Think I might have a faecal impaction...

[SeaSaltMill]

Is it dangerous to baby?
I'm 8 weeks pregnant. I suffer from constipation when not pregnant so since falling it's been awful. I've kept on top of it with lactulose and my diet but been on holiday the past weeek and been about twice, even then just tiny hard lumps.
I can feel my bowel is full and it's really hard. I am planning on visitng my chemist when I land back in the uk tomorrow to get an enema, but is it dangerous for the baby? My instinct says no unless it gets really serious, but I'm still worried.

There are other things you can do - go to your GP! They may give you pessaries which are pregnancy friendly and cause it to slide out easily (TMI).

Definitely speak to your GP. If it's hard to get an appt then ask if you can speak to them on the phone. Movicol is brilliant ime, much better than lactulose but not sure if you can take it in pregnancy. GP will know.

I have movicol from previous issues but there's so much conflicting advice. I will definitely be making an appointment with the gp. Luckily I managed to go this morning, a lot more than previously yay! So glamourous this early pregnancy lark

Prune juice!! Good old unsweetened prune juice. Drink two glasses (8 oz) right away. It takes around 8 hrs to work and you will be letting some wind pass but you will have a comfortable bowel movement. You can try a glass a day to help maintain regularity. I feel your constipation pain??, the recommendation for prune juice came from my ob/gyn.

Yup, prune juice. Or orange juice (proper with the bits in and everything).

Things to avoid are castor oil and liquorice - do NOT take these.

Do you know why you normally have constipation? I used to be regularly and horribly constipated before I cut wheat out of my diet, but it might not be that - do you take enough soluble fibre? Stewed apples, oats, dried apricots are all good things to help keep you going on a daily basis once you've cleared the current lump of poo.

Good luck - pregnancy constipation is the pits. :(

I get it because of IBS, no idea on the trigger it's just constant :(
I will be getting prune juice today it helped before. Also going to try for a docs appt to see if I can take/do anything else.
Got cramps today, which I hope is my bowel and not my uterus :(

Movicol definitely. It isn't absorbed into the blood stream so it passes straight into the gut and so is safe. Drink 8 sachets or faecal impaction, but definitely do it under the supervision of you GP. X

I'm gonna call the gp later. In the meantime I've been this morning (not a lot but something) and I've had prune juice, apple juice and some fruit and fibre cereal. Fingers crossed!

My IBS (normally very mild) was hideous in the first trimester of my first pregnancy. I was prescribed Lactulose (free prescriptions remember) and told to take lots of hot baths and up the fibre and water intake. It was incredibly painful, with a lot of cramping. I was luckily convinced that it was my bowel not my uterus (particularly when my doctor palpated my abdomen and blanched at how backed up I was) so wasn't too worried about the baby. But the pain. Oh the pain. I drank pints and pints of water and that really did help. Thankfully I've never relapsed so severely again.