If you are asking about pregnancy and constipation you should know that it is a common symptom of pregnancy and about half of all pregnant women have problems of this kind. It appears because of the hormone called progesterone that is meant to relax the muscles of the body.
Information about pregnancy constipation
Progesterone also relaxes the digestive tract. As a result the food that you eat takes more time to pass through the tract. As the pregnancy progresses the situation gets even worse because of the pressure that the growing belly puts on the intestines. If you take iron supplements, the situation could get even worse.
What to do about constipation during pregnancy?
In order to make the problem better it is a good idea to have some foods that are rich in fiber. These include wholegrain breads and cereals, beans, brown rice and also fresh vegetables and fruits. It is a good idea to add some unprocessed wheat bran to the morning cereal and drink a glass of water after eating.
It is important to have enough water throughout the day to make constipation and pregnancy easier to bear. According to the specialists pregnant women should have 6-8 glasses of water every day. It is also helpful to have a glass of fresh juice such as prune juice. Some women say that it is good to have a glass of warm liquid after waking up.
Regular exercise can also make a difference when it comes to constipation when being pregnant. You should be thinking about swimming, walking, yoga and riding the stationery bike. These make you feel fit and healthy, not to mention that they also get things moving around your body.
Remember that the bowel movements are supposed to happen after meals. This is why if you have problems with constipation while you are pregnant you should make sure that you have time to use the bathroom after you eat. You should listen to your body and you shouldn’t wait to use the bathroom until you feel an urge.
Some of the women have problems with pregnancy and constipation because the prenatal vitamins that they take are high in iron. If this is the case you should ask for another supplement. This is because as it has been mentioned before iron makes constipation more likely.
In some cases the measures for pregnant women’s constipation don’t prove to be useful. In this case the best thing that you can do is to ask your doctor about the over the counter fiber supplements or stool softeners that you could be taking.
Is it serious?
Usually the constipation of pregnant women isn’t serious. However in some cases it could be a symptom of an underlying condition. This is usually the case if it is also accompanied by abdominal pain or if you also have diarrhea sometimes.
As you can see there are several things you could do about constipation and pregnancy to make your pregnancy as pleasant as you can.
