Ways To Cure Constipation Problem During Pregnancy

Pregnancy brings along a lot of physical ailments. One of them being constipation. Blame it on the hormones or your dietary structure, dealing with constipation during pregnancy is a tough job.

However, there are certain full-proof remedies that ladies have been using to get rid of or at least to slightly reduce the issues associated with constipation.

• Constipation During Pregnancy
• Why Do Pregnant Ladies Get Constipated?
• Ways To Cure Constipation During Pregnancy

Constipation During Pregnancy

Abdominal pain, infrequent bowel movements and passage of hard stools are all constipation-related issues that almost all pregnant women face at some point of time during their pregnancy, especially during the last trimester when the belly has grown.

Blame it on the hormonal changes, iron in prenatal vitamins or pressure on the womb, there is little you can do about relieving the symptoms completely. These symptoms vanish only after you have delivered, but following a few basic remedies can provide you some relief from constipation-related worries.

Why Do Pregnant Ladies Get Constipated?

The body muscles begin to relax due to the increase in the progesterone hormone during pregnancy. This involves the muscles of the intestine as well. So, eventually the digestion is affected and is said to slow down, leading to constipation.

Constipation during pregnancy is not uncommon. According to the data published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, almost 90 percent of pregnant women face constipation-related issues apart from other bowel problems. People have since ages used various methods to overcome constipation in general - these involve natural cures as well as over-the-counter pills such as laxatives.

However, when constipation happens during pregnancy, the number of solutions that you can use to relieve the symptoms shrinks down to only a few. Read on to know more about the pregnancy-safe constipation-relieving solutions.

Ways To Cure Constipation During Pregnancy

• Pregnant women should have a diet that is rich in fiber. This helps in preventing constipation. It also provides antioxidants and vitamins. Pregnant women should ensure the intake of at least 25 to 30 grams of dietary fiber daily.

Try to include vegetables, fresh fruits, peas, beans, bran cereals, lentils, whole-grain bread and prunes in your diet. You can make a fruit salad using apples, bananas, raspberries, figs and strawberries. You can also prepare a delicious side dish by just roasting a combination of sweet corn, carrots and Brussels sprouts.

• Keep yourself well hydrated. It is a good idea to double your water intake during pregnancy. It is recommended that all pregnant ladies should drink at least 8 glasses of water without fail. This ensures that your bowels are maintained soft and can move smoothly through your digestive tract.

• Break your daily food intake into smaller meals. You can have five to six small meals rather than three large meals. This serves to provide relief from constipation to a great extent. The stomach is able to digest the food easily when you have smaller meals.

This way, the food is also transferred to the intestine and colon in a smooth manner. Eating large meals can overload your stomach and give your digestive system a tough job to process the consumed food.

• Pregnant woman should keep themselves physically active. Relieving constipation becomes simpler if you keep yourself physically active. Mild exercising can stimulate your bowels. Pregnant woman (if health permits) should exercise regularly - at least thrice per week for around half an hour each day.

Prenatal yoga is the preferred choice of physical activity for most pregnant women. You can also go for a daily long stretch of walk. You can consult your doctor in order to understand the exercises that would be safe to perform during pregnancy (especially if you are new to exercising).

• In spite of trying the basic remedies, if you still find yourself constipated, then you should not wait too long before consulting your doctor. If you are severely constipated, your doctor might prescribe a stool softener for temporary usage. Stool softeners should not be used for a long term, as this can cause dehydration and change the body's electrolyte balance.

Stool softeners are designed to moisten the bowels, so that they can pass out easily. They come handy, especially when the prenatal supplements (such as iron) taken by pregnant women is the prime cause behind constipation.

However, do not take over-the-counter stool softeners. It is better to use it after being prescribed by your doctor because all medicines are not safe to be used during pregnancy.

Constipation during pregnancy, as worse as it might feel, is highly common. Although you will need to deal with it through basic remedies or with the use of stool softeners, it is sure to be cured once you have delivered.

Be strong and tackle this issue as you would with any difficult phase in your life. Following the basic remedies suggested above could ease the discomfort of difficult bowel movements to a great extent.