Constipation question (way TMI) « Back to Group Discussions

[chocolatechip]

Hi all. Okay, constipation has never been something I particularly have trouble with - get enough fiber in my diet I guess. Even while pregnant, my digestive issues have tended more often toward the opposite side of things. I apologize in advance, but there's some serious TMI in here, because I want to know if there are any suggestions for this particular circumstance. 

So, today hits, and suddenly I have the worst constipation of my entire life, but I don't know it until I actually start pooping, and the sucker is too firm and big to come out! I am not kidding.  I was trying so hard just to relax and not strain (keep being warned about hemorrhoids), and then I would get up and walk around and wiggle which seemed to help, but not enough. I must have done this for half an hour, which I wouldn't have done if the process hadn't already been started, and it's hard to stop!

Eventually I worked enough of it out to be able to move on to other things for a bit, until the rest was imminent, and with some "hands on" help I could take care of it. Yeah, it took that. And I then sat there and panted and moaned for several seconds from the relief and feeling like my nether regions might never be the same again (they're feeling a little better now).

Now I'm sitting here eating prunes, drinking water, drinking coffee (which I don't normally do, but which usually has a bit of a laxative effect for me), and considering making popcorn, because I do NOT want to go through this again.

I have seen your various suggestions for helping with constipation in general. Not sure what technique I'm going to adopt, but I'm sure going to have some "Smooth Move" tea on hand for the future. I'm also considering switching my prenatal vitamins, since the ones I use have a full complement of iron, and I know my iron levels have been great.

But, what if I'm faced with this situation again? What do you do if you're in the moment, and are suddenly dealing with things being WAY too dense? I felt like I was going to split open! Maybe I should just have let it happen? But it did not feel right, either from the inside or from feeling around the outside...

I'll even just take sympathy right now. My husband is not the type to necessarily want to hear this in detail, though he'd probably listen if I made him. 

[buko]

Flaxseed oil with meals helped me tremendously during my first trimester.  Worth a shot?  I'm not sure what to recommend "in the moment," though.

[babytoes]

I have found that having smoothies with bananas and other fruits have really helped to keep me regular. I also have been taking probiotics, the 50 Million (Ultimate Flora) for vaginal support. And I think that helps too. 

Hope you don't have to go through that again! 

[ClumsySugarPlum]

Oh, Chocolatechip, I so feel for you right now. I am spending the day recovering from having a hemorrhoid removed yesterday, and believe me, that is a huge wake-up call. I think your idea about changing pre-natals is a good place to start. I, on the other hand have had iron levels that continue to drop, so this isn't an option for me. Water and Colace (a stool softener) are my new BFFs. I"m also eating at least one bowl of Raisin Bran daily. The Raisin Bran seems to satisfy my cravings for sweets somewhat too. Pooping has been really awful today. I've had to go three times today, and I think normally I would have gone all at once. Now, I am practicing breathing techniques for labor to breath down my poop and going to my "happy place." I hope some of this is helpful. You are not alone!

[chocolatechip]

buko, I eat flaxmeal in things, but I wonder if flax seed OIL would have a more drastic effect?

babytoes, I eat a lot of fruit, which is partly why today surprised me so much. I just started taking probiotics on Thursday night, though, so maybe that will help!

ClumsySugarPlum, oh that doesn't sound fun. I hope you can find a way to keep things more regular now. The raisin bran sounds good - I was eating it for a while, and then recently have been back to my typical oatmeal breakfast (made from thick rolled oats, with raisins and nuts and things - it *should* be a decent fiber content, right?!?). I just put raisin bran on my shopping list, because maybe the higher bran content will help. I had to laugh at your description of using breathing techniques for labor. I totally was thinking about that in the moment! "Labor will be harder than this, just have to relax, I'll get through it..." Hah. I'd prefer not to have the opportunity to practice like this again, however. 

Thank you, ladies...

[MPsSweetie]

Prune juice! Especially first thing in the morning, chased by a hot drink. Works every time!

