Can't poo!

[Charlavail]

Sorry! I promise I'm not the poo troll. Just a desperate woman. I had DS four week ago today and seem to have lost the urge to poo! Now it's been 5 days since I've last been and I am in agony. I managed to get a bit out last night but today I can hardly walk because of it. As I've had 3 ginormous poos in 4 weeks it's all a bit of a mess down there and I am bleeding so much just trying to go. I've tried using a stool every time and my fingers in my vagina. This time it hurts so much I jump up in pain every time. I can't take laxatives as I'm breastfeeding but have taken stool softeners. Please help me. I'm so scared I'll have to go to hospital!

Phone your doctor

plenty of water and tinned pears, please dont leave it much longer though OP see your gp if it persists.

Oh you poor thing.

I had this when I stupidly took too much physillium husk, which made my stools so solid I couldn’t poo. I ended up in out of hours with a doctor prescribing miralax (a tiny enema/laxative) which worked. Pressing on the perineum helped with the pain passing the stool.

As unpleasant as it is I would really go to the GP or out of hours doctor.

Try glycerine suppositories, they're safe to use whilst breastfeeding and will work very quickly.

Get some prune juice. Sprinkle Jordans bran onto your cereal. Drink lots of fluids, good luck! I remember the pain Xxxxx

Physillum husks and prune juice.

The poo is literally right there. I just can't get it out.

Coffee. Beer always works for me but you are breastfeeding so probably not that. Make sure you drink lots of water so your poo is soft

When I have similar i find having a lubricant on my fingers - bepanthen is good - and massage around your perineal and around your anus. It surprisingly works.

@Charlavail

The poo is literally right there. I just can't get it out.

Can you give baby to someone for a bit. Sit on the toilet with your legs on a stool or similar as this is optimum poo position. Take a book or your phone and occupy yourself. It takes the pressure away and gravity will hopefully help. I think you can rub your stomach in a certain way to stimulate the bowels and other muscles down there. Might be worth a Google

LAXIDO is your friend. Get some from Boots as soon as you can. Have 3 or 4 sachets a day for a couple of days. You will go soon enough!

Diet tonic water goes through me like a dose of salts, but please speak to a pharmacist or your doctor.

Please 'phone your GP surgery OP.

They will arrange an appointment with the Practice Nurse for a Manual Removal procedure.

You can take lactulose when breastfeeding. 😄 That should sort you out!

@misstilly

Try glycerine suppositories, they're safe to use whilst breastfeeding and will work very quickly.

This 100%, I had the same issue after surgery because of the pain medication and this sorted it out in 30 minutes.

I had this 4 weeks after having DD, turned out it was really bad piles. Anusol suppositories and paracetamol sorted it out as recommended by the doctor.

Thank you all. I feel so silly. I have ordered various things suggested and will call the doctor in the morning. I have had this a few times since giving birth but I think each time has damaged my anus and now it is unbearable. Feel a bit calmer now though.

I second the laxido, honestly worked like a dream! Such a relief! 3-4 sachets initially to resolve the issue then 1 a day for a while so it doesn't return.

If it feels like the poo right there, is there any chance you have a bit of a prolapse?

If you put your fingers in the entrance to your vagina while you're bearing down, can you feel a fleshy bulge at the front of it? If it's hard, you may have some poo in it - gently push down and back using your fingers and it might help.

Have you tried rocking back and forth on your hands and knees? I had to do this today as codeine in my system is making my guts very sluggish I struggled today. had to go on all fours and rock gently back and forth then suddenly had the urge to poo! Give it a try if you can.

I had this after DD - I wound up getting a giant tub of Vaseline and basically shoving as much up there as possible and then using my fingers. Horrible - honestly one of the worst bits of my birth recovery - but it worked in the end. And drink shedloads of water once that one’s free so it doesn’t happen again

Poor you OP. Pre oregano I had no idea tgat the poo could be right there, just not exiting. It makes no sense.

Have a nice warm bath, massage your tunny, breathe deeply (the exhalation you do when smoking, it relaxes the muscles....)

After the bath If you can apply some vaseline or similar it might help. Thumb into the vagina to try and help push it out. And the breathing.

Going forwards, ea a decent bowl of branflajes with 3 or 4 chopped prints on for breakfast every day without fail .

Prunes..

I'm not sure about laxido if you're breastfeeding.......

When I worked in the post natal wards a glycerin suppository was always the first choice as it's not a systemic solution so doesn't affect the baby, but works like a dream and usually within 15 mins or so.

Something that really helps me in this situation is to support just beneath your anus with one of your hands while you are pushing. Sounds gross but I swear it sort of helps the poo "find" the hole when it feels like it just won't come out - it's as if the poo needs pushed in the right direction

You need to sit on the toilet, wrap toilet roll around your fingers, go in front ways in between your legs and put your wrapped hand just below your anus where you will probably feel the hard poo lump pressing through the outer wall. If you then press up towards that lump with your fingertips almost touching your anus from underneath as your push out with your muscles, hopefully that should do it.