oh my god, very distressing and embarassing problem.....!

[PeckaRolloverAgain]

ok, gave birth last friday

fab delivery, 5 minute pushing, no stitches, small tear

yest and today suddenlky become v v v v constipated

because im quite backed up, and its hard......omg this is awful think my pelvic floor might have given up. inside my actual fanjo can feel the big blockage as a lump thru the wall - to the point its actually pretty much filling my fanjo!!!! that has got to shock you a bit? it certainly has just freaked me right out!!!

arghhhh, very disturbed, when i tried to have a poo it felt like my small tear would tear further

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

help!!!!

Oooh you poor thing.

I forgot to mention something else that helped me (equally gross though) and that was to support the back of my back passage. I had masses of stitches - 2nd degree internal and external - but they were never an issue with the constipation. What hurt was that it felt like the poo was pressing on the skin behind my anus (sort of the mirror image of the perineum, IYSWIM). If you look here you'll see that the shape and angle of the rectum means that the poo could be pressing behind the anus. Supporting that place was far more helpful than supporting my perineum. Pressing a pad against the pressure caused by the poo trying to come out made it far far easier and less painful to poo.

The one benefit I got from having this ghastly constipation was that when the baby was badly constipated I knew to press on that point for him. When I did so I could see immediately how much more easily the poo passed through the anus, and with less stretching.

Do try the suppository or enema. Nothing you take orally will help right now.

Hope it's all better soon!

I tried the lactulose and senakot and didn't work when I had DS.

Not sure if you can take it when breastfeeding (google to check if you want) but taking 2 tablespoons of 'Andrews' salts (the stuff your granny uses for indigestion) in a glass of water, followed 30 mins later by a glass of orange or grapefruit juice mixed with a dessertspoon of olive oil (yucky I know) might work - if it does it will take about four hours. But it will hurt, and I second the vaseline up your bum and doing it in a warm bath. Chances are you might well have some hernias brewing so don't panic if you bleed a bit - it will be the hernias and not your tear, and loads of us have been there too.

Then once this one is out I would keep up with apricots and prunes for a few days but only in 'reasonable quantities' (bear in mind it will make your baby loose as well)

Waiting with bated breath.... and LOL at the double-penetration. Wonder if DH would fancy a threesome with my 'rabbit'?

Do you know how mathmaticians get rid of constipation?

They work it out with a pencil .

Just a joke to make you smile. Huge sympathies. Really hoping you go soon!

When first-time pregnant friends of mine ask for any giving birth advice they are always a bit shocked and prissy when I launch into the whole "prune juice, pad on your stitches, fybogel etc" advice, and after giving birth they always find a quiet moment to thank me.

Whenever anyone on here goes on about their 48 hours in labour-emergency-crash-lots of blood delivery I always mutter quietly to myself "I just bet it was not as painful as my constipation after DD".

Look. Its very easy - you need a glycerine suppository. I did all the prunes/fruit juice/coffee/water/lactulose stuff but it really did not work. There are circumstances when only dynamite will do. The visiting MW asked me how i was doing and I flinchingly alluded to being a bit "bunged up" (I am v British in this respect - stoical and do not like strangers making references to my nether regions). She laughed and handed over a glycerine thing and I was honestly sorted in about 20 mins.

Honestly. Just do it.

sounds damn grim. call out midwife again. have her look. if need be have her give enema while there to check how you are afterwards. if that fails, have her do a manual evacuation for you (finger up bum and rootle pieces out for you). i've done a few of these in my nursing past. It doesn't last long, isn't tricky for either of you and just gets things going.

Oh, this is so awful...you poor thing!

When I had ds 14 years ago, I was not allowed out of the hospital until I had done the business......I was in for 5 nights! An enema did the business, completely painless.

I found very little and very often was best approach after that. Lots of lactulose (gp told me it is the sugar which shifts the liitle buggers-perhaps this would be known as "shit with sugar on" [grin[)I felt vaguely constipated for 6 weeks afterwrds, but little and often was the best.

