5 sets of these exercises per day. This exercise to strengthens your pelvic floor, prevents the muscles of your vagina from getting loose in older age or after a baby, and helps hold your pee to avoid urinary incontinence.

• Create a bladder diary. Note when you feel the most leaks, so you can plan your trips accordingly. This is called bladder retraining so you can not feel like you’ve lost control of when you always have to pee.
• Maintain a healthy weight with a high-fiber diet (check out Pregnancy Pukeology Podcast Episode 12). Excess weight in the abdomen can increase the pressure on the bladder causing you to feel that you have to pee. Foods that are high in fiber prevent constipation.  Constipation puts added stress on your pelvic floor increasing the risk of leakage throughout the day.

Although you may see the bathroom a lot more than normal in these next 9 months, it’s just your body keeping you and your baby healthy. But so, you’re not spending all of your time there, be sure to follow these tips! And if you’re feeling the morning sickness or nausea that can also start around the time of frequent urination, be sure to pick up a NoMo Nausea band. To hear more about this topic and pregnancy related information, tune into the Pregnancy Pukeology Podcast hosted by our own, Dr. Jacqueline Darna!