constipated following birth......

[mum2samandalex]

im having real trouble regulating my bowels. I did open them a few days after the birth twice. But since then i found it took days before i went again and when i finally did my stools were really hard and painful to pass.Im breastfeeding and ive been tryinjg to eat well and been trying to drink loads but still it would be days before i could go. Ive brought some lactulose to help and it has but i still dont go every day and when i decided to stop to see if i could go natually i couldnt. I dont want to keep taking something in order to go. I normally go everyday so im not used to waiting days at a time.

Everybody's bowels are different! Its normal to go as often as 3 times/day to once every 3 days.

My thoughts:
-Breastfeeding takes up a lot of fluid, and so your stools can get drier and harder to pass if you're not drinking plenty. Try adding some fruit juices to increase fibre. Cut down on caffeinated drinks which can cause constipation.
-Lots of fruit, veg and fibre to 'bulk up' your poos is essential.
-Are you taking any painkillers? Codeine-based medicines are notorious for causing constipation.
-Does everything feel OK 'down below'? A lot of ladies get 'constipated' because they're subconsciously scared of straining too hard and damaging their perineum further.

Yeah i did get a bit worried has i was passing blood and it was quite painful but the lactulose has helped with that.Is it ok to keep taking the lactulose its been 5wks since i gave birth and ive been taking it for 2 wks now.

I had a similar problem to you. I ended up eating loads of fruit, esp grapes and I was drinking about 3 litres of fluid a day. It seems like a huge amount, but it got everything moving and regulated and then I cut down on the amount. If it was really bad then I'd take some lactulose. Good luck!

It's fine to take lactulose as long as you need to- I got through bottles of it when pregnant. It was minging!

I also tried prune juice which wasn't as bad as it sounds.

If you are passing blood, I would recommend a trip to your GP to get that checked out. Is it painful to poo? You could have piles or a fissure (a small tear in the anus) which may need treatment,

Thankyou i just had one episode where there was alot of blood.

I put glycerine suppositories up my bum after every birth. An absolute Godsend for the first couple of poos.

at spidermama and the suppositories... They work wonders....

What emma & spidermama said. Eating dried fruit is also helpful, a couple of prunes a day should make a difference.

And when I buy the pads/breast pads etc for post-birth I now always include a tube of Germoloids cream.

Glycerine suppositories.

Porridge.

Not together, obviously.

my midwife recommended liquorice and it works a treat!

Great advice I got from my midwife after my first - take a magazine into the toilet and try not to stress about it. It really does work!

Obviously make sure your fluids are up and you don't OD on fibre - yes, good amount of fibre but make sure you drink water accordingly.

Know you don't want to take anything - but I find senacot the only answer (need to check if it's ok whilst BF though)

I had this problem after my three deliveries. Two of which were c.sections. I found that eating fruit for breakfast helped a great deal but too much gave the babies colic as I also breastfed. Lactulose and glycerine suppositories were my saviours.

If you are continuing to bleed then maybe you should speak to your GP. I had terrible piles and was prescribed Proctocedyl ointment and suppositories which were great.

prune juice

vile, but works wonders

5 dried apricots a day and some prune juice.