Pregnant and constipated

[Annalee3012]

Hi there!
Not something I usually talk about, I don’t do toilet talk, but hey. Suppose all dignity goes with pregnancy and childbirth 😂
Does anyone have any advice, please. I’m currently 23 weeks pregnant and since day 1 of being pregnant I’ve been constipated! It’s actually what made me think to test 😂
early on in the pregnancy it wasn’t so much of an issue, I could go two weeks before a small movement. Never got stomach ache. So I just ignored it.

At around 20 weeks I started to struggle. I go 5/7 days then feel heavy and full and get stomach pain after eating. I cannot physically go without taking medication. But I’ve tried all sorts and it’s getting me down now.

Fybol gel- helps a tiny bit, not much. But I can’t stomach the texture
regular senna tablets - do nothing
lactullse - took daily for over three weeks and nothing
Dulcolax/senacot - painful stomach ache small movement

Does anyone have any suggestions before I cal my gp? Also before anyone recommends I can’t stomach the taste of dried fruits so prunes and juice aren’t an option. Sorry for the long post. Thanks

Chia seeds.

known as ‘the internal shower’!
Two table spoons stirred in a glass of water then chugged, although if you didn’t like the texture of fybogel you may not like chia seeds. You need to drink before the seeds absorb the water so a quick stir then drink.
Have in the evening & will work in the morning.

Sweet potatoes and avocados keeps everything moving.

Yoghurt. Lots of water. But to be honest I would just get some laxido from the gp. Prescriptions are free in pregnancy, so there is no need to suffer.

I don't mind prunes so have been eating those but I've also put Lidl sugar free gummy bears to good use. The ones that comes with the warning "excessive consumption may result in laxative effects"...

Are you drinking plenty of liquids? And getting plenty of fibre in your diet?

Psyllium husk (but you have to drink plenty of water) and linseeds, and fresh ginger all get things moving.

Agreed Laxido / Movicol. You can normally buy OTC at the pharmacist but not sure if this is still the case during pregnancy - might need a prescription. And lots of water.

I was horribly constipated during my second pregnancy, and ended up using glycerine suppositories a couple of times - not pleasant, but they did work!

Sympathies, OP, I remember this well and it's horrible

I had bran flakes with sultanas in the morning. Or porridge with lots of chia seeds mixed in.

Greasy food! Dirty breakfast, fish and chips etc that will sort you out

Thanks for that. I’ll give it a go. Might be ok, I think it’s also the fake orange flavour I don’t like too. But fybogel just didn’t do enough to make it worth taking and paying that much for (not cheap) I’ll give the seeds ago. Thanks 😊

Haha I wish gummy bears were an option. Vegetarian here lol

Yeah I’m trying to drink plenty, I do sometimes have to force myself as I’m prone to forgetting to drink. But I’m making a point to drink lots of water and tea. I’m veggie too so I generally eat a fair amount of fibre. I’ll consider trying linseed and ginger though. I’ll try anything now! Thanks 😊

One glycerins suppository to clear then all the other stuff previously mentioned plus a billion litres of water.

*glycerine

Go to the GP. If you’re as far gone as this, dietary stuff won’t fix it. You need a stool softener (like Movicol) plus a stimulant (like senna) together. But aim not sure what’s safe in pregnancy so talk to the GP.

It’s strange, it’s literally the only symptom of pregnancy I have! Other than no periods and a tiny bit more fatigued than usual, I’ve had nothing!! No sickness, soreness, aversions, nothing. Only just starting to get some cravings and even that’s nothing major. If it wasn’t for the scans I wouldn’t believe it lol To be fair I’ve had it easy, only just starting to feel pregnant now my belly is growing and getting obvious and starting to feels little kicks.

@Annalee3012 the Lidl Sweet Corner gummy bears are vegan! Slightly weird texture flavour is nice.

Omg really!! I need to go see. That me going lidl tomorrow lol. Haven’t had gummy bears for 10 years! Never seen any in local shops and I’m too lazy to order online just for a bag of sweets 😂

Grated carrot, about a cereal bowl full with each meal. I put black mustard seed or orange juice or mayonnaise on to ring the changes. Drink an extra glass of water for each bowl. Expect fairly alarming volume but you will be “fixed”.

My midwife told me to eat slices of kiwi fruit with the skin still on.

Slicing them means you're not chewing lots of the skin at once and I can confirm that she was absolutely right. Works all the time and I've used this with my kids too!

Also, however much water you are drinking add another litre.

@Annalee3012 they're usually on the till rather than in the sweet aisle. They are a weird texture, very sticky, but 15 or so of them eaten yesterday has resolved several days of not being able to "go". Now I'm just trying to work out how many I could eat daily as a "maintenance dose" to keep things moving

In addition to increasing fibre, water, movement etc- the actual position you sit on the loo has a massive bearing on being able to poo easily. Look up squatty potty. You don't need to buy that particular brand, but anything to raise your feet higher when on the loo will help to straighten the colon and makes it 100% easier. Bricks, extra large tins etc can all be used to raise the feet up.

www.squattypotty.com/

ill definitely give kiwi ago. Thank you!

You might need more than just dietary help so definitely talk to a gp. But if you're looking for food too then apples and pears worked a charm for me. Pears especially. And Google pregnant yoga poses for constipation - that worked great too.

O I remember this well, I was crying during my last 2 pregnancies with constipation. The only thing that worked for me was coffee, I don’t drink it often but when I do it makes me go. Has to be cheap instant. Other natural laxatives for me are pears & lots of cherries.

good luck.

Prune puree from the baby pouch section mixed in with yoghurt or prune juice mixed with squash were the only things that worked for me

Hated the taste but hated the bloating and pain more

Maybe try some reflexology as well