Prunes.....

[Carlsowski]

I have been suffering terribly so have been reduced to eating prunes!
MIL gave me a tin of the big slimy things and told me to eat at least 10! Of course I obliged as I am in desperate need of some relief but jeez they are foul, I've never tasted something so disgusting, there must be another method to help move things along regularly.

I know it's bad but I even stopped taking my prenatal vitamins all together at 8 weeks as I couldn't stand the agony of constipation any longer.

Does anyone have any other recommendations because I can't ever put another one if those fruits of satan in my mouth again, it's a good job it am over the worst of the nausea!

Any advice would be appreciated

TIA x

Prune juice? It's just as disgusting but you don't have to chew. You can just hold your nose and knock it back?

I had to do this after giving birth. Was vile but actually did work.

Seriously get some all bran cereal! It tastes like sticks of cardboard but it really bloody works! And it tastes better than prunes!

Sainsbury's Wholegrain Sultana Bran.

Califig (aka California syrup of figs) from the pharmacy.

Do you like any other dried fruit? Dates? You'll need a lot though....

You can buy lactose over the counter. It's basically sugar syrup and not addictive, so fill yer boots! (Although if you take a lot you may well fill yet boots )

Thank you ladies,

I have been reading another post as well and seen Lactulose mentioned so will be taking a trip to the chemist.

I have tried all sorts ranging from dried apricots, raisins, weetabix, fresh kiwi, lots of fruit and water (not tried warm water though)

I quite like bran flakes with raisins in so might try that as well

I hope these other methods don't result in the opposite as I hear many women can go from constipated to 'bullet from a gun' and back again a matter of days, I can't be doing that with only 1 loo at work!

Much appreciation for the advise I am receiving on this forum, it's great and so are you all.

Serious respect to all fellow prego's!

Psyllium (a fibre supplement) is safe in PG, and you only have to swallow a few capsules.

Other dried fruit in normal quantities might help (dried apricots shoot right through me).

Or Califig syrup - again, the power of dried fruit in a different format.

Apricots (even unsulphured ones) in sufficient quantities give me discomfort.

The Sainso's flakes I mentioned are actually quite palatable - I'm not mad on cereal for breakfast (DP more so) but I'll happily eat these on occasion, if I'm in a hurry.

Apple juice, fig rolls (you could eat figs but this is my excuse for fig rolls), shed loads of water and a walk. Hope you find something that works for you x

Daily bran flakes, loads of water (like at least 3 litres), lots of veg, fruit, fruit smoothies, avoiding white bread and pasta, then if all that still fails, prune juice, with more water.

It's like a constant battle to keep things moving!

I was suffering terribly last weekend but a combination of prune juice, fresh orange juice, dried apricots, fybogel and fig biscuits has done the trick for me - not sure which part did the trick but something did!!!

Sultana bran. Anything high fiber would do, really.

I tried EVERYTHING and i've been suffering terribly. I normaly have it anyway and pregnancy has just destroyed my colon.

I tried Lactulose and it actually works, its a godsend. Well worth it, i strongly recommend getting some :-)

Good to know we're not alone hey ladies. I'm 13 weeks and feel your pain. Currently taking a fybogel daily, drinking LOADS of water, at least a small glass of yucky prune juice every day (Sainsbury's own better than Sunsweet), 3-4 dates most days, fruit & fibre cereal and loads of veggies. Plus walks and swimming when I can. Just about maintaining a minimally painful status who but sooooo frustrating.

We'll today I ate a whole packet of fig rolls at work and very much needed the 5 glasses of water that followed, along with my weetabix for breakfast and some raisins for a snack after lunch....this evening I really felt the urge so took myself to the bathroom and managed....wait for it....1 little rabbit dropping! WHY?!! Ugh

Got so fed up I went to Tesco and got some Lactulose sachets and a big bottle of Gaviscon to help with my agonising heartburn/indigestion/not sure which/probably both!

after guzzling some Gaviscon and a sachet of Laculose I bloody we'll expect some results tomorrow.

I'm telling you ladies, I might actually explode with all this bloating, gas and clogged up bowels. I am quite literally fed up of this shit to put it mildly!

My MIL makes me something called "go bread" - a family recipe of hers. It's essentially All Bran, soaked in something (milk, possibly), a load of dried fruit, plus flour I assume, baked in a loaf tin. It's very effective, and yummy with lots of butter on!

I can procure the recipe if people are interested.

Oh yes! I would be interested. That sounds like Soreen loaf, is it similar?

Yeah, pretty similar to Soreen, just a bit more hardcore in terms of the all-important fibre content

Ok, I found it. Quantities are one "heaped teacup" of all of the following:

All Bran;
Caster sugar;
Mixed dried fruit;
Milk (don't think it matters if it's full cream, semi or skimmed - in fact my notes record that I used half buttermilk, and it was fine - no idea why I did that, it must have been hanging around the place wanting using up);
Self raising flour.

Method:

Mix the All Bran, sugar and dried fruit together. Stir in the milk and leave to stand for one hour (in the fridge is prob best I guess, as it's milk).

Sieve in the flour, mix, and pour into a well-greased 1lb loaf tin. Bake at 175 degrees C for one and a half hours. Keep an eye on it and consider protecting it with baking parchment if it looks like burning - in fact, my notes say that one and a quarter hours at 165 was enough in our oven, as ours was a pretty hot, fast oven.

Enjoy! Sorry for the slight vagueness in the recipe, par for the course with family recipes I guess.

My MIL told me she thought they put something in prunes these days to make them less effective (?!), I nearly had a panic attack!

For the dreadful bloating and windypops, peppermint tea and some tablets from Boots called Colpermin help. They're safe for us preggos as well.

I'm so windy and constipated and yuck, I can almost make a noise like Chewbacca when I burp.

Fybogel, veggie curry, prune juice and weetbix. All in one day/morning and you won't be struggling later!

Right! I am going to make the "Go bread" right now! I have had enough of this... I am full of prune juice - fybogel - dates- and so bloated with tummy cramps. I find it hard to indentify if tummy cramps are digestive linked, but since I feel so bloated I think they must be! Am working from home today so I went for a walk/ jog as well to try and get my body to remember how to function. Gosh sorry for moaning - what a moaner I am!

Thank you thank you thank you puntasticusername The GO BREAD is very yummy.. I made it today - I had fruit & fibre rather than all bran, but figured it was the same idea, I chucked some treacle in (and lessened the sugar) - currently on my 4th slice.... ermmmmm

Hee hee! Glad you're enjoying it, it is good stuff isn't it? Four slices definitely ought to have the desired effect I should think