Bladder leaks causing you grief? There’s a new UI device to help stop them in their tracks
Melbourne mum, Sara, shares how her frustration with a lack of options inspired her to create a revolutionary new option for women who experience bladder leaks.
By Sara Clappers
Sneezing. Exercising. Laughing. Just like so many other women, these are just some of the things that have made me have ‘little accidents’ in the past. Some days, all it would take was a little giggle for my bladder to give way, leaving me feeling damp, awkward and anxiety-ridden. For years, I suffered in silence.
After finally confessing to some close girlfriends, I realised that I wasn’t the only one experiencing urinary incontinence after having babies. In sharing my experience with them, I felt less alone, but no less uncomfortable. I knew that I’d need to keep investing in bulky pads and uncomfortable incontinence undies, designed for a different generation of women – which didn’t boost my confidence to say the least.
Through childbirth, natural aging, menopause, and all of the extraordinary changes our bodies go through, one in four women experience urinary incontinence (UI).
Sara Clappers is the founder of Coo-Wee.
We endlessly evolve as females, yet there has been no evolution for this issue that impacts so many women when it comes to support – other than pads and undies that still leave you feeling damp. I’m doing my best to embrace graceful aging but, as I’m sure you would understand, these ‘solutions’ only leave me feeling like a child in need of care, rather than a woman in control of her body.
I’m a Melbourne mum in my early 40s, and too often I’ve felt embarrassed and defeated, due to experiencing Urinary Incontinence after childbirth.
Having to ‘pad up’ every time I left the house to play with the kids at the park, go for a walk with my girlfriends, or even enjoy a couple of wines on a Saturday night, I started to question my options when it came to UI. Surely there had to be another alterative out there!
With no luck finding what I was looking for, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and embarked on a journey to find a new and sustainable approach to an age-old issue that was in line with the modern, conscious woman.
Coo-Wee is the first TGA-approved sustainable and reusable off-the-shelf personal UI device made by women, for women.
After many years of research and consultations with medical experts, (and not to mention, hilarious conversations with my girlfriends and a few interesting protypes), I launched Coo-Wee: the first TGA-approved sustainable and reusable off-the-shelf personal UI device made by women, for women (hallelujah to that!).
How does it work? Unlike incontinence pads and undies, Coo-Wee doesn’t catch or absorb liquids – it helps to stop leaks altogether by applying specific pressure internally, supporting your urethra and bladder, to reduce (or end), your pelvic leaks. I’ve created three different levels of pressure, so that you can choose the option that is most comfortable for you and best suits your lifestyle.
Coo-Wee was mostly born out of frustration. A frustration I’m sure you understand – UI was limiting my life. I could no longer live an active, effortless existence without the worry of an unexpected leak! (Okay, so mum-life wasn’t always a breeze, but it would be much easier if I wasn’t experiencing UI!). Thankfully, my frustration evolved into an inspiration, with the passion and advice of several medical experts – including Dr Danielle Stewart, who has over 30 years of experience with LGBTI and women’s health in rural communities.
“If UI is so common, why is there still such stigma and limited solutions available to us?”
One of my biggest priorities was that the device was incredibly comfortable and unnoticeable, particularly when working out, running errands, or chasing after the kids.
It’s made from medical-grade silicone and will give you the confidence of up to 12 leak-free hours. Then, simply remove it, give it a clean, and use it the next day.
I’m passionate about Coo-Wee, because I’ve experienced the need for it first-hand. I had to find the solution, not just for my own suffering, but all the beautiful, vivacious, energetic women around me also enduring UI.
If UI is so common, why is there still such stigma and limited solutions available to us? Your guess is as good as mine.
Let this experience open a new line of conversation. Let it bring us closer as women: to share, to help, to hold each other up (& together), with a little help from Coo-Wee. Let’s stop the stigma and validate all of our womanly experiences (even the less pleasant ones!).
Sara x