[chocolatechip]

Does one just buy prune juice? Or make it by reconstituting prunes? I've been eating prunes, but could see where additional liquid could help...

[velveeta]

Vitamin c is great for loosening things up. Also, we love www.squattypotty.com.

[babytoes]

I just checked out the squatty potty website, and that sounds like a great idea! Maybe this is why I have always had issues with bm's. My entire life I have never really been regular... that videa on their front page certainly makes me wonder!

[MPsSweetie]

I just buy it, usually sunsweet. I don't like raisins or prunes, but I can choke down the juice, lol.

[sunshinelove]

Grape Nuts cereal is AWESOME for getting things moving. It tastes good, is filling and has some vitamins (and lots of fiber of course). I actually cant eat too much of it otherwise i'll get diarrhea, thats how powerful it is lol. As for in the moment, i have no idea what helps, making squirting some water up there? I've always just suffered through it when need be. I hope you find what works for you!

[Shawnamarie]

I haven't been in this forum for a while, but thought I'd chime in here. Before I was pregnant, I was taking a calcium/magnesium supplement called Natural Calm and have found that it helps me stay regular. I've increased the amount I take during my pregnancy and this seems to help with both leg cramps and with keeping regular, even in the face of pregnancy challenges. If I take it every day, I avoid dealing with moments like you had. I was constipated early in my life and absolutely hated it, so I totally sympathize. I really couldn't suggest much for dealing with it in the moment, other than an enema.

Good luck! :)

[spughy]

I completely forget where I heard or read this, but apparently intestinal flora changes dramatically in the 3rd trimester.  I had major hard poops for a while around 29-30 weeks.  It was awful, but it's gone now.  I hit it with a ton of probiotics (ferments AND pills) and changed my diet - previously, I'd had problems with grains, especially whole grains, but now I am finding that a modest amount (like one serving per day) helps a great deal. (Actual whole grains, not like bread or baked goods.)  I still eat a lot of veggies and quite high fat, and the combination seems to work really well.  I haven't kept up with the megadoses of probiotics but my bowels are moving very comfortably now.

So, my suggestion would be, incorporate more of whatever foods made you gassy and squitty (sorry for the terminology, but it's more descriptive than anything else I can think up) before you got pregnant, get all the probiotics in that you can, and drink lots of water.  Prunes are great but don't overdo them because they're an intestinal irritant.  Rhubarb also works really well for short-term "instant" results.  I would also avoid concentrated fiber sources (like psyllium) because that needs a lot of water to work well and can also pull water from surrounding tissue.  JMO, but I don't think our guts or our internal flora are designed well for that type of fiber.  I'd go more with things like fibrous root veggies (jicama is great for that), lots of tough leafy greens (like kale or collards), peas, beans, etc. - stuff that has natural complex sugars that your intestinal flora can go to town on and get happy with.  Make sure you've always got plenty of liquids and fats going in with your fiber.

[chocolatechip]

I love you all.

velveeta, I knew that squatting was better, though I didn't know why until that video described it! I actually got off the toilet and squatted on the floor for awhile today, because I didn't care where it came out at that point.  Still didn't seem to open things up enough, but moving around sure helped.

sunshinelove, Grape Nuts are another high fiber cereal, so maybe that's why it works. I've just been looking at the fiber content of oats, which I eat often for breakfast, and it's not as high as I thought... I just looked at a fiber list, though, and buckwheat groats are really high in fiber, and I used to do that as a hot cereal too. Sounds like it's time to switch again!

Shawnamarie, I was actually wondering if my cal-mag supplement was making things firmer, rather than the other way around. After poking around on the internet a bit, seems like calcium can potentially increase constipation, but magnesium lessens it, so if you take the two together, it should balance out. Still, maybe I'm not getting enough magnesium, since I've also had more tendency toward muscle cramps recently.

spughy, that is really interesting, because I *do* feel like my digestion completely changed in the third trimester. I was eating way more bread than normal in the first couple trimesters, because it helped keep my stomach settled, and now I've cut back again, because that's clearly not the tactic needed. But it's a good point that maybe I need to eat more like I used to before being pregnant again. I've been feeling far less obsessed with dairy products again recently, too. So back to cooking more beans again, and eating kale with everything, and maybe that will help! Maybe I've just been caught by surprised at my body suddenly preferring what I consider my more "normal" foods again (though I still don't get full with a good tofu-veggie stirfry). I'm glad to hear your experience with the "hard poops" was temporary - I've got my fingers crossed.

