Constipation

[MorgansMummy24]

Hi I'm 13+4 and my morning sickness has now turned to constipation! Any tips on helping the situation? Are us pregnant ladies allowed to take senecot

Can't remember about senecot but I think not. My midwife said the likely culprit was the iron in my pregnacare vitamin and to increase fibre in my diet and/or use lactulose which you can get over the counter or on prescription. I've found prune juice for breakfast, drinking more water generally and trying to increase my vegetable intake has helped keep it at bay. If you can also get more iron from vegetables it may help you avoid anaemia and the need for iron supplements later on in pregnancy. I have never eaten so much spinach but luckily it cooks down to nothing so gets bunged in spag bol, chilli etc.

Progesterone relaxes smooth muscle, which is what your intestine consists of, and slows the transit down.

Soluble fibre (oats, fruit and veg, beans and peas), not bran (dries out and slows it down further).

prunes, dried fruit etc.

A kiwi a day works as they have some sort of enzyme thing in them which helps. Two a day will shift anything.

My midwife said no to senakot.

Prunes have really helped me throughout my pregnancy, plus weetabix for breakfast, a few cups of warm water each day and plenty of water in general now that the weather is warming up.

Brilliant ladies, thanks so much, I'm really quite pleased about this as I love kiwis And most fruit and vedge, it's just the MS was keeping me from eating but now my appetite is back in full swing I will be off to tesco shortly to stock up! Hate a bad belly

Hi! I suffer with constipation in my pregnancy ALOT! Ever since the early weeks although now is not so bad touch wood... I'm pretty sure it was worse for me earlier on because of bad sickness ( so not the right foods, enough food or enough water all round plus supplements) . I don't take anything for constipation but my advice is to drink lots of water! It's good all round! Prunes?

No Senakot, but Lactulose and Movicol are safe and free if you get a prescription.

Wish kiwi fruit worked for me!

Have you tried one every morning (or 2). They work for me and my intestines are usually pretty moribund. If you have slow transit, there may be a bit of a backlog.

If you're really clogged and nothing seems to work I came across the following by accident which worked - 2 kiwis and muesli for brekkie, salad for lunch followed by two apples and a banana in the afternoon. Water all the time too. Worked a treat, probably because it rehydrated me!