Pregnancy is super magical, but one of the least magical things that a lot of women experience throughout their pregnancy is constipation.
What causes constipation?
A lot of if not all women experience constipation throughout some part of their pregnancy. And so the tips that I am going to be sharing with you in this post have been very helpful to the mamas that I have recommended them to, whether they are pregnant or not. And so I am hoping that at the end of this post you will find them to help you as well.
As soon as you get pregnant, your hormones start to get to work and one of the big hormones that is at work is one called progesterone. Progesterone helps your body's muscles to relax and one of the muscles that it relaxes is the intestines. Relaxed and lazy intestines also mean slower digestion and therefore slower bowel movements, otherwise known as constipation.
So progesterone is a big culprit for constipation during pregnancy. Along with that, sometimes you are experiencing morning sickness during the beginning of your pregnancy, which alters what you know your diet usually is. That might have an effect on your bowel movements as well. When you're dealing with constipation, the first place to go to is back to the source.
As soon as you get pregnant, your hormones start to get to work and one of the big hormones that is at work is one called progesterone. Progesterone helps your body's muscles to relax and one of the muscles that it relaxes is the intestines. Relaxed and lazy intestines also mean slower digestion and therefore slower bowel movements, otherwise known as constipation.
So progesterone is a big culprit for constipation during pregnancy. Along with that, sometimes you are experiencing morning sickness during the beginning of your pregnancy, which alters what you know your diet usually is. That might have an effect on your bowel movements as well. When you're dealing with constipation, the first place to go to is back to the source.
Natural remedies for constipation in pregnancy.
Correct constipation diet.
The food that you are putting into your body is obviously going to affect how it comes out. So making sure that you have a healthy and balanced diet that is rich in fiber from fruits and vegetables is really going to help you have an easier time going to the bathroom.
Some foods that you can add to your diet that will help keep things moving along are prunes, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach, beans, chia seeds, and ground flax among others. All of these foods have insoluble fiber, which helps draw water into the stool to help add bulk and to keep things moving along.
Along with these great rich fiber foods from your fruits and vegetables, it is important that you are drinking a lot of water during pregnancy. It is important that you are taking in more water than pre-pregnancy because you are growing a human. But not only that, but it's also going to help with your bodily functions such as bowel movements.
Some foods that you should try to avoid or maybe take out of your diets are fast food or just highly greasy, oily or fried foods, foods that are heavily high in fat content. These food contents take longer for your body to digest. So it adds to that kind of slowness of your bowel movement. High-fat diets are going to tend to make you more constipated.
Processed grains are also something that you want to avoid if you are struggling with constipation in pregnancy because when grains are processed, the germ or the brand is being taken away from the grain and so it's actually taking away some of the fiber from it. Processed grains would include white bread, white rice or white past or anything really that is taking away bran from that whole grain product.
Another food group to be aware of, that might cause trouble to your bowel movements are dairy products and this is mainly because of the protein that is found in these products. It's that milk protein that's found in those dairy products which can affect and actually cause constipation that you might be experiencing.
All in all, diet is the first thing that you want to make sure it's on track and making sure that you are consuming all the right foods, and that you are avoiding all of the wrong foods as well as drinking lots of water so that your body is able to move things along.
But along with your diet, there are also supplements that you can add that will help with digestion and elimination of waste. Another supplement that I recommend everyone taking, not just for a pregnant mom but everyone who is struggling with constipation is a probiotic. A probiotic is going to help with overall gut health and so, therefore, any digestive problems that you may be having.
A probiotic can be taken in a capsule form and that might be more effective for a smaller pill, but you can also take it in the form of yogurt or in fermented foods like pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha.
Another supplement that you can try taking to alleviate some constipation issues is magnesium. Magnesium is something that almost everyone is deficient in and it really does help with going to the bathroom but it also helps with sleep. And so if you are feeling any sleep deprivation from your pregnancy or you are feeling constipated then magnesium can really help.
As with anything, these supplements that you are taking need to be cleared by your doctor before you try any of them, make sure they are safe for your specific pregnancy, for your specific body and baby before you try to combat constipation in pregnancy.
Another huge remedy to constipation in pregnancy is exercise. Daily exercise is really good for the whole body and health and also getting your body moving and using gravity to help push that poop down and out. If you think about it, it is kind of like a baby when you are in labor.
You want to use gravity to help get them in a good position and to help push them down on your cervix to dilate and then eventually to be born. It is a little bit like that with poop, which may sound really weird, but you want to be able to push down poop so that when you feel like you need to go, you run to the bathroom and go.
