Bowel issues postpartum? Urgency & diarrhoea

[Sarahjsxx]

Hello,

So this is embarrassing, I'm posting this in postpartum as I'm very sure it's related to pregnancy, I've had this for at least 2 years that I can remember. Before my first baby I did have mild ibs but nothing like this
I'm 10 weeks postpartum with my 3rd baby, breastfeeding (maybe hormone linked?)
I have increased urgency to go to the toilet, i only go once or twice a day but I get very little warning I need to go, with increased gas, I have to get to the bathroom very fast. It's also I'd say 80% of the time very soft and not a regular bowel movement, this always does seem to happen when I'm out and about too
I had this in pregnancy too and I remember I did postpartum with my second 2 years ago I can't remember previous to that
Can it be pelvic floor related or hormonal? I don't have any bladder issues though. I've had 2 c sections and 1 episiotomy. I finally got the courage to tell the gp at postpartum check and he said it's unlikely to be anything to do with postpartum. I'm wondering if pelvic floor exercises can help rather than going back to the gp
Has anyone else had similar?

Looking to try anything like probiotics too! I'm getting to the point I'm scared to leave the house

I had this issue when I was about 4 weeks postpartum. I had a C-section too. It was everyday for about 2 weeks

This sounds horrible OP and unsustainable too! Have you asked your doctor/midwife? Silly question but hope someone can help you.

This is quite common, OP. Did you have a tear during the delivery? Even if not, there can still be some bowel issues post-partum, I went to see a Women's Health Physio eventually and found it helped a lot.

I had urgency and leakage after my first (an emcs), after my second blood (VBAC) was eventually diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after being fobbed off for a year or so. They should really refer you to gastro but it will probably take sometime

Hello, thank you for the replies :)
I did tell the gp a few weeks ago and didn't seem concerned
No I didn't have a tear, I had natural birth 5.5 years ago and 2 c sections since x

Do you mind me asking your symtoms? I have the same as op but been suffering with it for 18 months. I can only leave the house if I take 2 immodium and then another one when out and even that doesn't guarantee it I have to be close to toilets at all times.

I had this too. It resolved eventually.

I was also diagnosed with UC approx 2 years after DC2 was born. Also an EMCS.

My symptoms didn't start straight away but prior to DC2 I had no issues at all. Urgency and leakage were my biggest symptoms. Mucus and also bleeding as time went on, plus the urgency for the loo with literally no warning. I was referred for a colonoscopy quite quickly and although finding medication that suited me was tricky the IBD team were/are fantastic. See your doctor if you are worried and be persistent.

It was that kind of urgency after my first. Then it settled down. After my second it was blood and then not making it to the loo in time and not being able to go out.
If it is ulcerative colitis taking Imodium can be dangerous
The GP can do a fit test to see if there’s blood and can do a blood test to look for inflammation markers. So before I had a colonoscopy it was fairly clear it was ibd
You can bf and have sedation when you have a colonoscopy although they will say you can’t at first.

I’m 3m postpartum with my second (2 c sections also) and experiencing some bowel issues too. Nothing major just more frequent and also some constipation. I was never a regular same type of poop everyday person anyway but I think being pregnant for basically the past two years & hormones have just changed my body. Will mention to doc next week. Was looking for stories & advice too. Trying Udos choice probiotics since yesterday x

@Nomoreplease2016 ah just saw you commented on my thread I forgot I posted when I was pregnant! I'm thinking it could maybe be pregnancy vitamins causing this ( I carried on taking them) so going to stop and see if it improves. I will also try a probiotic I hope it works for you :) x

And yes I think hormones definitely have some effect x

Make sure they run bloods for crohns, coeliac etc.

Rule those things in or out early, because it's not necessarily easy to dx but issues by clinical history.

Yep OP. I had FIT test due to the change in bowel movements all clear. Mine is exacerbated by worrying about it too, which I imagine is what is happening when you leave the house? Anxiety gets adrenalin pumping, which makes you need the loo, it’s a horrible cycle. Mine was bad after my first back to back labour, not diarrhoea as such but really noisy humiliating gas which I had genuinely never had before!! Then after my second birth (I actually had a bowel movement when pushing) I had the sense of urgency and also more episodes of upset stomach and feeling like I couldn’t control it almost.

I tried probiotics, lots of vitamins etc but they were actually harder on my stomach and made it worse, I just have activea yogurts for a bit of probiotic now and try to eat well.

It is definitely linked to damage to the pelvic floor muscles for me and physio can help to repair it. I had terrible diastasis recti where the stomach muscles separate and was told I’d need intensive physio when pregnant but then lockdown happened and it never materialised! So I have been working on it myself the last year or two having suffered for the 2 years particularly after my second birth, I do diastasis recti repair videos off YouTube to close the gap and heal the pelvic floor and touch wood I have felt an improvement. I hope this is helpful for you as that’s something you can start immediately just doing a YouTube video for 10 minutes a day.

I know it sounds silly but it genuinely never occurred to me before I had kids that this could be a side effect, I always just assumed about urinal incontinence as that’s what people always talk about with the pelvic floor damage etc, but thinking about it, why on earth would such extreme changes to your stomach area when going through pregnancy and birth not have long lasting consequences on your rectum/bowels too?! It’s a huge change and really a trauma your body has gone through. There is help out there, thank god for the internet, there is a brilliant lady on Instagram oh I can’t remember her name now - the vagina whisperer I think - she basically made me realise I wasn’t alone and many of my symptoms were a normal consequence of pregnancy and childbirth, when I’d previously been too embarrassed to talk about it.

Hello, thank you for all the replies!
I'm wondering if anyone else who had similar issue, was still taking prenatal or breastfeeding supplement?
I carried on taking pregnacare probably for 5 years since first pregnancy and continued whilst breastfeeding
I wondered if it was that so I stopped 5 days ago and since then the issues have improved a lot, it only happened once. However the Pregnacare makes me feel alot better with more energy 😢 so may have to find something else if it turns out to be that

I just came back to say that this has improved quite a lot over the last month, I seem to fleet between constipation now then it happens maybe once every 2 weeks

I stopped taking pregnacare a month ago as I'm wondering if it was that or hormones😵‍💫