Becoming a mum left me incontinent - we need to talk about birth injuries

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Becoming a mum left me incontinent - we need to talk about birth injuries1 hour ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleJenny ReesWales health correspondentGeeta NayarAt this stage of her pregnancy, Geeta had no idea that her her heritage meant she was at much greater risk of a severe birth injurySeventeen years after the birth of her daughter, Geeta Nayar is still living with bowel incontinence. She suffered a third-degree tear during a forceps delivery and her first episode of incontinence soon afterwards - but was discharged home without support. Geeta said she stopped leaving the house, lost her career and lived with "shame".

Rhi, 49, who has the same symptoms, has kept them a secret from her children, fearing her son might feel responsible for the injury she sustained during his birth. Bowel or anal incontinence - when you cannot control when you poo - affects 20% of women and is most commonly caused by a birth injury, according to the British Journal of General Practice. Both Geeta and Rhi have welcomed new research in Wales working with marginalised communities to raise the profile of the birth injuries, as well as to identify the barriers to seeking help.

The Details

Geeta NayarGeeta said her first pregnancy ended with a "traumatic forceps delivery" of her daughter, MayaGeeta knew having her first child would be life-changing, but the 47-year-old told a recent women's health event in Cardiff that the severity of her injuries meant she was "in complete shock - physically and psychologically", after giving birth. At that stage, she said she had no idea that her heritage and even her height put her at greater risk of an obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI). "I suffered my first episode of total bowel incontinence the very next day, but I was discharged without any follow-up or support," said Geeta, from London.

"From then 'til now I live with pain and incontinence and that's something that's really not talked about widely - with women generally, and certainly within certain communities. "Geeta said in the years following her injury she was "quite housebound to avoid the fear and the shame that comes with bowel incontinence". "I stopped going out, didn't see my friends and really the saddest part was at that point I lost my career that I'd worked for nearly a decade to achieve - and that's despite having a really supportive family around me.

"'I had 30 seconds hold time'Rhi, from Cardiff, who blogs anonymously about her experiences, said the difficult birth of her son 17 years ago left her incontinent, due to an anal sphincter injury, and with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). "I still see that moment most days," said Rhi. "I don't have the same emotional reaction to it any more, but I will never have a nice memory of his birth, and that's a horrible thing to say - and partly why I don't want to tell him the whole story.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.