What do you take for constipation during pregnancy?

[Anonymous]

while I was pregnant and after, especially the awful week after and during breastfeeding, I drank a glass of prune juice every morning and ate fiber cereal. I thought it would affect the baby but it didn't, it just made things better for me.

Remember BFeeding really dehydrates you. I have never been so constipated as I was the first 6 months after the baby was born. Eat the high-fiber stuff like it's medication and do what you can preventively.

[Anonymous]

PP, you know that some coffee WITH caffeine is fine, right? I drank it every day when I was pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Ok I have had like the worst constipation ever but I am just entering my thrid trimester. The dietician told me to increase the amount of the following in my diet: whole grains, fruit, and veggies. Then if this not working, incorporate prune juice. If thats not working (which it wasnt), take 1-2 stool softeners (i got the target brand). if thats not working (which unfortunately it wasnt either!), take 1-2 spoonfuls of milk of magnesia. THIS WORKED! And now Im a pooping machine! The whole thing is so frustrating and I swear otther people can tell you are constipated too. BUt my last piece of advice on this is to get flavored milk of magnesia because the plain stuff tastes like how cat pee smells. Its gross. Just hold you nose and swallow it. Chase it with something flavorful like oj or something.

HOPe this helps! HAppy POopin!

[Anonymous]

Bran muffins in the morning and green veggies.

[Anonymous]

hahaha - that's so sweet! bran muffins and veggies. hahahahaha.

I'm with PP who finally went with the milk of magnesia.

[Anonymous]

I drank about 10 glasses/water a day and ate a couple benefiber tablets (as well as other fruit) a day. I had not a single issue with constipation during pregnancy. Plus, exercise to keep things moving.

Could you try prunes or prune juice?

[Anonymous]

I was told by the lead nurse in the OB-GYN dept at Kaiser that it is not recommended to take a stool softener the first trimester.

I suffer from constipation and learned of a natural remedy (i already have a very high fiber intake, flaxseeds, apples, etc), but this remedy actually works EVERY time:

1) every night before going to bed, boil 3-5 dried figs for about 10 minutes (yellow turkish variety- i get mine in bulk from Whole Foods).

2) Let it cool down a little and drink the boiled fig water.

3) Then eat the figs.

You'll "go" most likely within 12 hours.
Without the figs, I wasn't "going" for 3-5 days at a time!

Good luck!

[nabailey]

Prune juice seems to work for me. Mix it with apple juice so it doesn't taste as horrible.

I tried eating apples, drinking more water, eating more fiber, etc, etc. But, nothing else seems to work as well as the prune juice. Actually, I think it worked a little too well once, and now I know to limit the amount I drink, and only use it when I'm having issues. (sorry, if TMI)

Also, FWIW, my OB recommended Metamucil if nothing else was working. Haven't tried that yet though.

Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

I mix a spoonful of powdered fiber supplement (Fiber Sure) into all sorts of things during the day -- fruit juice, smoothies, soups, even pasta sauce. Can't taste it, but I've noticed it helps a lot. Also, Arnolds makes a double-fiber wheat bread. Tastes great. And if all else fails, I load up on baby carrots -- they seem to work every time! Good luck.

[zumbamama]

I get DH to loosen up my lower back and obliques with massage, all which hold in your gastrointestinal organs. So if the core muscles tighten up, along with getting squished by baby, it's going to leave little space in the intestines for food to get through. I agree with all the food postings and exercise postings, anything you can do to loosen up and get things moving.

[Anonymous]

I have had the same issue. No amount of fiber, water, exercise, colace, metamucil even came close to working. I started drinking a magnesium tea and within 3 or 4 days was almost back to normal! I haven't had a problem since. I take Mama Calm (just google it, I buy it on Amazon) -- it does make you tired so I take it before bed. Luckily this has also helped with my restless leg syndrome which is out of control since I've gotten pregnant! Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I see some people have recommended flax seed, but when I researched that it wasn't recommended for pg women because it might cause uterine contractions. I don't know if that is entirely true, do your own research on that, but just wanted to mention it.

I have to take a prenatal plus a supplemental iron because of my placenta previa and the risk of bleeding. While on hospital bedrest, they gave me colace. I tried not using it when I got home, but got plugged up immediately. With my previa, any straining is unadvisable, so I called the drs office, and they again recommended colace. You can get it over the counter. here here for people that can solve this problem naturally. That would be preferable, but with the mega problem I have, I highly doubt it would work.

[Anonymous]

I third the milk of magnesia rec. You don't need to take a lot and drink it with plenty of water.