Why Ferne McCann Speaking About Wetting Herself After Childbirth Is So Important
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Featured Image Credit: Instagram/ Ferne McCann
For so many mums, scrolling through social media and looking at celeb parents must be tough.
There's the perfect abs just weeks after giving birth, the showbiz events they're attending and just how glamorous they look despite undoubtedly having had barely any sleep....
So alongside many of her fans, we were thrilled to spot Ferne McCann speaking rather more candidly about her experiences of motherhood this week - revealing the very real affects that giving birth had on both her body and her mental health.
Speaking in an honest interview, the The Only Way Is Essex star, 29, admitted she has been suffering from incontinence since the birth of her daughter in October 2017, leaving her confidence so low that at one point she was even scared to leave the house.
Ferne explained to OK! magazine that daughter Sunday's birth left her with a prolapsed bladder. "It was a bit of a joke at first as I was weeing every time I sneezed during my pregnancy and then it just got progressively worse," she said.
"There was a lot of leaking and I was wetting myself all the time. It has shattered my confidence and made me scared to leave the house. Being worried you'll wet yourself at any moment does that to you."
While stress incontinence after giving birth is so common that as many as one third of new mums experience it, talking about it is still so taboo that Ferne suffered in silence for months before seeking help.
The reality star became embarrassed to go to the gym in case she had an accident, and confessed that she even once "completely wet herself" while on the treadmill.
And is it any wonder she kept it quiet when the issue is still so taboo?
Now, the First Time Mum star has sought medical help - but she did so just in time, as while her stage one prolapsed bladder can be treated with an eight-week programme of Kegel exercises, she could have needed surgery if she left it any longer.
It wasn't just her bladder Ferne opened up about, as she also confessed that Sunday's birth had affected how she felt about sex.
"My whole perspective on sex has completely changed after having a baby. The longer you're not with someone the more nerve-wracking it becomes," she went on.
"Even the thought of getting naked in front of someone is a scary thought. I now need to be with someone who I can fully trust."
Well done Ferne for being so honest about the realities of motherhood.
Topics: TOWIE