Constipation Problem

In stores like Sprouts or Henry's in the bulk bin isle, you can find Flax Seed Meal. Take a heaping spoon and mix with water or juice first thing in the morning and right before bed and you'll get the results without the cramping/bloating. Staying consistent is the key. Good luck!

G.

Hi AK,
I'm 11 weeks pregnant and am having the same problem! Maybe I'm not drinking enough water, but I've had luck with prunes. I try to eat just 1 with each meal, and I've seen great results.

I hope you find something that works for you!

I had the same problem until I discovered CALM. You get it at Whole Foods. in the vitamin aisle, and its a powder you can stir into tea. Its actually calcium and magnesium, which is so good for you and baby. A little goes a long way, so a bottle lasts forever. Start out slow with it, because it really makes you go. It really was a life saver for me. Good luck.

I would try making sure you are getting A LOT of water, this can be the biggest cause for constipation. Especially if you are already getting good fiber, fruits and veggies. Another thing that you can try is to add a couple servings of yogurt to your day. The active cultures in the yogurt can aid in digestion and may be just what your body needs to clean itself out.

I was very dehydrated during my pregnancy often, and ended up with a constipation that even stool softeners couldn't help. I was unable to sit down my constipation was so bad. My husband and I ended up sharing an experience we thought wouldn't come up until old age, an enema. It was very painful when I was finally able to go, but it did the trick.

I would make sure you are drinking A LOT of water, all day. Your baby's amniotic fluid is completely new every 30 minutes, that's a lot of water your body is using. Make sure you have enough left over in there for you too!

Good luck Mama!

S. M

Stork's Best Friend
www.storksbestfriend.com

there is a pill that you can ask you dr. about called a stool softener that works wonders. It is over the counter

Colon hydrotherapy is amazing, but you will need a doctor's note since you are pregnant.

Lots of fluids! And you need even more when pregnant! ;)
Also, you may want to read this: http://www.colon-cleanse-constipation.com/senna-tea.html

I remember when i just had my son, i was constipatied, really bad. I was too afraid to do anything but sit there because the stitches hurt so much. My mom went to Walmart and got the "Equate" brand stool softner. Prior to that i was eating tons of fruit, prunes, fiber stuff in my drinks and nothing worked till i used that. I didn't want to get the hard laxitive feel, but this didn't and i was very satisfied. Hope that helps, good luck and drink lots of water. :)

Hi,
Try to eat an orange in the morning on an empty stomach or Coffee and wait a little. See if it works for you. It did for me.

A cup of coffee helps...even decaf. Good luck with your pregnancy.

Lots and lots and lots and lots of water!

I take an all natural supplement! Couldn't live w/out it! http://www.SwitchingStores.com/Sandyl

try colace. It's at any drugstore.

Try drinking prune juice and eating flax seed. They both help with being irregular. Also, drink lots of water. Cut down on dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), bananas, try not to eat lots of bread products as these will stop you up. Hope that you get it all "worked out". :) Good luck with your pregnancy!!

Unfortunatly for me this problem went away when I gave birth. Hopefully it will be temp. for you. Sorry, and good luck.

you could try flax oil, a tablespoon or 2. I would mix it into a smoothie or oatmeal or something. My pediatrician recommends it for kids with constipation. Also, its full of great Omega fatty acids which are great for your babies developing brain!

Drink more and be more mobile. Both my pregnancies were similar in that I always felt "not quite finished" and it might continue that route as your pregnancy continues. Try to stay hydrated, and drink even more so since you will be pregnant during the summer. Walk a lot, as this helps "move things along" in the bowel region.

Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck!!

prunes and prune juice are good natural ways to keep you moving and when you're really stuck you can try glycerol suppositories or a Fleet enema, both are very safe. One is soap and the other is salt. I was so constipated in my first trimester and second as well, but had loose stools towards the end. I found that fiber and water were not enough for me when I was taking prescription anti nausea drugs. The nurse had me take Dulcolax supositores which are a stimulant laxative. It worked really well in a jam.

I think your problem is pretty common. I used to get that same feeling. I ate dried fruit like mango and prunes or pancakes with lots of syrup and butter. I don't think syrup works for everyone, but maybe it's worth a try. At least it tastes better than some of the other stuff out there. Good luck.

Go to a health food store and pick up some probiotics. You can try eating yogurt as well, but most have to much sugar and counter effect. You can get the live good cultures in a pill. The one I like is Jarro-dophilus, but it is pricey. Works great though.

Increase your water, but PB8 has worked for everyone I know. It's a hight quality probiotic and it will help the baby's immune system. Keep it refrigerated for long term storage. I take2-5 at night and I'm so regular, you could set a clock by it! I also take a calcium/magnesium supplement from this company and I find it's balanced well, so that helps a lot as well and I take bothe calcium and the PB8 at night.

www.worldlifesupplements.com

Eat oatmeal, oat bran cerials, bran muffins and drink more water or fluids. Sounds like you are not getting enough fluids in your diet. Salads are better for you than fiber bars right now. They too have natural fluids in them as well. Be sure to drink at least 8oz's of fluids at least 4 times a day if not more.

Okay, so i used to have some serious elimiantion problems. I could spend 20 mins in the bathroom and still not feel done. Then I started on a nutrional program and voila! Less reading!

