You’ve just consumed the equivalent to your toddler’s weight in coffee and you’re busting for a pee.
But the moment you make a beeline to the loo, you hear the god awful screams of the kids from the other room. Is someone injured? Or dying?
Most likely not. Most likely they are bored, hungry or fighting over the TV remote. But you backtrack your bathroom trek and tend to the tiny terrors anyway.
And, your bladder remains ready to burst.
Kids now. Pee later.
Women can hold their wee for a fairly decent amount of time – around three to six hours. But just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
Because, as it turns out, holding in your pee is no good for your body and could lead to some seriously awful health problems:
Infection
This is the most common side effect of holding your pee for too long. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are annoying, to say the least. They can cause pain, burning, stinging and an urgent need to pee all the time. You’ll most likely need antibiotics to clear it up which means you’ll have to drag your tribe to the GP with you for a script. No, thank you.
Stretched bladder
Constantly holding in your pee can also do some serious damage to your poor ol’ bladder. A full bladder can cause the muscles and membranes to stretch around it, which will make it harder to pee normally in the future. You may even need to get a catheter to help you go.
Incontinence
Have babies; lose control of your bladder. It’s pretty common for mums to leak a wee bit of wee after jumping, or sneezing, or laughing. We have our weak pelvic floor muscles to thank for that. But holding your pee in for long periods of time can make incontinence even worse. You’ve been warned!
Kidney stones
Peeing out teeny stones doesn’t sound like a fun way to spend your day. THat’s because it isn’t. Our advice: DON’T HOLD YOUR PEE IN – these little arseholes (kidney stones, that is) are more common if you hold your wee in too often.
Burst bladder
In very rare cases, your bladder can burst from holding your pee too much. Basically what happens if your bladder bursts is – it will leak urine into your abdomen, causing heaps of pain and emergency surgery. Sure, you won’t have to be your children’s Snack Bitch in hospital but it’s so not worth it!
We know. Going to the loo when you have kids takes some serious talent. You may or may not have a toddler attached to your leg (or breast) while you try and go.
But do yourself a favour and indulge in 30-seconds of pee-time (it’s like me-time, only it takes place in the washroom) and free the pee. And while you’re doing your business, have a read of what happens when kids are left alone. Just so you know what you’re up against after you flush and wash.
