After giving birth, most new mothers-to-be go through a fairly uncomfortable phase where they experience frequent and sometimes painful postpartum constipation. If you have had this problem in the past, it is very likely that it still exists, or that your new baby is causing it. Now what can you do? Fortunately there are many ways for postpartum women to get relief from their condition, but first, we need to understand what causes postpartum constipation.
The main cause behind postpartum constipation relief is that you stopped taking prenatal care. Prenatal care is an important part of taking care of your baby. It ensures that your baby receives all the nutrition that he or she needs and that your bowel movements are regular and healthy. Without this care, constipation becomes a real possibility. So, if you have stopped taking prenatal care and your bowel movements are not regular anymore, then you are going to experience a bout of constipation. What is even worse is that you can wind up developing chronic problems from having constipation such as hemorrhoids or anal fissures.
It is also possible that your lifestyle has played a big role in the condition. For instance, some researchers have found that women with lower fiber intake have more issues related to constipation. Some studies have shown that women with low fiber intake have irregular bowel movements that tend to be hard to control. This is one of the reasons why women turn to stool softeners to alleviate the pain. The problem with stool softeners is that they only provide temporary relief to the sufferer and do nothing to correct the cause.
In the case of postpartum constipation relief, one of the best ways to relieve constipation is to drink lots of water and take fiber supplements. If you are breastfeeding, then this is the easiest way to ensure that your baby receives the right amount of nutrients that it needs. The better the absorption rates of the breast milk, the healthier the baby will be.
However, taking care of yourself during breastfeeding does not mean you have to quit taking your vitamins or laxatives. Just use them in moderation and only when necessary. You can either use stool softeners or take a shower and squeeze out all of the excess water. If you have constipation problems, then you need to use laxatives to relieve the pain. However, if you have not been taking probiotics or if your body is not getting enough dietary fiber, then constipation is more likely to occur. If you want to be sure that you are giving your child the proper nourishment, then you have to make sure that it has the proper nutrients by supplementing it with food from the diet that will provide the necessary vitamins and nutrients.
Some are told to use laxatives when their bodies become too dry because of the hormone imbalance. If you suffer from frequent, irregular bowel movements, then you have to know that they are not caused by the imbalance in the hormones. The irregular bowel movements are caused by the strain placed on the digestive system when the baby is born. It takes a few months for the digestive system to get adjusted to the huge rush of hormones that are being sent through the blood.
You can make use of your natural laxative while your baby is nursing, but try to avoid using it at the same time each day. One good natural laxative for postpartum constipation relief is apple cider vinegar. Start taking apple cider vinegar in the morning, before you put on your daily milk and drink half a cup before going to bed. Apple cider vinegar helps to stimulate the intestines and eliminate the gas that causes constipation. You may also want to add fennel seeds to apple cider vinegar as they are also known to help the intestines and eliminate gas and bloating.
Constipation can become worse if your baby is breastfeeding and is given food that contains too much refined sugar. So, before feeding your baby, ask your health care provider if your baby needs a special formula to contain more iron and other essential vitamins. A special formula is needed because many infants who are breastfed don’t process food very well when they are hungry compared to when they are breastfed. Usually, breast milk still contains more iron that other formulas, which means that it is better to breastfeed your baby even if you feel the need for a special formula.
