Thank you for reaching out to us.
We appreciate the sensitive nature of this question and we deeply respect your wish to continue immersing in a way that is halachically valid.
A first priority is contacting the mikveh supervisor in advance explaining your situation so that you will be treated with maximum sensitivity once there. You might need to try more than one mikveh in your region to find a good fit. Making the initial phone call is something that your husband might be able to help you with.
Once you have settled on a mikveh, you should arrange an appointment to be the last woman to immerse on your mikveh night. That will help reduce stress for you and staff at the mikveh, and facilitate them treating or changing the mikveh water after your immersion, as necessary.
If it is feasible for you, we would also recommend making a proactive effort to reduce the possibility of leakage. Please discuss with your medical provider what might work best for you. This might include abdominal massage with bowel movements over the day to help with emptying out, taking extra bulky fibers and loperamide, and possibly even refraining from eating for a few hours prior to beginning your preparations.
1. We suggest
preparing mostly at home. A shower is fine in this scenario, no bath needed. If it helps you extend your shower, then you can shower with a swim diaper. For cleaning the anal area at the mikveh just before immersion, we'd recommend bringing a handheld travel bidet with you and/or non-alcohol wipes.
2. A pad or diaper would not be permitted for immersion, but you could wear them until just before you enter the water if that is helpful.
In this case, you should follow Sefardi custom, reciting the
beracha prior to removing your towel or robe just before immersing. That way leakage would not interfere in any way with reciting the beracha.
3. A leakage would not affect the validity of your immersion. You can dip just once, even if your previous custom was to dip more times, to minimize the time you need to spend in the mikveh water. Knowing that you are the last woman of the night and that the mikveh is prepared for the possibility of leakage will hopefully help you immerse with confidence and calm.
It might also make sense to review the above with a member of your healthcare team, to see if they have additional suggestions for you. If you think it could be helpful for you, you could also bring a female friend or relative with you to assist you for your first immersion with the pouch.
We hope these ideas are helpful to you and we wish you a refuah sheleimah!
Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.
