Along with the glowing skin and lush locks that pregnancy brings, also come not-so-beautiful experiences, like nausea and constipation. In fact, constipation is a little-known side-effect of being pregnant. Some mums even experience severe pain from constipation during pregnancy. What causes this? And are there solutions to this unpleasant problem?
This article will tackle these issues and also give mums-to-be suggestions to ease severe pain from constipation during pregnancy.
Constipation During Pregnancy: What Causes It?
Being constipated while pregnant can be very painful.
First, you should know that constipation in pregnancy is quite common, affecting around one in three women. As with many other pregnancy issues, constipation is mainly caused by pregnancy hormones. Specifically, progesterone.
Progesterone relaxes the muscles in the bowels. This means that food stays longer in your digestive system. While this gives extra time for nutrients to absorb into your system, at the same time, it may cause a “poop traffic jam”.
Constipation in pregnancy can start very early, almost as soon as your progesterone levels start rising.
Other than progesterone, constipation during pregnancy can also be caused by:
- Your growing uterus pushing down on your bowels, restricting its usual tasks and activities.
- Too much iron in your prenatal vitamin
- Lifestyle (lack of fibre in the diet, not drinking enough water, not getting enough exercise)
Symptoms of Constipation During Pregnancy
As mentioned earlier, constipation can begin in the first trimester and the condition comes and goes throughout your pregnancy. Here are some of the common symptoms of constipation among pregnant women:
- Irregular bowel movement – you’re only able to poop a few times a week.
- Straining when you poop, and your belly feels swollen and gassy.
- Lumpy, hard and dark stools. They’re so dry that passing them is painful.
Severe Pain From Constipation During Pregnancy
Even when not pregnant, we’ve all dealt with constipation at some point. But for some women, constipation during pregnancy can result in excruciating pain.
Here are three reasons for severe pain from constipation during pregnancy:
- Gas: this is caused by the slowing down of your digestion process. This gas can cause severe pain, either staying in your belly area or travelling through your chest and back.
- Anal fissures: When you push and strain to pass large, hard stools, the lining of your anus can rip and tear. This wound is known as an anal fissure and can cause extreme pain.
- Nerve injury: If your bowels are distended because of constipation, this can put pressure on your sciatic nerve (this nerve runs from the lower back, down the back of each leg). The result? Severe pain.
All the pressure that builds up in your belly because of constipation may make you anxious about your baby’s situation. However, while it may be causing you extreme discomfort, but unless you are becoming severely dehydrated or unwell because of it, constipation won’t harm your baby.
-
Image source: iStock
How to Ease Constipation During Pregnancy
The best way to relieve the pain brought about by constipation is to make some changes in your lifestyle. This includes adopting a high-fibre diet, becoming physically active and drinking lots of water.
However, if constipation persists even after a lifestyle change, your doctor may prescribe some laxatives to soften your stools or a fibre supplement to aid in digestion. Avoid taking any medication without your doctor’s advice. Home remedies for constipation, like castor oil or mineral oil, should not be taken during pregnancy unless your provider recommends you take them.
How To Avoid Constipation In Pregnancy
Mums-to-be, there’s no need to suffer through nine months of severe pain from constipation due to pregnancy. Here’s what you can do to prevent it:
1. Eat more fibre
Foods rich in fibre help you better get rid of waste, preventing constipation. You should try to eat 25 to 35 grams of fibre a day. Here’s an example of the amounts of vegetables that will provide around 25 grams of fibre:
- cup carrot slices, cooked = 5 grams of fibre
- 1 cup cooked broccoli = 4.5 grams of fibre
- 1 cup raw carrots = 4 grams of fibre
- 1 sweet potato = 4 grams of fibre
- 1 cup cauliflower, cooked = 3 grams of fibre
- 2 cups raw spinach leaves = 1.4 grams of fibre
You can boost this by making the switch to whole-grain bread and cereals and eating plenty of fruits (tip: kiwi and prunes are great for easing constipation). Add some psyllium husk to your meals for a further fibre boost.
Avoid refined foods (e.g white bread, white rice, pasta and cereals) which can make things worse.
Remember, before making any radical changes to your diet, you should always check with your doctor first.
2. Drink more fluids
If you are increasing your fibre intake, then it’s even more important that you also up the amount of fluids you drink. Ideally, this fluid should be water, and you should drink around 10 to 12 cups a day. Avoid fizzy drinks, bottled juices (too much sugar) and excessive caffeine.
3. Exercise
Regular exercise during pregnancy — even a 10-minute walk — can encourage bowel movements.
4. Smaller, frequent portions
We know pregnancy can make you very hungry. But resist downing three large meals, which can cause stress on your digestive system. Instead, try eating six small meals. You’ll find that with this, you also experience less gas and bloating.
5. Watch your supplements
We’re not telling you to stop taking your prenatal vitamins. But sometimes, the extra iron and calcium that is found in some prenatal supplements can actually make constipation worse. Speak to your doctor about an alternative (like slow-release iron supplements), as well as taking a magnesium supplement, which could help.
6. Be wary of laxatives
It might be tempting to take an over-the-counter laxative to ease constipation, but don’t do this. Speak to your doctor first, and go with their advice.
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
