constipation to make me cry - help!

[olivo]

nearly 19 weeks and constipation has got worse. have been drinking as much water as i can stomach, diet is ok in terms of fibre (or so i thought)and have been using fybogel sachets most days. today, i was in tears on the loo and (sorry tmi) bled loads when i finally went. it was soooooo sore.

do i need lactulose, can i use it and can i get it over the counter?
or does anyone else have any magic solutions? i cant go on like this for 20 more weeks!

Hi...I have horrendous constipation too. Dr gave me Movicol...works well, lactulose is ok but gives me terrible wind. Other things that sometimes work are; prunes/prune juice, All Bran, dried apricots, sprouts and cabbage. Eat all that in one day and you should get some relief by the next day at the latest....

Constipation is horrendous, you have my total sympathy...

If it makes you feel any better I had bad constipation at about 20 weeks. It got better again, I think that the baby was pressing on my gut somewhere and moved.

i understand where your coming from. was really bad two weeks ago and was in so much pain. have been using lactoluse solution and has worked. was bad before getting pregnant so used it then too. have it from the spoon, a teaspoon morning and before bed and things should start to ease within a day.

thanks for your sympathies and advice. I have had it before but never as bad as this. i will try lactulopse and then some of the foods you suggest, azure. is prune juice as horrible as it sounds? i'm not a prune eater......

maybe once the baby moves, i'll also get some relief. fingers crossed....

have a drs appt on monday so if no relief by then, i'll ask about something from her.

You have my sympathies, I struggle anyway with general digestion and pregnancy has only made things worse! I'd recommend oats, they're a form of soluble fibre and have been brilliant for me whereas things like bran flakes are insoluble fibre and can be too harsh for some people.
I just sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of normal flat oats (like you would use for making flapjacks) onto my normal cereals. Seems to work really well at softening things and moving them along.
Obviously you can also make them into porridge if you like as well (but not the Ready Brek type, that's not got any of the fibre of the oat in it!)

Hope it improves soon!

Good advice re oats - I did that too and it seemed to work, as did eating loads of prunes. I had a tough time with this from 20 - 25 weeks and then it got better for a while - only to get worse again after the birth!

Hi olivo,

Someone posted a similar question a while ago and one person who replied gave some guidelines about how much fibre to eat in a day and a FANTASTIC list of how much fibre is in various foods. I changed my diet quite a lot as a result and it is brilliant. I knew I would never be able to find the thread with the list again so I saved it on my computer - I've copied it below!

HOWEVER - having said that - if you are totally blocked now I would think that you will need a 'proper' (stonger) remedy to get you moving again and I definitely think it is a good idea to see your doctor.

Once you're 'unblocked', you could try using the list below to keep you moving! However if it is the baby causing the blockage, I'm not sure how much any of this can help!

The recommendation is, apparently, that you should eat at least one fibre rich food at every meal and should aim at 18-30g of fibre per day.

All bran - medium sized bowl (40g) 9.8g
Bran buds - "" 8.0g
Muesli - "" 6.2g
Bran flakes "" 5.2g
Muesli swiss style - "" 5.1g
Shredded wheat - "" 3.9g
Weetabix - 2 weetabix 3.9g
Shreddies - medium bowl 3.8g
Fruit 'n' fibre - "" 2.8g
cornflakes - "" 0.4g
4 rye crispbreads 4.2g
2 slices wholemeal bread 4.1g
2 slices granary 3.0g
2 slices brown bread 2.5g
2 slices white bread 1.1g
half a can of red kidney beans (200g)12.4g
half a can of baked beans (200g) 7.6g
medium jacket potato (300g) 4.2g
4 tablespoons peas (80g) 4.1g
4 tablespoons french beans (100g) 4.1g
3 tablespoons brussel sprouts (100g) 3.1g
1 medium sized onion fried in oil (100g) 3.1g
2 tablespoons broccolli (75g) 2.3g
3 tablespoons carrots (75g) 1.9g
3 tablespoons spinach (120g) 1.9g
1 medium pear (with skin)(150g) 3.6g
half medium avocado (100g) 3.4g
medium apple with skin (150g) 3.1g
medium orange (160g) 2.7g
medium banana (200g) 2.2g
medium peach with skin (110g) 1.7g
2 tablespoons raspberries (60g) 1.5g
3 tablespoons strawberries (100g) 1.1g
5 dried apricots (75g) 5.8g
5 dried prunes (75g) 4.9g
1 tablespoon almonds (25g) 1.9g
1 tablespoon peanuts (25g) 1.6g
1 tablespoon mixed nuts (25g) 1.5g
1 tablespoon mixed nuts and raisins (25g) 1.1g
1 tablespoon brazil nuts (25g) 1.1g
1 tablespoon raisins (25g) 0.5g
100g quorn 4.8g
fried spinach pakora (50g) 3.5g
fried onion pakora (50g) 2.8g
low fat potato crisps (35g) 2.2g

I haven't tried prune juice but the dried prunes weren't nearly as bad as I was expecting. Mind you, I don't eat them any more. From the list above, I switched to Bran Flakes for breakfast and have baked beans on wholemeal toast for lunch which alone gets me to 17g, then some fruit and veg etc tops me up more. (And sod the wind - too bad, everyone else!!! ) Hope that helps!

