Tips for constipation

[pottypotamus]

Hello,
Please help me! I'm 33 weeks, being taking iron tablets since I was 19 weeks. Had constipation on and off throughout since start of second trimester. I've been taking Lactulose. I've been drinking water like crazy, well over 2L a day.

A few weeks ago I discovered I have haemorrhoids. Pooing at the moment has become the bane of my life at the moment. It's so excruciating going for a poo that I have to hold onto the bathtub and sink for support and I shake from the pain. I broke down earlier today because it was so painful I couldn't finish my bowel movement.

Does anyone have any tips on how I can poo without it hurting so much?
I've been to doctor/midwife who've just said take Lactulose.

Lactulose never worked for me but Laxido did the job (also safe whilst pregnant). Good luck!

Can you find out if you can take magnesium? I have found it transformative in pooing! I get constipated frequently and have bad piles too, but since starting to take magnesium it has all been so much easier.

@howsoonisnow85
Do you know if Laxido can be bought over the counter?
@Popskipiekin my next midwife appt is next Wednesday, I will definitely ask her if I can take Magnesium supplements safely.
Thanks both ☺️

Yep you can, I buy mine in Boots x

@pottypotamus

Hello, Please help me! I'm 33 weeks, being taking iron tablets since I was 19 weeks. Had constipation on and off throughout since start of second trimester. I've been taking Lactulose. I've been drinking water like crazy, well over 2L a day.

A few weeks ago I discovered I have haemorrhoids. Pooing at the moment has become the bane of my life at the moment. It's so excruciating going for a poo that I have to hold onto the bathtub and sink for support and I shake from the pain. I broke down earlier today because it was so painful I couldn't finish my bowel movement.

Does anyone have any tips on how I can poo without it hurting so much?
I've been to doctor/midwife who've just said take Lactulose.

Youch! Your poor bottom!

How about suppositories? Not the nicest of things to use but effective.

Hope you have been able to finish your bowel movement by now!

Prune juice can also be very effective. So much so that it's best to drink it in the morning if you don't want to be woken in the night.

I used to swig my iron tablets with a big glass of prune juice - really helped

Linseed and drink lots of water

I tried so many things and in the end the thing that worked/works was a cup of coffee with a teaspoon of sugar. (I know advice is to limit caffeine to 200mg a day which is two cups of instant coffee.) I usually only need one coffee every few days.

Squatty potty, or anything similar to raise your feet off the ground when sitting on the toilet seat. It straightens out your bowel, whereas a normal seated position makes your bowel form an S and makes much more difficult to poo.

I also added chia seeds or psyllium husks to yoghurt, drinks, desserts etc.

I had terrible constipation the only thing that helped was glycerol suppositories. Got pretty much immediate relief

Hi oh poor you that sounds horrendous!

I've always suffered from constipation and recently I've been the same as you. I was taking ondansetron for sickness and it just completely blocks me up. I would suggest laxido as well I've found it's the only thing thats effective for me. I find it's best to take 1/2 or 1 sachet every day to keep regular but you can take more if needed. I would start off with 1/2 a sachet and see how that works because it is very effective. When I first tried it and took a few sachets together I ended up the other way! It honestly makes such a difference, I couldn't face taking the sachets when my sickness was at its worst but now I'm able to take it again its such a relief. No more worrying about struggling to go and pain.

Thanks everyone! I'll look into suppositories and prune juice.

Squatting is a little difficult for me the moment, which a huge bump in the way, I just wouldn't be able to get back up again.

I was reading up on Epsom salts, anybody tried them? They're supposed to relieve the piles and get you all relaxed to be able to poo.

@rachb2019 I have finished my bowel movement yet. I tried at about 3pm-ish and was too painful.
What's probably not helping me is because I'm dreading it, I keep putting it off.

@pottypotamus DO NOT TAKE EPSOM SALTS WHILE PREGNANT! Something about moisture and cramping, it's an abortificant in early months i think so definitely avoid ingesting!

Youch! Sadly it won't get any easier if you put it off :(

Take a book / fire up Netflix etc. as a distraction and try to go if you can :)

@SomeoneElseEntirelyNow
I was thinking of soaking my sorry ass in the bath tub with some salts in. Is this not recommended either?
I'm 33 weeks pregnant.

@danceintherain18 gonna try that cup of coffee in a bit!!

That is absolutely safe! Sorry type/yelling, i had a panic moment!

Seriously skip straight to the suppositories. You can get them from the pharmacy. They work (almost) instantly unlike some other remedies. Just don’t venture far from the toilet!
But don’t leave it - you can cause further problems.

@HotDogGuy
Will try and get to a Pharmacy tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.

I've been fairly regular-ish, going every other day for the past few weeks and that was working for me. But just in the last few days, it's become too painful. What's happening is (and so sorry for TMI) when I'm on the loo and the urge to push comes, because it's excruciating pain, I'm clenching instead of letting my bowels open iyswim. And then nothing obviously comes out.

It's my poor ripped apart anus that's the problem.
Next time I need to go, I'm thinking of taking some ice cubes and trying to numb the area and see if that helps.

Thanks for all your help guys.

Defo suppositories also eating a whole bunch of grapes helped me.

The squatty potty only lifts your feet up. You don't actually need to be squatting down onto the ground! You can even use bricks, large tins or anything solid you can put each foot onto to lift them about 15-20cm off the ground. You can put them wide apart, so your feet/legs are separate to accommodate the bump in the middle. It was honestly the only position that helped me poo in each pregnancy.

Hi OP, sorry about your bum! A constipation remedy that really works for me is olive oil. I read about it on a previous MN thread so gave it a go and it worked wonders. I love Olive oil anyway, so bread and a dip was no hardship.

I suffered from constipation @the same period. Dried apricots and dried figs help me a lot. Hope all goes well for you.

Laxido or movicol.

I take 2 sachets everyday it’s the only thing that helps.

Lactulose is crap unless you drink vast quantities of it.

Laxido and movicol can both be bought over the counter (they are the same thing - laxido is just the cheaper version) and both safe in pregnancy.