Tabitha Brown on bladder leaks and parenting as a vegan

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

Tabitha Brown is known for many things: her roles on shows like The Chi And For the love of Jason; her Emmy-winning work as a presenter for tab time, a popular show for preschoolers; and of course her warm smile and personality, which have a lot to do with how popular Brown has become on social media. With 4.4 million followers on Instagram alone, Brown has attracted fans who love her playful sense of humor, encouraging affirmations, vegan recipes, and determination to keep things authentic.

It’s this last trait that led Brown to speak out about a health issue that’s often covered up: bladder leaks. “After my last child, bladder leaks became a part of my life,” Brown tells SheKnows. “My bladder said, ‘Girl, some days you’re alone.'”

After the birth of her son, Quest, in 2012, Brown began suffering from bladder leaks. As a result of the pregnancy, she developed bladder prolapse, which occurs when the ligaments and muscles around the bladder stretch or weaken, according to the Cleveland Clinic. causing the bladder to sag. “My bladder kind of shifted down,” Brown explained. “It was getting weaker.” A prolapsed bladder can lead to urinary incontinence – accidental peeing – and that’s exactly what happened to Brown.

In fact, she can still remember the first time it happened. “I just sneezed and rang the bell,” she says. “I say, ‘Wait a minute.’ What just happened?’ But that was the beginning.” It’s something that continues to bother Tab time Star, especially if she has a cold or cough. “When I get into a coughing fit where I can’t stop coughing for a few seconds, I’m like, ‘Oh God.’ “I know I might pee on myself,” she says.

Brown is one of many women who experience bladder leaks. According to one study, they occur in a whopping 53 percent of women in the United States. And yet, despite their frequency, Brown was struck by the silence surrounding the topic. “I thought, ‘How many women out here don’t talk about this?'” she says. From then on, the decision to break the stigma itself was easy. “When I start talking about it, other women feel more comfortable talking about it and don’t feel alone.”

Brown has since partnered with Always Discreet incontinence pads, which she has been using since switching from panty liners. “There are no leaks, no smell or anything like that,” she says. A study conducted by Always Discreet found that 88 percent of women who suffer from bladder leakage say it prevents them from everyday moments and activities, and Brown says the pads are a good solution. “You can wear it just in case.”

For Brown, this continues the trend of taking responsibility for her health. Seven years ago, Brown was suffering from mysterious health problems, from chronic headaches to pain and fatigue to vision problems. It took them a year and a half, Brown says, before a documentary came out. Something about healthinspired her to think about her family’s health history. “My mother died at the age of 51 and my father, who had just turned 73, is the oldest man to ever live in our family,” explains Brown. “People in my family just don’t grow old, and people get sick early, and the only thing I can think of is that we eat the same way.”

Brown took on a 30-day vegan challenge just to see what happened. “I thought, ‘Well, I haven’t tried that yet,'” she recalls.

After ten days, her headaches were gone, so Brown kept going – and watched her health continue to improve. “After six or seven weeks I had energy again. No more chronic fatigue,” she says. “I no longer suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. I was just getting better again.”

Since then, Brown has become a celebrated vegan influencer, sharing her tips and recipes on social media and publishing a New York Times-Bestselling cookbook, Cooking from the mind. Of course, as a mother of two, she also had to balance her nutritional needs with those of the rest of her family – everyone initially took on the 30-day challenge with her. While Brown’s husband and son went back to eating chicken and fish, her daughter Choyce remained vegan with her mother for about two years.

When Choyce decided to eat some meat and fish again, Tabitha supported her. “I thought, ‘Honey, this is your business,'” she said to her now 23-year-old daughter. “This is my journey.” For Brown, it’s important that her children and family make their own decisions based on what’s best for them. “Even as a parent, you can’t force your life on someone else,” she emphasizes. “Sometimes when you have a journey that will save your life, you have to be willing to go it alone.”

Nevertheless, she intervenes when her husband or son feel like eating meat. “My husband knows that if he wants it, he has to order the main thing,” Brown says. “I cook all sides!”

Before you go, read about these celebs working to end health stigma: