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Original poster

Worst constipation ever with 'morning' sickness

38 replies

Narlat · 02/02/2019 09:15

Hello.
This is my first time pregnant. I'm 32 and 7 weeks pregnant. Up untill last week I thought I'd got away with not feeling sick.
I've always suffered constipation but oh my god , never as bad as this.
Last week I was managing it with fruit and all bran but this week I feel so ill I can't eat. The sickness lasts untill 3pm ish then I'm trying to have a small fibre rich snack or dinner but again that is making me feel sick.
Dr has given me lactulose but that's not helped it just makes me feel sick.
I am drinking plenty but the mornings are hard as this tends to come back up.
Any advice please for a first timer. Honestly at this precise moment I'm feeling really really rubbish.
Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
Narlat · 02/02/2019 09:29

I should have also added. I can't stand ginger in any form.
My friend gave my cyclazine but I'm a bit scared of taking this

OP posts:
Onandonandons · 02/02/2019 09:32

Ask your pharmacist if you can have moviciol when you're pregnant. Wonderful stuff. Also get a stool like squatty potty to raise your feet when on the loo and read up about techniques to make it easier to poo.

Good luck!

ambereeree · 02/02/2019 09:40

I feel your pain. Had this with both pregnancies and nothing helped. It was bloody awful.

MrsDrSpencerReid · 02/02/2019 09:44

I had horrific constipation with my first, ended up in emergency having a ‘manual extraction’ Shock

I’ve also just struggled through it again after surgery, I used everything from a fleet enema to movicol, took weeks to fix it! I don’t remember what’s safe to take during pregnancy but I really hope you don’t end up like me! Good luck Flowers

Iloveautumnleaves · 02/02/2019 09:53

cyclazine

They gave me that in hospital. NEVER again. I thought I was dying. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak, it was terrifying.

Apparently that’s not uncommon (well thank’s very fucking much for the warning)

IF you don’t heed my warning, at least make sure someone is there with you. But obviously check to see if it’s ok when pregnant. (I wasn’t pregnant when I was given it)

You say you’re drinking plenty, how much is plenty?

stokiemum62 · 02/02/2019 09:55

Moviolas is good in pregnancy ask your GP for a prescription. Lactulose is a softener so good if you have hard poo. It is very sickly but I’d you a add an equal volume of warm water to dilute it and then a dash of fresh juice it is much easier to take.

mytieisascarf · 02/02/2019 10:01

Go see your GP. She will tell you what is safe. In the meantime walking, warm bath, prunes, a coffee, OJ. Don't take anything not recommended by your GP but where lactulose helps to soften stools, Senna helps to move your bowels so a double pronged attacked might be necessary.

Original poster
Narlat · 02/02/2019 10:05

Thank you all.
Movicol not allowed in pregnancy. Neither is senna as it can cause uterine contractions according to my pharmacist.
I drink about 3 to 4 litres a day.
I think ill give the cyclazine a miss lolConfused
Praps walking more will help.
I've just opened a tin of prunes and started salivating, but not in a good way.
Thanks all again.
Xx

OP posts:
Jess499427 · 02/02/2019 10:27

I had this too. How much lactulose have you taken? I took about 15ml and it didn’t do anything so the next day I took the maximum recommended dose and let’s say it was very effective!! Ended up taking it for about 2 weeks and then all of a sudden the constipation went and I was back to normal.

DannyWallace · 02/02/2019 10:33

@Narlat where did you hear that about Movicol? I've taken it for years and had more prescribed (by both GP and pharmacist) in pregnancy.

However, lactulose does seem to work better for me.
Have you tried the basics like prune juice? I feel your pain, I was the exact same in first trimester

TwoGinScentedTears · 02/02/2019 10:38

Seconding prune juice. And sipping hot water. It does pass-the constipation and the sickness.

Have you got a stool to put your feet in when you're on the loo? And a glycerin suppository will help too.

