Sigh . . . constipation issues continuing after birth

[blockopop]

I had horrific constipation throughout my entire pregnancy and was just about able to manage it by eating ridiculous levels of fibre, Movicol and glycerine suppositories

My baby was born six weeks ago and I was looking forward to things getting back to "normal" and while there's been some improvement, it's still not great. I stopped taking any laxatives after the birth and things were ok for about a week but then everything slowed down again and I got a fissure . That's on top of the piles I picked up in pregnancy

So I'm now on lactulose (am breastfeeding so don't want to take anything stronger) and wondering if this will ever get better. I'm really worried I'm going to become dependent on laxatives but can't stop taking them yet because of the aforementioned bum issues!

Has anybody been through this and will it get better?

I feel for you OP I had similar issues and it's just miserable! My constipation and piles gradually improved but I've yet to find a magic fix. My baby's almost 6 months now and I still get flair ups if I don't watch it but it is SO MUCH better than before. For me I struggled for about the first 3 months then I started feeling a little more normal.

Some things that helped me we're:

1. A LOT of water - 3 litres a day. I found I got very, very easily dehydrated after giving birth and this persisted for quite a while.
2. Making sure my feet were raised off the floor whenever I went for a number 2. I went to a antenatal class run by an NHS physio and she told us all that this is much better than having your feet on the floor as it stops you from straining which is what causes problems. This could mean using a step or a pile of books. I always put my feet on our upturned baby bath!
3. Going to the loo as soon as I felt I needed to. Not always easy with a baby, I know, but try not to hold it in for long periods of time.
4. A squirty bottle to wash your bum so you don't damage yourself by wiping too hard.
5. Try to avoid sitting down all day. This was so hard with a newborn! All my baby wanted to do was feed and sleep on me. But once I got her in a sling and started going for daily walks I became gradually less uncomfortable.

Apologies if this was far too much information. I found constipation and piles really miserable - I think I naively thought all the physical discomfort would be over once my baby arrived!

Hope you find some relief soon!

I've been like this a long time too and I think it was since having my kids. I eat a lot of oranges and peanuts if I'm being lazy. I need to stay on top of fibre intake or I suffer for it down the line. Just sick of peeling oranges. I do enjoy eating them thankfully. Congratulations on your new baby. And well done for managing to breastfeed with all that going on, it's difficult enough recovering from birth without a fissure and piles

I feel for you op I was the same and mine strated to get better when my baby was just over 3 months. (The worst constipation ever and I took everything I was allowed inc those depositories (breastfeeding also) lots of fibre and water. I think my hormones just leveled out I'm not sure what worked but it just gradually got better. Sorry

*suppositories I mean sorry

Thanks for the replies, sorry to hear others have suffered with this as it's hideous! It sounds like 3 months is the turning point so I'll keep going with the lactulose for now and then hopefully I can stop taking any laxatives.

@clementine89 I also thought it would just disappear after birth lol.