Why does know one EVER tell you about this at Ante Natal classes? It's like a giant secret.

oh yes- glycerine. We had to try that with ds1 (although couldn't get near him to do it) but my Mum said it would work if we could.

And????

I'm sure knowing people were waiting for news would make me seize up. It is a secret that nobody mentions, true.

can i please refer the poo feeling doubters to this diagram www.wisc.edu/ansci_repro/lec/lec1/female_images/images_label/woman%20tract.jpg .

It makes perfect anatomical sense that you will be able to feel it through the vaginal wall, when the stool is sat in the rectum. I know I can and I know I don't have any kind of prolapse.

Good luck Pecka! My top tips are regular baths, linseeds on cereal. One thing about Lactulose, when I considered taking it when I had the same after DD I wasn't sure it could be take while BF - perhaps something to check with the pharmacist if needs be!

I am shuddering at thought of manual extraction by midwife!!!

Feel a bit sore and bleurgh today

DH is going out later so ill have anoher go then.

In my doula role im going to make very sure we discuss post birth constipation with my ladies!

hi Pecka, tmi alert

... they wouldn't let me leave the hospital after my c-section until I'd had a poo. I didn't so they gave me an enema. I was dreading it but it was really nothing to worry about - a bit of a non-event really - just helped you 'go' without trouble (and I'm horribly squeamish and hate all that sort of thing). It wasn't at all like having violent cramps or anything. Do you think that might help? Could you ask your health visitor perhaps?

Just to clear up the 'poo feeling' bit - its normal to be able to feel poo in the rectum through the vaginal wall, as they are very close together.

What is not normal (and this is what I think Pecka is referring to) is to get a big lump of poo that is bulging into the vaginal space, which is a rectocele.

Ive just googled it to see if there is anything that explains it better than I can and this link here is quite good.

Pecka - I dont think you have to worry about too many m/ws offering the manual removal service - I left that behind many years ago in geriatrics![]

Yes, I would second the enema. Horrible conatations, but works a treat. No cramps or anything like that. In fact...you don't know you've done it . That's how easy it is

Hope you manage to 'go' soon pecka - sounds very uncomfortable.

Message withdrawn

I'm sure a MNer had this problem not so long ago and the cure appeared to be crouching in the shower and giving it, literally, a helping hand!

Pecka I know exactly how you feel - had a c-section on Saturday and still haven't been. I have been eating prunes, drinking pints of water and have been taking lactulose since tuesday and have taken some sennokt today - still no movement!

It is so uncomfortable and willing to try antything now! Where can I get a glycerine suppository from?

Any chemist, you have to ask for them though I think

Not kept behind the counter in ours.

If you are really desperate and cannot wait until you can get to a chemist you could use a tiny bit of glycerine soap (generally clearish bars) I AM NOT MEDICALLY TRAINED but know that a good friend did this and got the require result.

Im Bieng serious when i say get to your g.p and soon!! there have been cases like this where when you have a bowel movement it leaks through your....well u get my drift, its terrible, it can lead to needing an operation! seriously im not trying to freak you out, but it needs checking by a professional before it gets to that stage, i know what im talking about.!

this is starting to depress me

im scared of what might happen but dont feel able to seek help

the problem is (quite ;iterally) just getting bigger

im generally a bit of a poo phobic - dont talk about it or poo infront of anyne (never when dh is in)

im sure ive torn my tear

Im sorry, i didnt mean to make you feel any worse than you already do, but you do need to seek help, its not something you can put off, besides you need to feel comfortable and be able to enjoy your little one, without the added worry of this

Pecka- ok gross time- is there anyway you can hook a finger in to pull a bit out - if you can clear the hard front the rest should follow. Sorry to be gross but I have done that before (once after birth and also with ds1)

If you think you've torn your tear you really need to show the midwife....

But also glycerine suppositry (spelling) should work and your midwife can give you one