I am 5 mths pregnant and have been constipated for 1 week. I have tried prune juice, fruit, fiber an nothing helps. Is there something else i can do without taking any laxatives?
When I was pregnant I was told that you can't be constipated if you drink enough water, so I would try drinking tons of water! Hope that does the trick.
Have you tried flax oil?
No, just stay away from apples and bananna's. Eat fruit that start with the letter "P" and increase fiber like you are doing. Um...I had to take Colace which is safe during pregnancy. If you can't control it by a diet change then you may need to take something like Colace. Maybe you can do an enema. Check with your doctor.
Hi E.! With my first pregnancy, I experienced the same thing you are. My doctor actually had me do an enema (check with you doctor because there is a certain brand that you can use and I can't remember the name of it) and it worked. After that, I ate oatmeal and took fiber pills every day and that seemed to help during the rest of the pregnancy. Good luck!
Never take laxatives. Take stool softners. They won't work as much as you will need but enough to feel better than you feel know.
This may sound a little wierd, but I had bad acid reflux and my doc suggested Mylanta. I also ended up having loose stools as a result. This might work for you. I was a little further along than 5 months when I used it. (It cured the acid reflux of course.)
Good luck to you.
I am actually jealous, I am 20 weeks and my digestion issues are just the opposite! On top of having to run to the bathroom all the time due to all the water I am drinking, I have other urgent reasons to go too! FOR OVER 6 weeks (doctors not worried?!?!?!).
I have no magical cures for you, but I wanted you to know you are not the only one with "issues" :-)
I would ask your OB doc.
however, i would keep trying the things that you have been trying. keep eating the prunes, fresh veggies, fruits etc.
Have you gone for walks? Maybe a little exercise would loosen things up a bit.
(I just don't remember what else i tried)
Good luck, i know it's not a fun feeling!
Oh, yeah, my sister-in-law recommended that I go over to my
in-laws house - she says she can always poo when she goes home!!!
For me, a talk with my mother on the phone for some reason works too!!! LOL!
Or a nice fat greasy burger from McDonald's might do the trick.
When I had that problem my doctor precribed a prenatal pill that had a gentle laxative in it also and that helped me alot.
Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Those are one of the big causes to constipation. Contact your OB and get a prescription for vitamins that dont cause constipation or help with it.
Once your backed up you may need some laxatives and then after you return to regular again push water, fruit, and fiber for the remainder of your pregnancy. Mandarin oranges and corn work great LOL! I have to use that with my daughter all the time and I can tell when it works.
My OB had me talk Colace and it worked wonderfully.
Best Wishes,
J.
I also have had this problem. I would ask your doctor about Colace and MiraLax which are both over-the-counter. These have worked very well for me and my 2-year-old also. Both should be safe during pregnancy, but I would call your MD first. Also, I had a prenatal vitamin prescribed to me called Cal-Nate to help with the constipating effects of the iron in the vitamins.
look at the foods you eat very carefully....i eat a lot of cereal for the same problem...some raisin brans or shredded wheat have over 7 grams of fiber. some things you think will have a lot of fiber dont, especially with some of the cereals out there. there are also a lot of high fiber breads and pastas.
as odd as this may sound I use to eat popcorn for constipation. usually by the second night of having it for a snack it took care of the problem.
Forget the prune juice, it is disgusting and it doesn't help. Go get real prunes, they actually taste better than the juice, and you can even get flavored ones if you want. They have stuff like orange and cherry essence prunes. Three to five a day, I swear by it. It was a lifesaver for me, and all my friends are now pregnant and going through the same thing and it has helped all of them much better than the juice. They are really good for you too, five times for Vit C than an orange, I think I heard. Also, bombard your system with water, and maybe just one good strong cup of coffee in the morning, even decafe will help but then water for the rest of the day not juice or soda. Hope you feel better soon.
