I don’t know about you, but I just did Joe Wicks’ PE lesson with my kids (when I say ‘with my kids’, I obviously mean they did the first 7 seconds and then sat and watched me die doing the rest) and I’m going to be honest…I didn’t enjoy it much, although not for the reasons you might think. Sure, I’m not a big fan of the ‘burpees’ and the ‘high knees’ but it’s the star jumps that get me every time. Every time I have to jump and land with my feet apart, a little bit of wee comes out and, ladies, let me tell you, it’s not through the excitement of it all. Hard to believe, I know.

Ever since I gave birth to my second daughter, my bladder just hasn’t been the same. If I need to cough while I’m not sitting down, I’ll stop to cross my legs then cough. It’s a tried and tested method that has served me well over the years and heaven forbid if I’m surprised by a sneeze! It’s a real thing and something that most people who have been through pregnancy and birth will deal with to a greater or lesser extent at some point. That being said, there are things we can do to improve the situation; there’s a lot of things we sacrifice as mothers - disposable cash, the chance to go to the loo by ourselves, our sanity - but a strong bladder shouldn’t be one of them.

We all know about the pelvic floor exercises but do we do them? Not as often as we should and we really should but they actually work! Man, I wish I’d been more on them in pregnancy. I know there’s a lot going on - you’re getting bigger, feeling the kicks, managing all the hospital appointments, wondering where the latest varicose vein is going to pop up and searching desperately for the last drop of energy available to actually heave yourself off the sofa, but in amongst all that, those pelvic floor exercises are super important.

There is good news though - it’s never too late. Turns out your bladder is a resilient little piece of machinery and, no matter how bad your bladder weakness has got due to pregnancy and childbirth, there are things that you can do to improve it. Just imagine, ladies, what it would be like to be able to do Joe Wicks’ PE Lesson without the need to dash to the loo or change your leggings? Or you can just sit on the sofa too and get those pelvic floors going. You do you, boo: it’s time to let your light shine.

*This article is a paid partnership with iD who have created a bunch of resources to help anyone dealing with bladder weakness. They are committed to empowering people suffering with bladder weakness, helping them regain their dignity, identity and pride by offering end-to-end solutions to help them to manage the condition is the best possible way. Their aim is to motivate people to take the next step and live life in full view. For more information about bladder weakness and the things you can do to improve it check out their article on How to manage bladder weakness in pregnancy - during and after.