Seriously, you all are awesome, and I'm so glad to have a place to come to talk about things like this!

[RainGardenMama]

Chocolatechip- my midwives suggest magnesium for leg cramps and constipation, 400-600 mg/daily.
The apprentice midwife mentioned that the other midwives said somehow it is beneficial ultimately in labor, no idea how that works, I will be picking the brain of my primary MW at my next appointment, I am intrigued!

[writermama12]

I agree with spughy about the probiotic foods. Also, a beet a day (or a few at once) can do it too. And more fat, less protein. I am still having hard pebble stools but they are at least coming out every day now easily without much straining... so big improvement for me. It has been like this from 30 weeks til now so I am pretty sure it is the burst of hormones and digestion slowing to a crawl. I am taking a digestive supplement with meaty meals (HCL with betadine) and I am upping my fat (coconut oil and sour cream) and have cut out much of my cheese and raw milk for a few days to see if that helps. It has so far. I also having been eating more saurkraut and two cups kombucha daily. I have been lazy about making kefir but will try to make myself do it today. It is easy but I put it off.

[firespiritmelody]

FWIW, I think you handled it the same way I would have. The only thing I could add is that maybe some sort of lubrication - KY or even olive oil or something could help a bit "in the moment". Sometimes squatting in the shower with hot water can relax things a bit too. Constipation SUCKS!!

[Meggsy]

I am right there with you. I have stayed off of things like stool softeners, but lately have had to try them as normally fibre-rich diet just wasn't doing anything. Even with daily prunes, lots of kale, no white flour, and a mostly vegetarian diet full of fruits and veggies I have very bad constipation - apparently in part because the baby is pressing down on the colon/rectum, but also, progesterone maxes out now (it relaxes smooth muscle). Shortly before birth, your progesterone plummets, which is what causes labouring women to have a movement. 

I looked into stool softeners and they work by giving you an indigestible for of magnesium that draws moisture out of your body into your digestive tract. But it makes you thirsty, and it only works on the meals you are currently eating, not ones you already ate. 

It is really helpful to eat a mix of water soluble fibre (e.g.: found in psyllium, fruits veggies) and insoluble fibre (found in cerals, grains and walls of some veggies like cord and carrots). The insoluble fibre provides bulk to push things along. You need about 20-40 grams a day, but most of us only get 4-15 (Canadians eat even less than Americans, apparently). 

Also - TMI alert! - at times I think that this is practice for labour when they tell you to be prepared not to push when you feel an insatiable urge to get it out. Eventually your muscles down there will accommodate and relax and let the stuff out, even though it is a very uncomfortable wait.

Oh, and Spughy is right - intestinal flora change a lot. I just found a really good yogurt that only has acidophilus and I find it really helps. It's from my local health food store. And I have it with pineapple, which has lots of electrolytes (also very helpful) and insoluble fibre. 

[ClumsySugarPlum]

Okay, I know this is Chocolate Chip's thread, but I'm going to go ahead and share this anyway...

I pooped!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's that annoying sound? That's not gas. That's my cape flapping in the wind because............................

I am the Super Pooper! 

Sorry. Stayed home today and am still recovering from hemorrhoid surgery from Friday. I agree with Meggsy about constipation as preparation for labor. I have definitely been breathing things down, and oddly enough, I am having some kind of high right now like post-birth with ds when I felt like I could do anything! Thanks for all the suggestions, ladies. I will keep re-reading this thread for ideas. 

[sunshinelove]

hahahaha wow, clumsy, i can almost feel your relief and happiness through this thread!! That is so awesome and i actually laughed out loud at your "artwork"!