embarissing problem

[lovelylou]

I am seven weeks pregnant and have the most terrible constipation. My trousers are all feeling tight because i have not been to the loo properly for about a fortnight. Anyone got any suggestions as to what i can do. Am already drinking lots of water and eating lots of fruit

try lots of dried fruit and also grainy bread and at least 5 pieces of fresh fruit a day, a fortnight is a bit of a worry. avoid bananas and white bread

It really is not that embarrasing I promise.

I had this last time I was pregnant and I ended up having to speak to my doctor about it.

You can get Lactoulose (not sure how you spell it) to sort it out, but it is far from pleasant and made me sore for days afterwards so if you can avoid it please do.

The other thing you can use is a natural husk drink (again truly horrid) but you will need advise from you chemist as to which you can and cannot use, don't just buy it without checking with someone first!

I think you can buy it from the chemist but I really think you should get some advise first just to make sure you are ok to take all this.

Good luck I hope you get it sorted out shortly.

I had a bit of constipation last time so ate Allbran with no sugar muesli on the top every day for breakfast and frequently had baked beans and lentils (partly because I'm vegetarian). Only problem is that you can end up with bouts of flatulence instead, but whilst unpleasant, it's not physically damaging!!

Try to get 25-35g of fibre a day - I am also suffering with this at the mo! Figs, prunes, lentils (especially Chana Dal - 15g of fibre per 100g!) are good. I was suprised to find brown rice only had 4g per 100g! I have become a bit of an expert at fibre-rich foods actually... A portion of fruit or veg seems to be about 2g each.

See www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/high_fibre/food.htm and www.gp-training.net/pal/diet/fibrepal.htm

Water is also v important though I am drinking about 8 pints of water a day but am still suffering at times.

Also ground linseeds are very good!

you do have my sympathies... i went 2 weeks with ds1 and actually had to take a day off work it made me feel so ill!

lactulose is a stool softener.

senna is a bowel stimulant (it irritates the bowel lining giving you the sensation to go)

fybogel is a stool bulker.

it's also a good idea to change your position on the toilet... use a foot stool to raise your feet up so that your knees are slightly higher than your hips... keeping your back straight leen your elbows on your knees... this is a more natural position (our bodies were desiged for squatting in fields ) i have a kiddies foot stool from mothercare!

goodluck xx

I was about to say the same thing about raising your legs - good tip!

Something that I've found useful is drinking some hot water first thing in the morning. It might take a day or two to have a real impact. Also, try some dried fruit (like apricots or prunes) on top of a high fibre breakfast cereal, like bran or muesli. I try to have this every day and it really helps to keep me 'regular'.

If it doesn't get any better, it's worth speaking to your MW or maybe even GP, who should be able to prescribe something for you.

I had this really badly with all my pregnancies. dr prescribed fybogel - it's revolting but fairly natural and v. effective if you drink enough with it. (also free on prescription when you are pregnant)

Only thing that worked for me was having an actimel pro-biotic drink first thing every morning. Extra fibre never really worked for me
Good Luck

Getting a bit of problems here myself (the things we'll admit to in "public" eh? ) and I've been recommended to massage patchouli oil (dliuted to safe concentrations of course - the bottle I got said 5 drops per 10 ml base oil) over the abdomen, making sure to cover the whole area and round to the sides. I've also heard that linseed is good, and drinking hot water with lemon juice 1st thing, before eating anything, about 3 times a week.

I had this about 8 weeks pregnant, went to see gp who gave me a sugary syrup, don't remember the name and I only needed a couple of doses. Also drank lots of water and ate lots of fruit.