There is nothing worse than all the discomfort and bloating associated with not being able to empty your bowels! Pregnancy constipation can begin in the early first trimester. This is especially true for those who have a difficult time defecating while on their belly during the early stages of pregnancy. It can also become quite a problem in the later trimester and even the later weeks once you hit the last few months.
There are quite a few ways to treat this problem naturally. One of them is changing one’s diet. If you’re prone to constipation, cutting back on fatty and spicy foods and dairy products can certainly help relieve some of your symptoms. Taking a multivitamin can also be an excellent relief for those who are constipated as it will provide your body with additional vitamins and minerals.
A couple of things that you may want to try our herbal remedies, laxatives and the use of suppositories during pregnancy. However, each pregnant woman is different and will come up with relief based upon many things. Your obstetrician or midwife will be able to give you the most information and direction on how best to treat your condition. You may want to discuss this with him or her before proceeding. It is also a good idea to go to a pregnancy website where there are often reviews from women who have gone through the same thing and have found relief.
A couple of very simple and commonly used home remedies that can be done before and during pregnancy involve the use of laxatives. Most pregnant women are familiar with the benefits of consuming enough water. Laxatives help to stimulate elimination, and they also help to keep your stools soft and smaller. Because of this, they can be a good solution for constipation. However, they should not be used for more than three days in a row, and if you intend to use them for longer, talk to your doctor.
Another very common home remedy for constipation during pregnancy involves the use of prune juice. In addition to helping with the stool, prune juice can help with nausea and vomiting, which are two very uncomfortable side-effects of constipation. If you are drinking any form of juice (most juices are processed without added fruit juices), it is important to keep in mind that you should not drink the concentrated prune juice, but you can add the juice to a glass of water and drink that instead. This way, you will receive the same health benefits, but you won’t have to deal with the nausea and vomiting.
One natural remedy that can be very effective is high fibre foods. When pregnant, you will need to be sure and eat a well-balanced, healthy diet, and one of the best ways to ensure that you are getting all the nutrients and fibre that you need is by including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Eating these kinds of foods will ensure that you are getting all the nutrients, while avoiding any kind of processed sugar or high calorie diet. Adding baked potatoes to your diet as a side dish will also provide a good source of fibre and should be done on a daily basis. Vegetables such as carrots, beets, and peas are all excellent sources of fibre, and you should be adding at least ten servings of these kinds of vegetables per day.
The reason that you feel the need to relieve yourself during pregnancy is that the expanding uterus is causing pressure on the lower abdomen. In order to relieve this pressure and allow the pregnant woman to avoid straining, pregnant women should move their bowels regularly, and this means taking a warm, gentle approach to bowel movements. In addition, pregnant women should avoid eating large meals, eating spicy foods, and drinking large amounts of liquids. All of these things will cause your digestive tract to become stimulated and can increase the feeling of being constipated.
One of the best ways to combat constipation is to eat lots of citrus fruits. These fruits contain a substance called vitamin C, and this can be very helpful. A large amount of citrus fruits can help increase the amount of fibre that your body takes in and taking vitamin C in its purest form is very beneficial for your overall health. However, even if you are taking vitamin C supplements, it is still wise to eat citrus fruits in order to get all the vitamin C that you need.
