http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.activeandpop.org.nz en-us Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:42:38 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/82712/changing-the-culture-of-shame/ The first time I peed myself began as a beautiful day. My first baby was five days old. I was still in the afterglow of a wonderful home birth. After three days at home, I decided to venture out on a walk. My husband put baby in a wrap against his chest and we set off down the road. I shimmied along in my pregnancy jeans, feeling sore but elated to be out again. I’m a keen runner and cyclist and I was missing the outdoors. But after a few minutes, the sky turned black. Big drops of rain began... Tue, 10 May 2022 12:57:35 +1200 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post82712 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/82711/im-not-broken/ Almost a year and a half ago, things turned to custard in my life. My son needed major orthopaedic surgery and my beloved dad died of a heart attack. I was devastated. It felt like my world imploded. I was incredibly worried about my son and at the same time grieving hugely for my dad. Added to this – covid complications. A few weeks later I was at a yoga class, doing a deep squat. I felt a sudden, painful drop inside me – a completely unfamiliar type of pain. Over the next few day... Tue, 10 May 2022 12:50:24 +1200 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post82711 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/82707/why-me/ My third child was about nine months old when my POP appeared. I was 36. My first child was born via emergency C-section. My second labour was long, with episiotomy and tear, “not well stitched”. I forget who said it, but remember those words. My third was a lovely labour. Baby was nine months, I was returning to running, chronically constipated (due to previous labour, maybe rectocele is my guess) and had recurring sinus infections (due to a chronic shoulder issue), so was constantly blowin... Tue, 10 May 2022 12:32:26 +1200 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post82707 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/74292/my-pop-inspired-me-to-change-my-life/ As a 30 year old I felt fit – swimming and hiking with my two dogs every day. Things changed rapidly when I became pregnant with my baby. I had awful morning sickness that lasted five months. My then-husband didn’t want our planned baby. I fell into a deep depression. By my third trimester I knew something had changed. I had dragging pains down the inside of my thighs and excruciating pain through the front of my pelvis. I could barely walk. The doctors told me it was normal and I had nothin... Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post74292 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/74290/pop-passion-purpose/ I have always been active. I swam competitively during school and played hockey during my uni days and early twenties. I became a runner in my late twenties after signing up for a run clinic. I ran my first half marathon, in the snow with a cold, and I loved it! I was hooked. I even ran a full marathon a few years later, with the first half faster than my first ever half marathon. Fast forward a couple of years to two kids later. I used running (especially pram running) to regain my fitness afte... Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post74290 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/74288/2020--a-year-i-will-never-forget/ In June 2020 I gave birth to my second son. It was an uncomplicated birth – long labour but with a very short pushing phase. Everything seemed fine, no tearing or bleeding like at the birth of my first son. No one told me that anything was wrong. A week later, while travelling to visit my father before he passed, I noticed something down below wasn’t right – a bulge in my vagina opening. I phoned my midwife, but only got hold of her backup midwife who told me it was normal and would go awa... Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post74288 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/74291/lets-remove-the-taboo/ I had my first baby during level 3 lockdown in May 2020. He was a beautiful healthy boy, but my body ended up in not such a healthy state. My labour didn’t go smoothly from the start and unfortunately, after pushing for over two hours, I had nothing left in the tank. An episiotomy was performed and I needed some assistance with ventouse extraction. This did not save my perineum like it was meant to. I suffered grade 3b tearing and spent over two hours in theatre being repaired while my hu... Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post74291 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/74287/from-multi-sporter-to-being-told-i-might-never-run-again/ My first child came in an 8 pounds 7 ounces rush. It took 3.5 hours from the first niggle of labour to holding a beautiful boy in my arms. On the way he got stuck. Fortunately I had a very skilled and experienced midwife, who, along with my husband, manipulated my hips to help move my son down to where he was supposed to be. Then came the episiotomy (and the stitches). It seemed like a good birth to me. It was fast and my son was healthy. Fo... Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post74287 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/61717/pop-goes-my-pelvis-and-the-pop-project/ I love the outdoors. I’m a keen tramper. I enjoy stand up paddleboarding (SUP) and surfing, kiteboarding, sailing. I run bush skills courses for women. I can spend hours working in the garden. I feel fit and active. POP!? Why me? In July 2019, my peeing felt a little bit different for a couple of days. The following night I had to get up to the loo nearly every hour, each time feeling more uncomfortable ‘down there’. Explaining it to my husband the next morning, I said “it feels like som... Wed, 17 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post61717 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/post/62203/keeping-active-for-physical-and-mental-health/ I was 35 years old and three weeks postpartum after my first baby when (after lots of googling with few answers) I went to a GP thinking I had a prolapse. This was because I had looked at my bits with a mirror and didn’t think they looked right! Even considering that I’d not long pushed a baby out, I still thought it didn’t look or feel right. I could see ridgy bumps and other soft pink bulges coming out that I had NEVER seen before. The GP said I didn’t have a prolapse. She did tell me ... Fri, 12 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.activeandpop.org.nz/blog/#post62203