Sleepless nights, cracked nipples, utter confusion. These are symptoms of a freshly postpartum life that I can deal with. Bladder leakage? Now, that’s another story.
One in three women experiences leakage postpartum, usually when exercising, laughing too hard, or sneezing. This uncomfortable experience isn’t limited to just those who’ve given birth vaginally either—urine loss can be an issue for women who have had C-sections, too. What’s more, if new moms don’t take care to address the issue, it can get worse and lead to a host of medical troubles down there.
Read more: Why every new mom needs to strengthen her pelvic floor
So, when I first learned of Carin Wearables, a truly unique pelvic floor training system relatively new from the Netherlands, I jumped at the chance to try it out. Carin is unlike any other pelvic floor tool on the market: first? It’s totally non-invasive, meaning you don’t insert it into your body. It’s very small, comfortable, and completely discreet. Second, it’s designed by women for women, with a wealth of research and testing from real women. Carin is a female-empowering, sex and body-positive company I’m happy to support.
A complete system
When you purchase your set, you’ll receive a small, flat sensor with an accompanying charger and a pair of underwear. Let’s talk about the panties: Choose a basic or lacy style and you’ll find they are cute enough to blend in with the rest of your underwear drawer. Each set of panties has a discreet pocket where the sensor snaps in. The underwear features a protective, absorbent layer as well and you can even wear them on the light days of your period!
Your purchase also includes a download of the Carin app, which will measure leakage (via the sensor), track your progress, send you friendly tips throughout the day (e.g. “You’re drinking too many carbonated beverages today.”), and give you access to a full library of short instructional videos to train and strengthen your pelvic floor.
Simple and safe
What I love most about Carin is that it’s rooted in simplicity. As a mom, I appreciate that the whole program is easy to follow and takes only a small window of time each day. Snap the sensor into your underwear, flip on a video within the app, and voila, you’ve taken a small but powerful step toward strengthening your post-baby body. I also love that the sensor is wearable, as opposed to insertable. It’s CE certified and safe to use against your body as well.
A few pointers the Carin team doesn’t tell you:
Buy extras. My set included one pair of beautiful lacy panties. They washed well and the sensor was easy to snap in. However, I’m recommending that any new purchasers pick up an extra pair or two. You’ll be wearing them each day to complete the exercises, so it behooves you to have a few additional pairs on hand. Me? I do so much laundry as it is, what was another item to wash at the end of each day?
Size up. Well, actually they did tell me this one and I’m glad they did. The company is working on it’s sizing and for now, they recommend you order one size larger than what you usually wear.
Don’t expect fast results. Frankly, any product that promises overnight results–whether it be for pelvic strengthening or weight loss–is not to be trusted. Carin outlines a three-month exercise regime and will track your progress dutifully along the way.
The bottom line
I truly like this product and feel like it was crafted with women’s health and best interests in mind. It’s a bit pricey and shipping to the States isn’t always fast and cheap either, but if you’re the type of woman who cringes at the sight of traditional (read: insertable) pelvic floor trainers, then give Carin a shot. It’s simple, beautifully designed, and best of all, totally painless.