Purplelion · 02/02/2019 10:44

Hmmm my midwife told me senakot is safe! I’m 12 weeks but saw her at 6 and she told me to keep taking it!
Also cyclazine was a lifesaver in my 1st pregnancy! I had HG and taking the medication kept me out of hospital! I would try if. It will be different for everyone so I would say don’t dismiss it until you’ve tried it

Original poster
Narlat · 02/02/2019 10:45

In regards to the lactulose.... I am literally swigging it from the bottle now. Lol I've just eaten a tin of prunes lol I'm hoping for movement.
I completely forgot about the suppositories I have these. Yessss!!!!
The pharmacist told me all I could take was lactulose.
I'll get an app with my GP if I can next week. Seeing midwife of Thursday so I'll also check with her.
Gonna wait for my OH to go out and run my errands and have a suppositury however you spell it.
Thanks a million
Good to know it's a common issue.
Xxx

OP posts:
ForTheLoveOfDoughnuts · 02/02/2019 10:45

@Narlat I feel your pain. I'm now 17+4.

I had extremely bad nausea from week 6-8. Felt like I was going to be sick all day, though it was much worse in the evenings.
Then week 8-12 I was sick everyday. Though again this was every evening after feeling sick all day.
Week 11 I was sick all day, every day. But (thankfully!!!) at week 12 it all stopped.

Constipation though. Thats still going. I would say stick with the lactulose. Some days I had to take quite lot but I would feel better for a few days after.. everything cleared out. I would say stay on top of it. 2 weeks ago I was up for 36 hours with 'back pain', which turned out to be trapped wind and constipation. Honestly I've never felt pain like it. I would recommend taking the lactulose everyday if you've got it bad. I honestly feel the constipation added to the feeling sick and the not wanting to eat.

Good luck

Butteredghost · 02/02/2019 10:45

I second glycerine suppositorys. Also a latex glove. I'll let you work out what to do with it but for my pregnancy it was a daily thing.

Original poster
Narlat · 02/02/2019 10:48

@ForTheLoveOfDoughnuts I'll stay on top of it now. Once I have a movement.

Just figured out how to mention people too.

OP posts:
Original poster
Narlat · 02/02/2019 10:49

@Butteredghost 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

OP posts:
Cornettoninja · 02/02/2019 10:53

Poor you, you sound really uncomfortable Flowers

Definitely try the suppositories if you’ve been prescribed them and have a look at your diet. It sounds wrong but if you’re already constipated sometimes fibre isn’t particularly helpful.

Hot water with lemon can help, as can very gentle exercises to help get things shifting. Have a look on YouTube and make sure that your toilet set up is optimum (prop your feet up on something).

You might find the nausea eases a bit when you solve the constipation, I used to find lucozade helpful but then they took all the sugar out of it. I think it was dips in blood sugar making me nauseous so maybe try some of those glucose tablets they sell in chemists.

Cornettoninja · 02/02/2019 11:00

Sorry just remembered the name of the recommended exercise for constipation. Have a google of the brace push exercise Smile

mistermagpie · 02/02/2019 11:14

Can you stomach dates? Prunes failed for me but dates actually helped. I ate loads of them when I was pregnant with DS2. To be fair if you paid me I couldn't eat one now but I was desperate!

roundthehorn · 02/02/2019 11:20

I used to take a bottle of soda water with the juice of a couple of lemons to bed and drink it through the night before the nausea kicked in, an extra litre and a half of liquid a day really helps.

Pear juice is a lot more palatable than prune juice and is just as effective. You can add a weetabix for fibre to a liquidised juice, but make sure you have a bottle of water by your side to sip at whether you feel like it or not.
It's so important to keep things chugging through your system during pregnancy as, believe it or not, post partum constipation makes pregnancy constipation seem like a far off dream!

Funnyface1 · 02/02/2019 11:22

I was prescribed movicol for my entire second pregnancy, as was a close friend. It's not a laxative, no cramping, just a stool softener. And it's brilliant.

lisasimpsonssaxophone · 02/02/2019 11:22

Can you still buy syrup of figs? That’s what my mum used to give me when I got constipated as a kid and it always worked!

lisasimpsonssaxophone · 02/02/2019 11:24

Oh sorry, just googled and seen that it contains senna! I had always assumed it was just figs.

PeachPotato · 02/02/2019 11:37

Grapefruit worked for my pregnancy constipation. And drinking as much as possible from lunchtime onwards xx