Constipation

[Anonymous]

Okay, this is when being able to post anonymously is a good thing...

I've been horribly constipated throughout my pregnancy, despite stool softners in my prenatal vitamins, semi-regular prune snacks, a high fiber diet and supplemental colace. Now that I'm almost full term (37 weeks!), I've had both a nurse and doc say they don't want me "straining" - uhm, that's kind of not an option if I'm going to be successful - so now I'm practically afraid to go at all. I know I can just ask my doctor what the risks are - and I will at the next visit - but it seems like such a silly thing to call about. Plus, their suggestions seem limited to all the things I'm already doing and I can't for the life of me figure out what else I could do about the problem.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Words of support? It's sad that I crave a heavy duty laxative almost as much as I miss wine!

[Anonymous]

I feel your pain. I was the same while pregnant. It sounds like you've tried everything, but a combo of TONS of water, kiwi, and colace got me through.


Good luck!! It's almost over! THen you'll be way more worried about what's coming out of your babies bum!

[Anonymous]

I'm at 35 weeks now and have had problems with constipation since very early on. I managed to resolve things about 2 months ago with a fiber drink (morning and evening, never skipping) and daily Colace, all on the advice of a doctor. He also suggested daily soakings in warm water to relax the muscles a bit.

[Anonymous]

Increase your fiber intake. Really count how many grams you are getting. Pay attention to your diet and you will be able to help your body.

Get a good cereal. Try Heart to Heart by Kashi. To add fiber to the cereal add some fresh berries and a couple of tablespoons of ground flax seed.

Make sure you have a salad everyday -- lettuce is a natural stool softener.

Use whole wheat breads. Eat beans. Dried apricots are good for snacks and they have a lot of fiber. Drink a glass of prune juice a day. Get lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

[Anonymous]

Last time I had horrible constipation. I tried:

* Homemade trailmix (Kashi cereal, walnuts, dried cranberries and dried apricots - I couldn't handle the dried prunes) - I snacked on this throughout the day
* Prune and apple juice mix (2/3 prune, 1/3 apple) right before bed
* 10 glasses of water a day
* Colace

Putting those four items together worked for me - good luck to you! I know it's miserable.

For what it's worth, this time around I've been using a TwinLab Prenatal vitamin that doesn't constipate me. Oh, relief!