This post is sponsored by Always Discreet
“These are the things that parenting books never tell you,” I said as I sat with friends, laughing over dinner before heading to the movies. As fellow moms of tweens and teens, our conversations tend to be about our kids even when we’re out together and away from our families. While we once relied on books for advice about pregnancy, babyhood, and the toddler years, as our kids have grown up, we’ve resorted to relying on each other for parenting advice, to stay in the know about the topics affecting our kids, and commiserating about life as we get older.
I’m still an avid reader, but instead of reading books about raising my kids, taking the time to connect with friends helps me realize that I’m not alone in my journey as a mom. Here are some things that my fellow mom friends and I have learned.
As women, our bodies changed as we hit puberty and with pregnancy and beyond. We may have our pre-pregnancy bodies back on the outside but on the inside, we’re forever changed. “We’re all moms,” a colleague was telling me about a recent half marathon she did with friends. “We leak.”
In the nine months I was pregnant, no one ever told me that pregnancy, along with the type of delivery and the number of children I would have would increase my risk of incontinence. Even though 1 in 3 women have sensitive bladders1, that’s more than 40 million American women of all ages, incontinence isn’t something that’s usually talked about.
As my friend was recounting her half marathon leakage conversation with her friends, it made me wonder why bladder leaks aren’t talked about more often. I’ve worked to empower moms of girls to talk to their daughters about feeling confident about their periods so why wouldn’t I talk about something that prevents us moms from feeling like the confident women that we should be?
Just like Always wants our girls to be using period products that are right for them, they want us to be using the right products for bladder leaks. The truth is, period protection like pads and liners aren’t designed to handle bladder leaks. Always Discreet liners absorb 2x more than menstrual liners for bladder leaks yet only 1 in 9 of us are using the right product1.
Always Discreet understands that body changes are a natural part of being a woman and just like your period shouldn’t hold our girls back, bladder leaks shouldn’t hold women back from the activities they love. That’s why the Always Discreet line includes a full line of pads and liners that are barely there but yet hug your curves to provide comfortable bladder leak protection.
I had no idea that there were such a wide range of products available and that there was such a huge difference between period pads and ones designed specifically for incontinence. For example, Always Discreet liners hold 2x more fluid than menstrual liners and feature leakguard and odor protection1 to keep you feeling fresh and confident all day long.
As moms, we’re all in this together. Bladder leaks can happen when you sneeze, jump on the trampoline, or are running 13.1 miles, and they’re nothing to be ashamed of. It’s all a normal part of being a mom and one of the many things that those parenting books never shared with us as we prepared to have our first child.
The Always Discreet line is available in all major supermarkets, pharmacies, and mass retail locations in the specialty aisle. For more information about incontinence liners, pads, underwear, and their Boutique line of products visit, .
Disclosure: I am an #AlwaysAmbassador and receive products and compensation for my participation in the program.
1Fem Care AI analysis – Nielson Homescan Panel ending March 2012 looking a Fem Care purchases in HH 50+ that have no teenagers at home.
