Celebrity Ashley James opens up about her postpartum incontinence

As a number one best-selling author, broadcaster and political commentator, Ashley James is known for speaking out about a range of topics, from sexism and social justice to feminism and empowerment. Yet despite talking openly about a wide range of taboo topics, by her own admission, Ashley was highly reluctant to go public about her personal experience of a particular medical condition – postpartum incontinence.

That is, until she decided enough was enough and she posted a photo of herself on Instagram unashamedly showing off her incontinence pants. The result was an outpouring of support from thousands of women and the start of an important conversation about women’s health.

The Instagram post that kicked off the conversation

In September, celebrity presenter Ashley James updated her Instagram with a photo of herself standing on the balcony of a Parisian hotel proudly wearing incontinence pants.

In the caption, she revealed to her 850,000 followers that since the birth of her son, she had been living with various complications, including incontinence.

“I have these birth injuries because I gave birth to our children, and so many of us live with birth injuries, with nowhere near enough postpartum care, while somehow being made to teel like the consequences are embarrassing or a failure on our part.

“They’re not. Our bodies go through huge, sometimes permanent sacrifices to bring children into the world, and we deserve support, not shame.”

 

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A post shared by Ashley James (@ashleylouisejames)

An overwhelming response

Within days, Ashley’s post had received more than 65,600 likes and countless comments from people thanking her for being so open and honest about her experience – an experience shared by women all over the world, yet an experience that many are too embarrassed to discuss.

According to Ashley, “My DMs were FULL of women saying “me too”, with so many of you saying it feels like a dirty secret, and actually all of your messages reminded me there really is no shame… I’m not letting it stop me living my life.”

The lowdown on postpartum incontinence

Postpartum incontinence affects around one third of new mothers. It is the result of a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles following pregnancy and birth and can cause bladder leaks which can be unpredictable and upsetting.

Crucially, postpartum incontinence is not something mothers should “just put up with”.

One of the best ways to regain bladder control is by repeating pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegels:

• Sit or lie down and relax
• Slowly squeeze the muscles you use to stop the flow of urine
• Aim to hold them for 10 seconds, then release
• Repeat this 10 times
• Follow this with 10 fast squeezes
• Repeat this routine at least twice a day

Speak to the experts

If you don’t see any improvements after following the steps above, book an appointment at YourGP so we can assess what other options might be available to you. You can book an appointment using our simple online booking system. Or you can email reception@your.gp, or call us on 0131 225 5656 and we’ll be happy to help you regain control.