While I loved being pregnant and finally becoming a mother, my urine incontinence started taking a toll. Even though the disposable sanitary pads I wore almost on a permanent basis were providing some degree of protection, they only worked when I wore suitable clothing, and I needed to be close enough to a restroom to change the pad regularly. I couldn’t attend exercise classes or yoga to shed the baby weight and became incredibly self-conscious. Sanitary pads bulged in my underwear, and I simply could not be seen in gym gear. I took to exercising at home, which wasn’t very effective. I felt isolated, desperate and sad – all because of my stress incontinence.

Two months after giving birth I bumped into Marcelle. She was my best friend at university but we had lost contact when we graduated. She looked fabulous, confident and happy as usual in a figure-hugging dress, and I was surprised to find that she had also recently had a baby. During our catch-up, the conversation steered towards pregnancy and childbirth, and she confessed that she also suffered from stress incontinence! I couldn’t believe it! Finally someone related to my problem!