When Life Hands You a Puppy (and a Weak Pelvic Floor)

Sometimes life throws curveballs… and sometimes it hands you a tiny dog and says, here, this might help.

Lately, life has been teaching me some unexpected lessons—some hilarious, some deeply needed. I’ve been dealing with a lingering cough (three weeks and counting), and here’s what I wasn’t expecting: every time I cough… I pee a little. 😩

I know, I know—“just mom things,” right? But the more I looked into it, the more I realized this isn’t just a post-kid thing, it’s a pelvic floor + perimenopause thing.

A weak pelvic floor happens when the muscles that support your bladder, uterus, and bowel lose strength—and it’s more common than we think. Pregnancy, childbirth, aging, and even high-impact exercise can weaken these muscles over time. The result? Leaking urine when you sneeze, cough, jump, or even laugh too hard. (So fun, right?)

Other signs of a weak pelvic floor:

• Feeling like you have to pee all the time

• Trouble fully emptying your bladder

• Lower back pain or a feeling of heaviness down there

• Pain during sex (which can also be linked to vaginal dryness…more on that in a sec)

So what helps? Strengthening exercises like Kegels, diaphragmatic breathing, and pelvic floor therapy can help retrain those muscles. I’ve been learning so much about how breathwork connects to the pelvic floor (they’re deeply linked), so I’ll be incorporating that into my own practice.

On top of that, perimenopause causes collagen loss in our vaginal lining. That means less elasticity, more dryness, and even pain during sex. While we hear about collagen for skin and joints, no one really talks about how it also affects vaginal health—until you start feeling the difference.

Some signs of vaginal collagen loss:

• Dryness, itching, or irritation

• More UTIs or infections (because the pH balance changes)

• Sex that feels different—more friction, less comfort

• A general feeling of discomfort down there

Luckily, there are solutions:

• Hydration + collagen support (think marine collagen, bone broth, or collagen-rich foods)

• Hyaluronic acid vaginal suppositories (yes, hyaluronic acid isn’t just for your face)

• Estrogen creams or natural hormone support if needed

• Pelvic floor exercises to keep blood flow strong

After Kitty (our first family pup) passed, I felt an emotional void. Maybe it’s grief, maybe it’s my kids growing up, maybe it’s just that I don’t have a baby in the house anymore. So, in a moment of impulse (but also deep desire), I signed up for a puppy guardianship program, thinking it would take a while. The breeder reached out within weeks, offering me a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in March— my dream dog. Was I ready? No. Did I say yes? Absolutely.

And as if the universe was fully in on this plan, I’d been looking for ways to generate more income without sacrificing my time with my kids, Dalaga or my well-being. The breeder set up a few puppy-sitting gigs. Every day since, I’ve been surrounded by puppies, soaking up unconditional love (and fur), and feeling like life just…clicked.

And finally, I officially got my breathwork + meditation certification in February, and I’m so ready to start hosting small group sessions. We’ve set up monthly Dalaga community sessions at Tahanan because we all need a space to breathe, reset, and feel grounded. If that sounds like something you need, you can book a spot here.

Because life lately has been a mix of healing, growing, coughing, peeing, and puppies, I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.