Ummm... Pg AND Constipated - Need something safe for baby and nursling

[WhimsyTyme]

Hi all! I searched the forums and couldn't find the solution to my problem, so here I am! :bag:

I am normally quite constipated. Believe it or not it seems to have eased with the pregnancy, I attribute this to my pre-natal vitamins. BUT the contipation combined with the natural expanding and bloating of pg AND my inability to be able to eat well due to nausea - really has me, well, stopped up.

I have a 16 month old that Bf's several times a day.

Any suggestions for something that is safe for the baby and my lil' nursling (the last thing I want to do is give him a tummy ache or runny diapers!)?

Thanks for your continuous help and suggestions mama!

[AugustLia23]

Have you tried prune and/or pear juice? I am such a fruitaholic and thus have never had any problems with constipation, and I recommend eating 4-6 fruits daily...it will help.

Also water, and oatmeal have always helpedme when I was more stuck up than usual ;)

[miamommy]

My mw told me to drink 1 qt of water with the juice from half a lemon by 10 am. I have been going everyday ever since I started it.

[mmgarda]

Metamucil is perfectly safe for bf'ing and pg. It's purely fiber, so there's no medication to be worried about. However, with nausea, this might not be such a great option, so here are some others:

A daily serving of oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts, if you can.

Approx. 5 prunes before bedtime.

Serving of nuts (great snack food)

Chocolate, esp. with nuts (though you may want to avoid for sugar and caffeine)

Fruit, esp. melons (for the liquid) and berries for the fiber. Stay away from bananas and mangoes. Bananas are really high in sugar and are constipating and mangoes are the highest sugar content fruit.

A PP recommended 6-8 fruits a day. I would say no more than 2, simply because fruit is so high in sugar. I know that since I can't eat veges right now (they make my ms skyrocket!), I've been eating more fruit and I have gained a lot of weight recently.

Good luck!!

[Debstmomy]

Not sure how natural you want to do this. You coud use glycerin suppositories. You can even take a fiber supplement, like metamucil, to help get you going.
I know how you feel, and have been there. These were the last ditch efforts I used to go, before heading to a doctor. What an uncomfortable feeling.
I hope something works.

[cianistarle]

i am 13 w and i always have that problem when PG. I drink a TON of water, have a few prunes before bed, use glycerine sup in the am and take a stool softener before bed. its over the counter and ok for nursing and PG. mine usually lets up in second trimester. Hope you feel better soon!!!!

[ctdoula]

the power of the PRUNES!!!! They are instant poop producers around here, LOL. Also, bran flakes or very fiber rich cereal & bread help. Did you stop drinking coffee? Sometimes that makes people poop. Hugs!

[kater07]

Apricot or Pear Nectar (not juice, nectar) You'll find it on the juice aisle at the grocery or at your local HFS. Your MW can also prescribe stool softeners.

[speedknitter]

Even my one-a-day DECAF Latte is enough to keep me regular, and I usually try to eat a bowl of granola for breakfast also. Sorry to hear you are having such problems...good luck!

[nabigus]

I'm 12 weeks pg, have had no m/s at all, but horrible (horrible) gas and constipation. The prune juice has worked like a charm for me, as well as drinking lots of water, eating only whole grains (bye bye white rice), and eating lots of raw carrots. (I read somewhere that raw carrots absorb more water than almost anything else-- you eat a handful with a glass or two of water, and they're pretty darn amazing.)

I never thought I'd become such a connoisseur of fiber! :LOL

[Golden]

Ground flax seed. You can get it cheap at Trader Joe's if you have one near you. You can buy the seeds whole at a health food store and grind them in a coffee grinder. I ate 2 tbls of the ground flax seeds a day. Kept things moving. Add it to yogurt, or a bowl of cereal.

[farmlife]

I've been having a bowl of oatmeal with wheat germ and ground flax seed everymorning. Lots and lots of water and since starting this daily routine no more problems with constipation. Best of luck. Such an uncomfortable part of pregnancy.