Carol Smillie – Talking Pants!

Carol Smillie Diarydoll Secret knickers

As I look at my three children now, all grown up and independent at 17, 19 and 22, it seems like a lifetime ago when I left that maternity unit, each time, wide eyed and exhausted, yet bursting with pride that we had produced another healthy baby, when so many others struggle to do so.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, but a couple of bouts of mastitis, a few stitches and a blood transfusion later, and we were well on the road to being fully fledged parents, and all that that entailed.

At the time, I was at the height of my career, hosting The National Lottery, Changing Rooms and flying here there and everywhere for the Holiday programme, riddled with guilt that I wasn’t there 24/7 yet balancing a career that must surely run out of luck at some point.

I needn’t have worried, a cuddle from Dad or auntie was every bit as good as me at times, and not one of them remembers a thing about it now! Why are we so hard on ourselves, and can we not learn to delegate?

If anyone had said to me then, that one day I’d become a warrior for leaky ladies, I’d have laughed till it ran down my leg. Yet here I am, some 20yrs later, running a business that makes pretty clever pants with a secret waterproof panel for life’s little leaks, and I couldn’t be more proud than when I took my little bundles of joy home all those years ago. It’s a different kind of pride, but pride none the less.

Women are amazing, their bodies cope with so much, and emotionally their strength continues to take my breath away. They cope with periods, hormones, contraception, conception, pregnancy, birth and menopause, all in their stride.

When my two daughters were worrying about ‘accidents’ at school and sleepovers when their period was due, I couldn’t believe that a whole generation later, nobody had come up with a feminine, pretty alternative to big ugly period pants (c’mon girls, we all have a pair in the drawer!) Nobody really tells you how much you bleed after giving birth, or that you might pee yourself when you jump, only a few short years later. Sadly the menstrual years are only just the beginning, but we have one major advantage over our male counterparts (actually we have loads, but stay with me here) we are so supportive of our female family and friends, especially when there’s a problem.

We have a team spirit, and happily share intimate details of products or remedies that may help, and that is why ladies, DiaryDoll has gone from strength to strength. We all know someone, somewhere who’s worried about first periods, heavy periods, endometriosis, cystitis, post natal bleeding or bladder leaks, so if you’ve read this far, please share with that someone, and make their life that little bit easier , thank you!

For tips on how to improve your pelvic floor, or post maternity exercise, go to https://diarydoll.com/pelvic-floor/

https://diarydoll.com/post-maternity/

And now available to purchase at mamamoosh.co.uk

https://mamamoosh.co.uk/collections/accessories-gifts/products/secret-protection-knickers

Twitter @DIARYDOLL / @CAROLSMILLIE1