{"id":4643,"date":"2026-06-25T11:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T11:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/can-you-swim-with-a-stoma-by-summer\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T12:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T12:00:07","slug":"can-you-swim-with-a-stoma-by-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/can-you-swim-with-a-stoma-by-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you swim with a stoma? | by Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-947\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-70 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#6e6760\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading lg:text-center\">Can you swim with a stoma? | by Summer<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-8    lg:h-24\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Swimming with a stoma for the first time after surgery can be daunting, I get it, I have been there. I remember the first time I went swimming, I was wrecked with nerves and spent more time with my hand over my stomach than actually doing much swimming. But that was 5 years ago now and to say I have come a long way since then is probably an understatement. So let me walk you through some common misconceptions, how to prepare and some top tips to get you back swimming!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3df66db2f1ccb1302d1d016443079982\"><strong>What to wear<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\">When I go swimming I almost always opt for a swimsuit. Now this is not because I am trying to hide my stoma away, I just find it more secure. I spend less time worrying about my stoma bag flapping around as it floats up in the water and more time focused on swimming itself. If wearing a swimsuit or high-waisted bottoms isn\u2019t an option for you, you could try using a waterproof stoma support band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2c2d1ba15b4572b238548c6f92fc675c\"><strong>Are there any other products to help you feel more secure?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\">The answer is yes. Have a look at getting some flange extenders, I use flange extenders in size small. These are really great for securing your bag in place and ensuring it won\u2019t budge. And if you\u2019re after some tried and tested product assurance, I used them when I was scuba diving down to 20 meters and my bag stayed put. Those flange extenders are made out of sturdy stuff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7dd0a9741815e1a10f6c292d76595089\"><strong>Top tips for swimming for the first time after stoma surgery<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\">The thought of going swimming in a public pool for the first time after surgery worrying about your bag leaking is enough to put you off for life! So as a keen swimmer, let me share some of my top tips from ostomate to ostomate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-purple-checkmark\">\n<li class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl\">Bring spare supplies with you. Depending on where you are you may want to freshen up after your swim and put a clean &amp; dry bag on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl\">Consider taking a Loperamide before. If you are worried about active output, 30 mins before you go take a Loperamide to slow things down while you are in the water.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl\">Put on a fresh bag before you go &amp; consider adding flange extenders to your routine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl\">Empty your bag before you get in the water, while this might feel like a really obvious one, it&#8217;s also really important.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\">I promise the thought is much worse than the reality and when you\u2019ve done it once you\u2019ll be thinking, why was I even worried in the first place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ca45d5512c930e609eb9b5143e4753a5\"><strong>Common misconceptions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<strong style=\"font-style: italic;\">My bag will leak on the plane<\/strong>&#8220;<br>Let\u2019s debunk some myths because there are a lot of common misconceptions around swimming with a stoma:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>\u201cYour bag will come off or leak\u201d<br><\/strong><\/em>Stoma bags are designed with life in mind and are created to be water resistant and airtight. So the bag won\u2019t come off or let any water in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u201cEveryone will notice my bag&#8221;<\/em><\/strong><br>Everyone is going to be so focused on their own swimming they won\u2019t take any notice of you, let alone your bag. If this is something you are worried about then maybe opt for a swimsuit over a bikini!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u201cSwimming with a stoma is embarrassing&#8221;<br><\/em><\/strong>Confidence comes after the first time you swim with a stoma and you realise that you built it up in your head when in reality it was fine. Doing something for the first time is always hard but that just means next time will be easier!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u201cYou can\u2019t swim underwater with a stoma\u201d<br><\/em><\/strong>You can swim underwater in the sea, jump in the pool, snorkel, and even scuba dive with a stoma &#8211; trust me, I have done it all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-purple-400-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-845a1998db617d40849479e9deb5a4ee\"><strong>Final thoughts<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\">Swimming with a stoma can feel like a huge step at first, but it really does get easier once you\u2019ve done it for the first time &#8211; I promise! With the right swimwear, some extra preparation and the confidence to try, there really is no reason why your stoma should stop you from getting in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-purple-600-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c05beb6192a0e58e516b39d70b770003 text-xl lg:text-xl wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/summers_stoma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Summer<\/strong><\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/summers_stoma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>@summers_stoma<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-8    lg:h-8\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-4    lg:h-20\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div>\n    <div class=\"stories-carousel\">\n        <div class=\"glide__track\" data-glide-el=\"track\">\n            <ul class=\"glide__slides\">\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/how-the-stoma-community-changed-my-life-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Finding-your-stoma-community-e1786522290368.jpg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Finding-your-stoma-community-e1786522290368-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Finding-your-stoma-community-e1786522290368-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Finding-your-stoma-community-e1786522290368-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Finding-your-stoma-community-e1786522290368-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Finding-your-stoma-community-e1786522290368-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Finding-your-stoma-community-e1786522290368.jpg 1440w\"\n                                    alt=\"Three brunette women smiling at the camera, sitting in front of a kitchen table\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">How the stoma community changed my life&#8230; | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">6 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/what-does-daily-life-with-a-stoma-look-like-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Life-with-a-stoma-e1786459605585-1.jpg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Life-with-a-stoma-e1786459605585-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Life-with-a-stoma-e1786459605585-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Life-with-a-stoma-e1786459605585-1-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Life-with-a-stoma-e1786459605585-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Life-with-a-stoma-e1786459605585-1-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/08\/Life-with-a-stoma-e1786459605585-1.jpg 1440w\"\n                                    alt=\"A woman smiling at the camera, pointing to the logo on her t-shirt that reads \"Hirschsprung Disease UK\" in white letters.\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">What does daily life with a stoma look like? | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/hot-weather-and-stoma-care-tips-by-phillipa\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Phillipa-evergreen-oiefjkd-1-e1784115905934.jpg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Phillipa-evergreen-oiefjkd-1-e1784115905934-300x288.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Phillipa-evergreen-oiefjkd-1-e1784115905934-1024x982.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Phillipa-evergreen-oiefjkd-1-e1784115905934-150x144.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Phillipa-evergreen-oiefjkd-1-e1784115905934-768x736.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Phillipa-evergreen-oiefjkd-1-e1784115905934-600x575.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Phillipa-evergreen-oiefjkd-1-e1784115905934.jpg 1450w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Hot weather and stoma care tips| by Phillipa<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">6 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/the-advice-id-give-to-someone-newly-diagnosed-with-ibd-by-summer\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1109-e1784115230284.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1109-e1784115230284-300x282.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1109-e1784115230284-1024x964.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1109-e1784115230284-150x141.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1109-e1784115230284-768x723.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1109-e1784115230284-600x565.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1109-e1784115230284.jpeg 1264w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">The advice I\u2019d give to someone newly diagnosed with IBD | by Summer<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/stoma-hacks-that-make-life-easier-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114-286x300.jpeg 286w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114-976x1024.jpeg 976w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114-143x150.jpeg 143w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114-768x806.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114-1464x1536.jpeg 1464w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114-600x629.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1687-scaled-e1784112537114.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Stoma hacks that make life easier | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/why-stoma-awareness-matters-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763-1022x1024.jpeg 1022w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763-768x770.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763-1533x1536.jpeg 1533w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763-600x601.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763-100x100.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/IMG_1572-scaled-e1784111978763.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Why stoma awareness matters | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"glide-navigation-wrapper\">\n            <a href=\"\/us\/blog\/\" class=\"btn btn-gradient w-full text-center lg:w-fit\">Explore all stories and advice<\/a>\n            <div class=\"glide-navigation\">\n                <div class=\"bullets\" data-glide-el=\"controls[nav]\">\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 0\" data-glide-dir=\"=0\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 1\" data-glide-dir=\"=1\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 2\" data-glide-dir=\"=2\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 3\" data-glide-dir=\"=3\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 4\" data-glide-dir=\"=4\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 5\" data-glide-dir=\"=5\"><\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n                <div class=\"controls\" data-glide-el=\"controls\">\n                    <button aria-label=\"Previous slide\" class=\"prev btn btn-gradient\"><\/button>\n                    <button aria-label=\"Next slide\" class=\"next btn btn-gradient\"><\/button>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-    lg:h-\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swimming with a stoma after surgery can feel daunting. I remember my first swim, overwhelmed with nerves and constantly covering my bag.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-4643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-summer"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4646,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4643\/revisions\/4646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}