My journey to Hypopressives began after first experiencing horrendous incontinence( I could not drive or be driven anywhere without having to stop every 5-10 minutes to pee) then giving myself gallstones by not drinking anything for fear of peeing my pants at work, then finally the icing on the cake discovering I had a prolapse shortly after the birth of my second boy (I had whooping cough when I was 7 months pregnant) and I like so many other women had no idea what was happening to me. In the UK we have an out of hours service called NHS 24 I called them in a panic, frightened, worried that the whole of my insides might fall out! The advice was to keep my legs elevated as much as possible throughout the weekend (like that was going to be practical as I had two children under 2).
I spent hours on the inter web trying to find a more doable solution and I found a bio by Trista Zinn – she contacted Tamara Rial and they found Sally Scott in Edinburgh who had done the level 1 training. It was a remarkable feat of womanhood that helped to turn the darkness to into something positive and hopeful.
After having such success with Hypopressives myself within a relatively short space of time initially the incontinence and as I became more diligent the bulging (like the feeling of a tampax falling out) started to slowly improve with some days actually forgetting I had a prolapse. Buoyed by the changes in my own situation I realised that I had to start the process of breaking the feeling of shame that so many women feel. I took the plunge, invested in me and took initially the level 1 course in London with Tamara and Trista, alongside Nicky and Richard of HypopressivesUK, before they parted ways. I chose to stay with the powerful women who had helped me at the start so continued my training with Tamara and Trista with LPF Hypopressives in Barcelona and Vigo.
I have now been coaching Hypopressives since 2012 and offer group classes, 1-2-1 sessions and workshops.
I am also a Level 3 Personal Trainer, a KO8 certified trainer and a kettlebell coach and with luck (and some hard work!) I hope to be a certified Sarah Duvall post natal coach and a GMB- functional fitness trainer (this is a work in progress!) all these other aspects and training only lead to a greater understanding of how we as humans function and deepens my awareness of what an amazing tool Hypopressives are.
I would like to see Hypopressives offered to every woman once she has a baby in the UK. We would see far fewer incidents of POP, incontinence and other birth, alignment and breath issues. We want to also future proof our women to help them through the changes at perimenopause, menopause and beyond! That along with ensuring there is no more shame surrounding POP or incontinence and talking about it and helping women fix it will be just a matter of course (like fixing a broken arm). Without Hypopressives and the support from within the community I would still be broken, probably still doing sit ups to try and fix my diastasis, still unaware of the simple ways in which each and every one of us… whether we have had a baby or not or are a woman or a even a man struggling with incontinence or erectile dysfunction or pain due to poor alignment, can make a difference to ourselves- we can (with effort) make changes, get stronger and take back control!
I no longer pee my pants when I jump, cough, drive down a bumpy path, run after my kids, jump on a trampoline. I do practice most days even if just for 5 minutes- it’s a life choice (like brushing your teeth) – but I think it’s much more fun!