Pregnancy and Constipation

I use colace and Citrucel and Benefiber. My doctor told me any of the fiber supplements sold over the counter work great and I need to take some at least once a day and occasionally supplement with the colace. It works!

S.,

I recently just sent this to another person on here as well. I have a handout that my doctors office sent home with me.

Over the Counter Medications You May Take During Pregnancy

Constipation
Increase fiber and liquids Citrucel, Colace, Doxidan, Metamucil, Milk of Magnesia, Peri-Colace, Fibercon, Senokot, Senokot-Plus

Hemorrhoids
Preparation H Suppositories, Anusol HC, Tucks Pads

Indigestion
Gelusil, Pepcid AC, Riopan, Titralac Plus, Tums, Tagamet,
Gas-X, Zantac, Calcium Rich Rolaids, Maalox or Mylanta if
no relief

Diarrhea
Imodium-AD, Kaopectate

Headache/Fever/Pain
Tylenol, Extra Strength Tylenol,NO Aspirin containing drugs or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs

Yeast Infections
Gyne-Lotrimin, Monistat May require treatment for 14 days

Colds/Upper Respiratory Infections
Tavist, Chor-Trimeton Sudafed, Sinutab, Tylenol Cold
Actifed Cold & Allergy, Sudafed Plus, Tylenol Multisymptom
Formula, Claritan D, Theraflu, Tylenol Sinus,Tylenol PM, Vicks, Dayquil Cough Drops, Robitussin Cough Syrup
Increase liquids and rest

Others Benadryl, Dramamine, Hydrocortisone 1%, Calamine Lotion,
Caladryl, Sunscreen (adult and children)

I have it as an attachment as well so you can see it came from my doctor's office. Let me know if you want me to email it to you! I hope this helps!

prune juice does wonders- If you can swallow it. I made myself drink it when i was in early stages.It sure beat feeling that pain from not being able to go.

S.,
I know from experience how miserable this is! I took colace, these little orange stool softners, plus three to five prunes a day. If you get the flavored ones, like cherry or orange, they don't taste so bad, and they are much easier to get down than prune juice. I know I wrote this to someone else already, maybe it was you, but I swear this really works!

Try Prune juice or Crangrape juice. I also did enemas and my dr. said it was ok but check with yours.

Colace worked wonders for me. It's just a couple little capsules a day and it's safe to take when pregnant. I wish I had known about it sooner because mine was SO bad.
Someone else also asked this same question a couple of weeks ago so you might want to look back in the "requests and responses" section and find more responses.
Congrats and happy pregnancy,
J.

I had the same problem! I took colace and metamucil. Eat a lot of fruit and vegetables-most green leafy if you can. Bulk up on the fiber, but if you do that you need to drink a lot of water or it will bind you up more! Water, water, water! I think enemas are okay, double check, I would not take a laxative. Hope this helps!! Good luck and take care I know it's not fun at all!!

Hi there. I had constipation throughout my pregnancy and I can tell you it isn't fun! However, my doctor really didn't want to use laxitives but said if I really needed to, to use only a natural stool softner (found in the pharmacy section and is in a pill form) and that seemed to help. However, I only used it when it had been over a week or so. I found that eating oatmeal for breakfast everyday and also eating granola bars for snacks helped. Drinking juice cut with water (so you aren't taking in so much sugar) helped too. I would make my self hot apple juice in the morning instead of coffee. Make sure to increase your fluid intake no matter what because that definitely helps. I also made sure to have a salad for lunch and dinner. Try to cut back on cheese and get your calcium else where like in dark green veggies etc. It isn't fun so I have empathy for you. It does get better, but mine didn't get better on its own until the 3rd trimester - sorry!

I am 13 weeks right now with my third and I swear by Flax Seed Oil Capsules and also ground flax seed. They work wonders- 1 day!!! I have the ground flax from Intelligent Nutrients and Mississippi Markets own brand of capsules. I take a scoop of the ground a day (GREAT FIBER,vitamins, enzymes)- usually sprinkled on cereal and a capsule or 2 during the day.

I had the same problem throughout my pregnancy. I would take a senna if I hadn't gone for 4 or 5 days. Otherwise, I ate A LOT of fresh pineapple. Pretty much every day I'd have a big bowl. Make sure you're drinking tons of water too.

No laxatives. Ask them if you can take a stool softner. One that I can think of is called Surfak. Also, some of the prenatal vit also have a stool softner in them. I'm sure it's not as much or good as just taking a stool softner.

Good luck!

Hi S.,

I agree with taking a stood softener. I started with Colace, but switched to Ducalax (spelling?) capsules. I still take the maximum of 3/day (all at one time) and I am now 17 weeks. I did not take the fiber because my nausea made it hard to take in enough liquids, so if you do add bulk fiber, like psyllium husks (Benefiber, Metamucil, etc.) make sure you are able to substantially increase your liquids, otherwise you are going to make "concrete" in your system which is obviously worse than not taking the fiber at all.

I also had it so bad in the 1st trimester that for about 10 days I took Phillips Milk of Magnesia, sometimes everyday. I was told it was okay and it was the only way I could get things moving during that time. FYI- there is a cherry version that is concentrated so you only have to take 1/2 the normal dosage - this was key for me since it was hard to get anything to go down.

As for gas medicines, I was not clear that they were safe, but I did begin taking papaya enzymes with meals and that seemed to help with the gas and bloating. Now I just take it as needed.

Good luck and feel free to email me. Oh, it also helps to increase fish oil. I take 1000 mg/day of fish oil in the form of capsules (no odor). If you do this, make sure the fish source is clean (no mercury).