A couple of my favourite products:

http://www.liveitdontidet.isagenix.com/us/en/isaflush.dhtml

http://www.liveitdontidet.isagenix.com/us/en/fiberpro.dhtml

http://www.liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/slimcakes_be...

I LOVE them all!

B.

Sorry to hear, I took Psyllium husk, Try "Secrets of The Psylluim" from Trader Joes.
Good luck and Congratulations!

Hi A K~

I've always had digestive problems and it became intensified with pregnancy. I found that daily walks (morning and late afternoon) and smaller meals helped. You might also look into food combining and ask if you can take digestive enzymes. Hope that helps a little! Good luck!!

Ummmmm....hate to say it, but you might just not be eating enough. What's your caloric intake/nutrient load/sheer volume?

We all eat more when we're pregnant, because low and behold, we're growing a whole 'nother body inside of us. Yikes. Way to make pregnancy sound yucky.

Anyhow, it may well be possible that you're pooping less not because you're constipated, because your body is using every last bit that it can squeeze out of what you're eating. <grinning> While you may be able to justify adding a twinkie, try to bulk up in proteins (the most... 100 grams of protein a day is what's recommended by many OBs), and rich leafy greens.

And pay attention to those cravings. Craving icecream 24/7? Try spinach (mmmmm Saag Paneer), whole milk, yogurt, or other calcium rich foods. Follow your cravings (they tend to indicate what your body needs at that given time), but to try and examine them. A craving tends to follow the line of something we eat regularly or know well. If you can isolate what the craving is actually for...you can vary your diet in a healthier way. Burger cravings can usually be satisfied by lox, or cannellini beans on crunchy italian bread.

Eating more can be hard for some of us. I'm anorexic (not that you'd know it by looking at me these days), and actually had to quadruple my caloric intake. Ugh. I persoanally went the mental route of "I can screw around once my son is born, but until then, this is about him...not me". And on a flatline metabolism I doubled my weight. And lost over a hundred pounds the year he was born without even trying (aka, still eating). Other's are so used to dieting, that the concept of eating more doesn't even occur to them. (Not we anorexics, food is always on our minds!) Still other's don't really have the money to spend on extra food. And yet still others are so afraid of gaining weight while pregnant, that they start eating less then they did when they weren't pregnant! Doh. Wrong option.

Anyhow...our elimination schedules frequently change when we're pregnant, but I thought i'd toss this possibility out there with the others.

:) Good Luck

So many great suggestions. Don't forget that pretty much as soon as you conceive, your digestion slows waaay down and your intestinal tract expands for optimal nutrient absorption. You will also produce more gas in general. Are you taking prenatal vitamins? I believe the iron can cause more of your symptoms too. I would ask your Dr./OB for a prescription prenatal that has a stool softener included in it. I was given Citrical prenatal and is worked WONDERS. It now includes a second supplement which is a DHA for brain growth/development. Definitely drink TONS of water, walking is great too. Oh, yah, I would try coffee too, even decaf! Good luck!

Flax oil. You can even buy in capsule form. Good luck!

Sorry, I don't have time to read all the posts so I may be duplicating them. 1) Water -- drink lots and if you need to add either fresh lemon or lime. 2) Try a good probiotic. I used Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics 12 Plus. Seriously, this stuff keeps me regular! 3) Prunes. Grandma was right. 4) Fish oil. I feel so much better when I take it.

Congratulations with your pregnancy and good luck!

Taking calcium/magnesium supplement helped me hugely. My doctor said it was fine to take in addition to the prenatals which had some of the same minerals. I use "Pure Essence Labs- Ionic Fizz Calcium plus Magnesium". I never had any constipation if I remembered to take that before bed. Best of luck.
S.

Ask your doctor first always, but I used stool softners and they helped me a great deal. My doctor told me it was safe and I use them until I go. I experienced the same thing and it really is very uncomfortable. I am now 5 months pregnant and my problems going have stopped, thank goodness!I don't have to take the softners anymore. I hope this helps ;)

you can take milk of magnesia or you can try a suppository if that doesnt work then try an enima... but talk to your dr first.

Fiber works by making your stool absorb more water, so it only works if you drink plenty of water.

A dash of lemon juice in a glass of water first thing in the morning - like half an hour before breakfast - is a powerful natural laxative.

Take walks. Getting moving helps get things moving.

Try this powder called Miralax, they sell it at your nearest drug store... but just double check with your doctor first since you are pregnant. I dont believe there are any side effects. It does not have any flavor so you can even add it to water, and will taste like water... no funny taste to it so it wont upset your stomach. Hope you find some relief!!!!!! God bless

suppositories.. no one ever wants to use them but they work..also a good long walk is good for that too..can u drink a spoonful of aloe vera juice?

Constipation just sucks and I had the same problem when I was pregnant so I feel your pain! Two things that really helped me...one, drink as much water as you can. Two, Colace helped...you can get it over the counter and my doctor told me it was ok to take while pregnant.

Feel better!
-M

Kayro syrup. Dark works better than light. any type of antacid will help too. My doc said I could have about 5 antacid tablets a day. it gives you extra calcium. check with your doc just to be sure. We use the kayro syrup with r kids per our ped. works great.

I had the same problem. Prune juice is your friend. It will work within an hour. it is not nice but it works. then ear prunes every day. I had horrible problems when I was PG and my midwife suggested this and wit worked magic.