Suffering with IBS - anyone got any remedies?

[MillieKitty]

Hey, I'm six weeks pregnant and suffered with IBS flare ups pre-pregnancy and it's ten times worse since being pregnant, the stomach pains get so bad! Just wondering if anyone was in a similar boat and found any good remedies?!

Hey, sorry to hear its flaring up more. Pregnancy hormones can make IBS symptoms worse 😔I had the same issues especially during start of second trimester. Everyones different but below tips have helped me

• increase water intake

-walk/exercise after meals (5-10 mins)

• you may have new triggering foods, keep diary so you can assess- mine was peppers

😔

• i also would get really bad trapped wind pain so i stopped eating food that causes gas for me like brocoli or kidney beans

-try to reduce stress and do some relaxation

It seemed to have work but did take few weeks to notice the changes, hope there are some useful tips there for you

💕

It's all about diet - a response from your gut as to what you are putting into it!

What do you eat? What is a typical day?

Thank you @blibbyblobb ❤️

@hamstersarse I think a roast dinner caused the latest flare up, wish I could pinpoint what it actually was!

I struggle normally with IBS and not being able to go to the loo plus painful trapped wind.
Being pregnant plus having to take iron supplements has made it harder but for me, it's slightly better with loads of water, but mostly before a certain time or of course I'm weeing all night (am anyway but, sure itd be worse) lots of dried prunes, figs, fresh fruit and veg plus beans and lentils every day and absolutely no bread or pasta.
Still not easy though. Can't wait to be off the iron.

@PennyPencils ah I know what you mean! I had to stop taking pregnacare and just take a few separate vitamins instead as it was causing me so many issues with the amount of iron etc in it

Take probiotics or kefir to help rebalance your gut. Have you had any medication for heartburn/stomach acid? These can cause your bad bacteria to multiply.

I would ask at a pharmacy for what is safe in pregnancy to take.
Buscopan, Peppermint tea and capsules can help but check whether they're ok.
If a roast upset you it could be red meat if that's what you had, or maltodextrin which is in gravy amongst many other things and can cause stomach cramps. Certain vegetables can make IBS worse too (cruciferous vegetables especially.)
You might be better after 12 weeks when your hormones settle a bit.

@PineapplePear thank you I will look into probiotics,

@Blossomandbee ah it was chicken but it could very well have been the gravy!! I'm going to look into what else maltodextrin is in!

Are you aware of the FODMAPS stuff? Onion and garlic are two of the biggest causes of IBS (and there would be onion or onion powder in the gravy maybe), both cause me problems. I can eat a small amount now due to eating kefir yoghurt everyday and don't get the terrible stomach cramps - I'd really recommend it.

Thanks so much @Choconut I'll try that yoghurt!

I don't have any tips I'm afraid, but all I can say is it gets better once the placenta takes over around 12 weeks 💚

What has really helped for me during IBS flare ups has been reversing lunch and dinner! For a couple of weeks I eat a full meal at lunch time and a lighter soup and sandwich type meal in the evening. After that it has settled down so I can go back to a more convenient eating pattern.

Low fodmap diet signifcantly reduces symptoms for 80% of IBS sufferers (proper randomised control clinical trials). I used to have crippling stomach pains every month or so and a lot of othrt issues and it transformed my life. I worked out which food groups affected me and how much I could tolerate of them. So I don't have to avoidball high fodmap foods, i just don't eat too much of triggering foods at the same time. Also I get worse affected if I eat a triggering food when I am hungry.

Pregnancy does make symptoms a lot worse, very annoying. Lots of movicol if you are constipated! Being constipated for a long time puts you at risk of prolapse so it's important to deal with if it happens. And iron supplements, which pregnant women often have to take, often cause constipation. It's really bad they dont warn women about this!

Thank you all so much, I definitely feel less alone suffering with this!

I just wanted to come back to this thread and say that these tummy pain issues disappeared around the same time the placenta takes over (10-12 weeks) I'm now 18 weeks and feel pretty normal and no tummy pain at all, so if anyone is struggling in the beginnings do take comfort knowing it should all get better soon x