Using gravity through exercise can really be helpful when you are dealing with constipation. A 30 minutes walk a day can also help speed up the process of digestion and therefore help with your constipation.
If you are dealing with constipation in pregnancy now and are dealing with the nasty symptoms of hemorrhoids, then I have some tips that will help you feel a little bit more comfortable. Any kind of hemorrhoids is uncomfortable, and a good way to help yourself out is to take warm Epsom salt baths to help you be more comfortable.
Epsom salts have healing properties that bring the inflammation down and help stop the itching and hopefully heals your bottom. Witch Hazel is another recommended remedy for after birth when you know your vagina has a lot of swelling. This is a natural astringent, which helps bring the tissue sides down, therefore, your swelling of hemorrhoids as it actually shrinks the tissues. As a result, it brings a lot of comfort and healing as well.
You do want to make sure that the Witch Hazel you are using is alcohol-free, otherwise, when you apply it using a cotton swab to the hemorrhoids, it's going to sting. One way to also help soothe your hemorrhoids and hopefully heal them is to use coconut oil and lavender essential oil. And if you don't have that lavender essential oil, you don't have to use that.
Coconut oil works really well on its own but the coconut oil with the lavender can bring a lot of soothing. It also helps reduce the itchiness or the swelling and the redness. As it is oil it also helps to lubricate the anus so that when you are pooping it doesn't friction and slides out a little bit easier and it's not as uncomfortable.
Aloe Vera can also bring that soothing, cool relief. Just like when you have a sunburn and you apply it and it feels so good, it will also have that same kind of effect on your bottom.
Last but not least, ice packs can also bring a lot of relief. Just like with any kind of injury, it's going to numb the pain on the area that you put it on, in this case, your bottom. It will reduce any kind of inflammation that you have. And so it can just really be soothing on your anus.
if you are dealing with hemorrhoids from constipation in pregnancy when you are using an ice pack, you do want to make sure that you cover it with a cloth so that you aren't putting the ice pack or the ice directly on your skin, which can cause a lot more air rotation leading to a burning feeling.
Position matters when you are pooping. In western culture, people are used to having these porcelain thrones to sit on when we are going to the bathroom. However, in this position, we have a muscle that isn't fully released or relaxed in order to help us poop effectively as we are sitting with our knees at that 90-degree angle. So when you are constipated or just in general, to help you have a better experience as you are going to the bathroom is to poop in a squatting position.
The use of a footstool in the bathroom can bring that adjustment when you put it at the base of your toilet and it brings your knees up so that they are above your hips. Squatting position has actually been researched and shown to help release more of a bowel movement and to do it more comfortably and easing constipation in pregnancy.
The reason for this is because, a muscle around the colon that, as you move into a squatting position, it's able to relax and allow the colon to have more direct access through your anus and so that your poop is able to slide through easier and more effectively.
If you're really struggling and the diet, the supplements and all of the above tips aren't helping, then it's a good idea to talk to your doctor and see if they can help you out. Above all these tips your doctor can assist you with the conservation and the discomfort that you're feeling. They might be able to provide you a prescription to a stool softener that isn't a laxative or rather an even better solution.
If you have any questions about constipation in pregnancy, tips you have tried and they worked for you or maybe you want to share your experience with other moms then make sure you comment them down below.
Some foods that you can add to your diet that will help keep things moving along are prunes, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach, beans, chia seeds, and ground flax among others. All of these foods have insoluble fiber, which helps draw water into the stool to help add bulk and to keep things moving along.
Along with these great rich fiber foods from your fruits and vegetables, it is important that you are drinking a lot of water during pregnancy. It is important that you are taking in more water than pre-pregnancy because you are growing a human. But not only that, but it's also going to help with your bodily functions such as bowel movements.
Some foods that you should try to avoid or maybe take out of your diets are fast food or just highly greasy, oily or fried foods, foods that are heavily high in fat content. These food contents take longer for your body to digest. So it adds to that kind of slowness of your bowel movement. High-fat diets are going to tend to make you more constipated.
Processed grains are also something that you want to avoid if you are struggling with constipation in pregnancy because when grains are processed, the germ or the brand is being taken away from the grain and so it's actually taking away some of the fiber from it. Processed grains would include white bread, white rice or white past or anything really that is taking away bran from that whole grain product.
Another food group to be aware of, that might cause trouble to your bowel movements are dairy products and this is mainly because of the protein that is found in these products. It's that milk protein that's found in those dairy products which can affect and actually cause constipation that you might be experiencing.
All in all, diet is the first thing that you want to make sure it's on track and making sure that you are consuming all the right foods, and that you are avoiding all of the wrong foods as well as drinking lots of water so that your body is able to move things along.
Use of Probiotic.
But along with your diet, there are also supplements that you can add that will help with digestion and elimination of waste. Another supplement that I recommend everyone taking, not just for a pregnant mom but everyone who is struggling with constipation is a probiotic. A probiotic is going to help with overall gut health and so, therefore, any digestive problems that you may be having.
A probiotic can be taken in a capsule form and that might be more effective for a smaller pill, but you can also take it in the form of yogurt or in fermented foods like pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha.
Magnesium foods.
Another supplement that you can try taking to alleviate some constipation issues is magnesium. Magnesium is something that almost everyone is deficient in and it really does help with going to the bathroom but it also helps with sleep. And so if you are feeling any sleep deprivation from your pregnancy or you are feeling constipated then magnesium can really help.
As with anything, these supplements that you are taking need to be cleared by your doctor before you try any of them, make sure they are safe for your specific pregnancy, for your specific body and baby before you try to combat constipation in pregnancy.
Daily or frequent Exercise.
Another huge remedy to constipation in pregnancy is exercise. Daily exercise is really good for the whole body and health and also getting your body moving and using gravity to help push that poop down and out. If you think about it, it is kind of like a baby when you are in labor.
You want to use gravity to help get them in a good position and to help push them down on your cervix to dilate and then eventually to be born. It is a little bit like that with poop, which may sound really weird, but you want to be able to push down poop so that when you feel like you need to go, you run to the bathroom and go.
Using gravity through exercise can really be helpful when you are dealing with constipation. A 30 minutes walk a day can also help speed up the process of digestion and therefore help with your constipation.
Already Constipated? How do you deal with it?
If you are dealing with constipation in pregnancy now and are dealing with the nasty symptoms of hemorrhoids, then I have some tips that will help you feel a little bit more comfortable. Any kind of hemorrhoids is uncomfortable, and a good way to help yourself out is to take warm Epsom salt baths to help you be more comfortable.
Epsom salts have healing properties that bring the inflammation down and help stop the itching and hopefully heals your bottom. Witch Hazel is another recommended remedy for after birth when you know your vagina has a lot of swelling. This is a natural astringent, which helps bring the tissue sides down, therefore, your swelling of hemorrhoids as it actually shrinks the tissues. As a result, it brings a lot of comfort and healing as well.
You do want to make sure that the Witch Hazel you are using is alcohol-free, otherwise, when you apply it using a cotton swab to the hemorrhoids, it's going to sting. One way to also help soothe your hemorrhoids and hopefully heal them is to use coconut oil and lavender essential oil. And if you don't have that lavender essential oil, you don't have to use that.
Coconut oil works really well on its own but the coconut oil with the lavender can bring a lot of soothing. It also helps reduce the itchiness or the swelling and the redness. As it is oil it also helps to lubricate the anus so that when you are pooping it doesn't friction and slides out a little bit easier and it's not as uncomfortable.
Aloe Vera can also bring that soothing, cool relief. Just like when you have a sunburn and you apply it and it feels so good, it will also have that same kind of effect on your bottom.
Last but not least, ice packs can also bring a lot of relief. Just like with any kind of injury, it's going to numb the pain on the area that you put it on, in this case, your bottom. It will reduce any kind of inflammation that you have. And so it can just really be soothing on your anus.
if you are dealing with hemorrhoids from constipation in pregnancy when you are using an ice pack, you do want to make sure that you cover it with a cloth so that you aren't putting the ice pack or the ice directly on your skin, which can cause a lot more air rotation leading to a burning feeling.
Position matters when you are pooping. In western culture, people are used to having these porcelain thrones to sit on when we are going to the bathroom. However, in this position, we have a muscle that isn't fully released or relaxed in order to help us poop effectively as we are sitting with our knees at that 90-degree angle. So when you are constipated or just in general, to help you have a better experience as you are going to the bathroom is to poop in a squatting position.
The use of a footstool in the bathroom can bring that adjustment when you put it at the base of your toilet and it brings your knees up so that they are above your hips. Squatting position has actually been researched and shown to help release more of a bowel movement and to do it more comfortably and easing constipation in pregnancy.
The reason for this is because, a muscle around the colon that, as you move into a squatting position, it's able to relax and allow the colon to have more direct access through your anus and so that your poop is able to slide through easier and more effectively.
If you have any questions about constipation in pregnancy, tips you have tried and they worked for you or maybe you want to share your experience with other moms then make sure you comment them down below.
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