6 Months postpartum and I'm still constipated

[Plarka]

it started a couple weeks after dd2 was born, I'm still taking stool softener, it still sometimes hurts and at the least, is uncomfortable, and still sometimes bleeds. I could eat more fiber, but I eat the same amount as I have for my whole life and was fine.

I remember something like this after dd1, and it eventually went away maybe near a year.

Anyone else?

[mellowjello]

A friend of mine gets horrible constipation from gluten.

[AbbieB]

Get your thyroid checked. When you do make sure to ask about the numbers, not just except a "your in the normal range."

I've BTDT and need to be in the low end of the range for thyroid to not experience symptoms like constipation. Unfortunately, constipation from a slow thyroid will not respond to things like water or fiber in the diet.

It is common for women to experience temporary hypothyroid symptoms after a pregnancy.

There are also lots of things you can do with diet and supplements to support your thyroid and help it get back on track.

[alegna]

Could you be dehydrated? Some women need to drink a lot more water while nursing.

-Angela

[dancebaraka]

Originally Posted by AbbieB

Get your thyroid checked. When you do make sure to ask about the numbers, not just except a "your in the normal range."

I've BTDT and need to be in the low end of the range for thyroid to not experience symptoms like constipation. Unfortunately, constipation from a slow thyroid will not respond to things like water or fiber in the diet.

It is common for women to experience temporary hypothyroid symptoms after a pregnancy.

There are also lots of things you can do with diet and supplements to support your thyroid and help it get back on track.

this. and big hugs to you mama. chronic constipation is the worst. i do a lot with chinese medicine, and i have found that after birthing my daughter, i tend towards heat imbalance. i am still working towards balancing this out and dd is 3 years old. my system can be like a scalding pan on a stove... adding water can make it steam! so, adding cool water & yin slowly over the long haul has helped with constipation & a whole spectrum of heat-imbalance related issues. i would rec looking for a good acupuncturist who can help, if you feel so called.

[Mrs-Mama]

Are you still taking pre-natal vitamins...one with a lot of iron, perhaps? Even through pregnancy I can only take a multi-vitamin with 18mg of iron. The 27mg in most PNVs stops me up bad.

[noobmom]

I was in a similar boat, not quite as long though (maybe 4 months?) More water is an excellent idea. Also, I would take some time just trying to go. Normally with kids around I don't wait on the pot, if you know what I mean. Maybe if you take some quiet time each morning with a hot drink and try to relax you might be able to stimulate more frequent movements. Good luck!

[hibana]

OP, Hope everything straightens out soon. My postpartum bowel issues were at times worse than giving birth, and lasted over a year.

Not helpful with treating the root causes, but when you go, squat. You can put the seat up and perch on the rim of the toilet or devise a system that allows you to squat on the floor. Our bodies are not designed to poop in a seated position, and at 6 moths postpartum, your muscles down there are still not back to the way they were before you gave birth. Your body will appreciate all the help it can get.

I can't believe I'm giving a stranger advice on how to poop.

[stephbrownthinks]

I am so glad its not just me!!! I feel like pooping is now worse than giving birth... and I've never had issues before. I have NEVER been constipated, and it got so bad that I would bleed. A LOT. I was so scared to go that I'd hold off and hold off (which obviously just made it worse). I got so desperate I started taking dulcolax which did nothing. Finally I started taking a lot of magnesium, because I heard that most people are mag deficient and that it can cause really soft stools. Its helped a lot. I don't know if that was the right thing to do, or just a coincidence, but I was at the point where I would have gladly gotten an epidural just to get through a BM... and all I wanted for labor/delivery was an ibuprofen afterward haha