Constipation hell, send help!

[birchwoods]

I'm 18+3 and have been constipated on and off for weeks. Every couple of days I have awful pains and discomfort with the urge to 'go' but I just can't!! Then things seem better for a day or so, then the merry hell of constipation returns! It's so bad and is back today. I've been to doctors and spoken to my midwife about it. Doc says I can take lactulose, mw told me to avoid taking anything as it'll make my bowel lazy and make the problem worse.

I know it's a common symptom of pregnancy so please tell me how you found some 'relief'!! Did you take anything for it?
Help!!

Poo cake for everyone!!

I already do the hot water & lemon, orange juice, flaxseed etc...Movacol it is then!

Christelle how quickly does the lactulose take effect? And is it a gentle ushering or an emergency evacuation?

There was a poster on the "Funny things about pregnancy" thread who took a great swig of lactulose out of the bottle, discovered the toilet was occupied, and was forced to crap on the bedroom carpet . That's probably why I haven't got any yet- I've got The Fear! (that probably isn't the standard reaction to lactulose, to be reasonable).

Poo ! genius! Cool, I've been looking for a recipe like that...will try and make it this week. That has to be the ultimate pregnancy food .

Oh no, Lactulose doesn't work that quickly.
Nor does Movicol. Overnight or longer, in my (sadly extensive) experience!

Once you have managed to go, you may want to consider a daily dose of fibogel and make sure you are drinking your 2litre of liquid (water, squash, juice) a day.

Nobody's mentioned exercise? I find a good long walk helps, especially if things are at the "almost there but won't quite exit" point. Also try to keep the pelvis as mobile as possible, so you might want to try spending some time on all fours and moving your bum in a circle (looks odd but does help move things along!!)

Prune juice by the barell and an enema on the maternity ward worked for me at 36 weeks :o

My digestive system laughs at exercise, hot drinks, dried fruit, fruit juice, bran, Fybogel, senna... need I go on?

Guts of steel, me

I always found half a tin of sweetened condensed milk eaten right from the can was a sure fire way to make me go but I did have really strong cravings for it :o

I used lactulose, don't be frightened of it.

I naturally have slow guts anyway due to thyroid problems, but it is worse in pregnancy. It has really got me down but gradually things have been improving. I'm now 16 weeks pg and coping a bit better now.

Bowels are sluggish but I'm managing to go most days, things seem to be improving on their own. It was the first trimester that was a bugger! Won't be getting pregnant again so I'm glad that's the worst bit over. Don't normally have it quite as bad as the pregnancy progresses.

Stubborn I saw that post too, that's why I asked, sounded like quite the horrific experience!!

I eat spicy food, that often loosens things up. I especially look for spicy foods with fiber, such as a bean burrito with habanero salsa. Today, I had lunch from an Indian place. The food was a little spicy, with chickpeas.

I have suffered too, and actually had to resort to TMI ALERT a thumb in the fanjo to literally push it out. Ugh.

Since then, I have been having a large bowl of branflakes daily with dried fruit on.

What also works well is junk food. McD's breakfast, or chip shop chips. Am having a couple of junk food meals a week as they are certain to make me go.

I have been suffering for 6 weeks (currently 14+2) tried fybogel and lots of pineapple. Usually a night on the booze would loosen things up but that is out as is spicy food as I have only eaten beige for weeks (hence the constipation). Finally was prescribed movicol today with doc suggesting I wait till the weekend to start off on half a sachet. I was sat there thinking 'I need to get this out of me now!' I Could barely sit!
Anyway started with half this eve and will do half a day till the weekend. Fingers crossed!

Half a sachet is very conservative!

If you're feeling very bunged right now, one sachet a day won't have you running with diahorrea. Movicol can take a few days to start working as well, depending how bad you are.

Oh god. The chip shop chips have worked a treat. Don't think I'll be having them again though!!

I hadn't gone for 4 days and ended up having to take 6 sachets over two days to get things moving! I don't think half a sachet will do much either.

That is just the encouragement I needed but should have read earlier. I took 1 today and will go for 2 tomorrow as I am already in bed! Then ramp it up on Saturday....although I have a long drive on Sunday .

The dr actually warned of 'disasters' at work if I took too much. I think she was scared I'd shit myself in front of a class full of children. Tbh I've had to clean up after a child's movicol experience ...honestly it was in his hair!!!

The doctor is talking nonsense. Last weekend I took two sachets on Friday, three on Saturday and three on Sunday (ok, maybe I'm a special case) and didn't experience any scary degree of urgency when I finally went. You'll be able to work out for yourself what is too much, but half a sachet is likely go be bugger all help. I can't believe he suggested you wait until the weekend too Talk about scaremongering.

Does he realise it's just a stool softener and not a heavy duty stimulant laxative?

Anyway, good luck!

I am prone to constipation and gave up with fybogel and lactulose. I did my own research then went for the jugular and now take 2-3 dulcolax per day and feel so much better for it!

I don't think I could function daily if I wasn't taking them...