Is this constipation?

[GemmaD12]

Ugh! Do you think this is the dreaded constipation?

I'm going to the toilet every two/three days, and in the meantime I don't have any pain or discomfort.

However, when I actually sit on the toilet and try to go - I have to (blush) - push... and push... and push... And it takes forever (45 minutes!) before anything will happen.

Giving up and trying again later doesn't help - I just have to start again from scratch with the same problem!

I always thought that - if you had constipation - you wouldn't get the urge as often as I do, and it would hurt when you tried to go. It doesn't do that for me.

Am I just constipated?

xx

Yes- forgive my tmi but you're stools are probably really hard and the longer they are in the bowel, the harder they get making the cycle harder. Please make sure you up your water along with any fibre as fibre needs it to work. It's bloody horrible x

You can still be constipated and have the urge to go. Your stools are hard so start taking fibre like a handful of All Bran a few times a day until your stools are softer. Pears help make stools softer too, as do Apricots.

Drink loads and loads of water too! If you've tried everything (fruit/veg/bran/water/dried fruit/beans?!) then fybogel is effective and gentle.

I found prunes help a bit...

My bowels just stopped at 20 weeks. I found fybogel really helpful. You can buy it off the shelf in Boots. I would probably only have gone once a week without it.

Take a glass of prune juice daily, it will be your saviour! X

My pharmacist gave me lactulose for exactly the same problem. I remember having awful constipation due to painkillers after DD was born and I was crying with the pain, so I wanted to nip it in the bud this time - however, I am really struggling to swallow the lactulose due to morning sickness and physically gag when I put it in my mouth :(

I am hoping that I will be able to stomach all bran tomorrow as this cannot go on!

Sounds exactly like what happened to me. I always felt like I needed to go but nothing was there as such sometimes 3 days later then the urge would be really strong and it always came almost without pushing even if rather difficult.