3.5 weeks postpartum and it hurts to poop!

[Plarka]

TMI, I know, but I just have to try and find out what's going on with me. I poop only like once a week and it hurts so bad. It reminds me of pushing a baby out. I vaguely remember this happening for months after dd1 was born. Am I just constipated? Or is it something else? Is this normal?

I'm also still bleeding red blood, I thought it stopped but then it started again. Is that normal?

[limette]

Google anal tears or fissures. It was a couple of months before the pain went away for me. I probably should have got it checked out but I didn't.

[jecombs]

Are you taking a stool softener? I had to take Colace for almost 3 mo. pp with my DD! And when I didn't take it, it hurt really bad to poop. I also had a hemmie that I didn't want to aggravate.

My advice: take a stool softener, eat plenty of fiber, drink lots of water, take some sitz baths, and keep your bottom as clean as possible. I think there are even some herbs out there that you put in your bath water to promote healing of tears of fissures. I know Earth Mama Angel baby carries something like that, although I've never tried it.

Call your HCP if you're worried about the bleeding or if it seems excessive.

[Joyster]

With my first it was awful and I was pretty much in your shoes. Take the stool softener and drink tonnes of water. With my second, I drank about 3 litres a day (I didn't stray very far from a washroom for the first 6 weeks) to help with breastfeeding and to avoid the pooping issues with the first. I also at lots of fruits and fibrous veggies, but I cannot stress enough drinking lots of water.

[Plarka]

Is stool softener something you just buy at the store or on prescription?

[Mirrormonkey]

Try Docusate Sodium capsules, they worked wonders for and torturous bathroom trips! The trick with them is lots of water.

[jecombs]

Originally Posted by Plarka

Is stool softener something you just buy at the store or on prescription?

You can get it OTC at almost any store with a pharmacy. I just got a bottle of 90 capsules at Walmart for under $5. It's a generic for Colace.

[RedOakMomma]

Pooping once a week seems pretty extreme. I wouldn't just rely on meds to fix this...lots of water, lots more roughage (salad season is coming up! ), and other fixes would be helpful, too.

I've always found that my daily fish oil supplementation helps make stools softer. Plus it's good for nursing and developing babies, so win-win!