Just to add re: lactulose - you need to take it twice daily for a good 48 hours before it really has any effect. Also need to make sure you are getting enough fluid (same with Fybogel).

thanks for these tips. i have taken my first dose of lactulose and am having a baked pot with beans for lunch as it is my day off- usually,its a sandwich on the run! great list of foods ceebie, thanks.

You have my sympathy, I had constapation really bad till 22wks when I was pregnant it was awful. I found that a daily 20min walk (activity helps speed up transit of poo through the gut) and senna at night did the trick with plenty of prunes and grapes. Hope you don't suffer for to long.

Another recommendation for oats. I make my own muesli with jumbo oats, sunflower seeds, sultanas, cashews and chopped dried apricots.

I go like clockwork now! Thinking of taking this in to hospital with me as I really suffered after my c-section last time.

i'm lucky if i get to grab a slice of toast before i leave the house in the morning! suppose i really am going to have to step up on nutrition though. i guess flapjack doesnt count...

prune juice. the fresher the better. And lots of it.
Oats, dried apricots are great once you get things going but initially prune juice. And stewed apple is good too.

Avoiding some of the harsher forms of fibre (e.g. all bran, shredded wheat) might be beneficial too - they can make the problem worse.

I have to admit that I've learnt something - I didn't know that baked potato was high in fibre!

Have to eat the skin though!
(Mum always said all the goodness was there....)

I lurve the skin when they're cooked properly.
looks like I'm going to have to try prune juice too

I've learnt something new too - I didn't realise about the different between soluble and insoluble fibre.

And look a the amount of fibre in a half tin of red kidney beans! (Apparently - always worth checking on the packet to see if those figures are correct) - now where's my old sausage casserole recipe...?

I also second mummycarotcake's recommendation for walking - it helps enormously - I try to go out for a quick walk at lunchtime which helps clear my head for the afternoon's work too! And of course keep drinking loads of water...

Let us know how you get on olivo...

walking up and down the stairs is quite good as well.

I think prune juice is nothing like as bad as it sounds, but it looks terrible, even though it tastes very nice (imo). It can be quite sweet though - I always diluted mine with water as well.

5 dried apricots (75g) 5.8g
these things will get you going - really good, eat 5 with each meal and it will never plug up agian.

Try unsulphered apricots for a better flavour if you want to make a compote, as it goes lovely and goey like toffee

prune juice=magic
seriously. had to dilute it with water though (half and half) and glug down in one...but it saved me, when I was feeling that I would never survive my pregnancy if I had to deal with it for one day more...

Stop taking iron supplements, or prenatal vitamin pills with iron in them. Instead, supplement your diet with red meat and lentils.

Decaf coffee with milk after breakfast - I swear it works wonders!

Second the dried apricot suggestion. Drink cold water after eating a few.

Eat cooked green vegetables.

This sounds absolutely disgusting but if you've got to go and you've been blocked for ages, have a soak in the bath and have a poo I was so constipated after giving birth for weeks and weeks and one time I went 5 days without being able to go and it was soooooo painful The bath worked but it was pretty gross! Also second the prunes and dried apricots. Still, I'd do it again if I ever get that blocked again!!

Lots of vitamin C. When you ingest too much vitamin C it gives you the runs.

I used to do this with DD2 who got horribly constipated when she was weaning. Worked a treat.

Agree that bath also helps.

was going to suggest decaf coffee with milk but cotedazur beat me too it! a proper breakfast every day is really important for good digestion all day, now and esp post pregnancy, ie-after birth. i recommend branflakes or oats mixed with prune juice and honey(makes it lovely and sweet), or wholewheat toast with honey/jam, a little bowl of apple puree or fresh fruit-stawberries, mango or whatver you like and a cup of decaf coffee. oh, and carry a waterbottle everywhere and constantly drink. this helps avoid other yucky pregnancy problems later on like hemorrhoids.

update! started the lactulose yesterday morning - it's really grim, isnt it?! made me a bit windy but tonight, went for a poo that hurt and bled, but less than before, followed by big diarrhoea!! what is going on?
sorry for so much deatil but I'm quite confused.
i dont know whther to stop the lactulose and follow the advice here- could probably manage dried apricots, dont eat meat or drink coffee unfortunately so those are out. prune juice could be ok diluted.
will definitely mention at the drs next week.