my constipation cure

[DeChRi]

This is my third pregnancy and third with severe constipation. Like 7+ days of not going, on a regular basis. I have tried it all.

Daily max doses of stool softeners
Every food, fiber, etc combo ever suggested by anyone
Senna daily
Mirilax daily recommended by Dr
Mag Citrate
Gallon of water

Every pregnancy has been this way and nothing has worked with any real effectiveness. I was recently told to try a TBPS of chia seeds, pre-soaked, 3x a day for week and see what happened. I was told that it took a week for them to kick in. I researched and asked Dr and was told they were just fine. One week later, holy moly I am a new woman. I have gone 2x a day, comfortably, for 3 days now. I have cut out all laxitive/stool softeners, etc. Just water and food choices still in tact.

They are pricey, but if anyone is having trouble, I am curious for others to try them and give feedback. After everything I have tried over and over, I am almost wondering if it a fluke, lol.

But hey, cant hurt. Anyone else a chia seed lover?

[MaerynPearl]

hehe I drink cherry pepsi to cure my constipation.

works like a charm, hurts like heck.

[porcelina]

Had never heard of this. My son has severe constipation issues, and we are using Miralex every day. The good news is, it's working, but I'd rather it be a more natural supplement. So, what exactly are these chia seeds? Would it be possible to prepare them for a toddler?

[7swans]

Originally Posted by porcelina

Had never heard of this. My son has severe constipation issues, and we are using Miralex every day. The good news is, it's working, but I'd rather it be a more natural supplement. So, what exactly are these chia seeds? Would it be possible to prepare them for a toddler?

We love them in pudding! You can find a good basic recipe here: http://www.choosingraw.com/basic-chia-seed-pudding/
I like to use chocolate almond milk for mine. My niece likes it as long as we let it set for long enough that the seeds aren't too crunchy anymore.


I've never tried them for regularity before but I may have to now! We ran out of frozen berries for our smoothies and I haven't been able to go since.

[DeChRi]

Originally Posted by porcelina

Had never heard of this. My son has severe constipation issues, and we are using Miralex every day. The good news is, it's working, but I'd rather it be a more natural supplement. So, what exactly are these chia seeds? Would it be possible to prepare them for a toddler?

They are tiny black seeds. When you soak then in water they absorb a ton of water and get gelatinous. I sometimes mix and soak before I consume, and sometimes not. For my constipated toddler I just stir them in her yogurt and she doesn't notice. Smoothies, anything like that. They really don't have much taste. My mother has had many surgeries on her abdomen and suffers from 2 decades of bowel blockages due to scar tissue and twisting of parts of her bowels. She has been to specialists every where. She has been taking them for 2 weeks and is amazed. I am certainly not a Dr, but mine gave me the all clear as far as them being perfectly safe (used to be a staple in the Aztec diet), and my clinical trial has rocked, lol.

Here are a couple bits of info I dug up, but you can google all sorts of stuff. The history of them is really cool.
http://www.mychiaseeds.com/myseedsfa...#RegularAnchor
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._food_for.html

I am admittedly not a fan of fad food things. But to keep me regular during pregnancy, they are a life savor. I do 3 tbsp, 3x a day.

If anyone else tries them, let me know how they work. I am curious if they work as well for everyone else. It did take me 6-7 days of regular consumption to get solid improvement.

[porcelina]

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'm going to try them for my 2 yr old!

[fullofhope08]

Just adding to this thread to offer more solutions for those struggling with this. I have always used ground flax seed to keep my bowels regular. Kind of the same idea as chia seeds in some respects...I would add them to juice or yogurt so they would absorb some liquid and become quite slippery to keep things moving along. Once I got pregnant, this stopped working as it seemed that my bowels soaked up the moisture, leaving the flax to then work as a cement in my bowels. My Naturopath suggested a product called Fiberrific - worked like magic! It's made from chicory root to provide inulin. I forget why it works, but it's not as dependant on fluids to keep the bowels moving so for me, it still works regardless of how much fluid I'm drinking...which happens to be a lot these days!
http://www.fiberrific.com/
Just thought I'd add another trick to the list for those who are looking for solutions. I hear you - constipation is not fun and can be stressful until you find what works for you.

[To-Fu]

My last pregnancy when I was constipated, I drank about 1/4 cup of coffee every morning (starting somewhere in the second trimester--not the first), and that fixed me right up, let me tell you.

This time, I'm not having constipation problems due to the anti-constipation herbs in my iron supplements. Whew.

[Sharlla]

Prune juice or sauerkraut works really well for me. Oh also sugar free candy.