So Embarassing

A. i had the same problem when I was pregnant. IT is VERY painful! I had to increase my fruits and veggies but slowly so I wouldn't have painful gas. When that didn't help much, I had to take Colace every day and use Konsyl. That helped!

You should eat cereals with more fiber in them. You can also take Colace (docusate). It is a stool softener that many pregnant women take. This is a common problem that may lead to hemmorhoids, if not taken care of. Good luck!

It sounds like you are constipated-nothing to worry about and it's a common pg thing! Maybe drink more water, eat more fiber, get a laxative... HTH!

BeckyZ

Try speaking to your doctor about a stool softener. Eat more fiber rich foods. Good luck :)

Are you on a pre-natal vitamin? They contain iron and can make you constipated. Drink lots of water. You should be drinking about 64 oz (I think) a day. It will help you go easier. I ocassionally used a fiber pill (instead of metamucil) to help keep me regular. Good luck and don't be so ashamed. It happens.

omg girl, don't even be embarrassed to ask this one!!! i had many problems with my stool while i was pregnant.. i was very constipated and would sometimes double over in pain.. i was even too scared to strain too hard for fear i would cause problems.. i also ended up having to have gallbladder surgery while i was 14 weeks preg and had it taken out so, now things are really the opposite.. best advice i have is to drink the baby apple prune juice in the little bottles by gerber.. they really helped me my entire pregnancy.. you can sometimes get them by the case at wal mart.. good luck sweetie, i promise i have felt ur pain

A.,

Everything is related to the hormones. Increase fiber and water intake with moderate exercise and you should do better.

Oh A., I could just feel your embarrassment as I read your post. I too went through the same thing and suffered b/c I didn't know a soul ask and was too humiliated to call the Dr. So, first call your Dr if your symptoms do not improve (I wish I had). Increase your fiber, drink lots of water and perhaps try a stool softener. Last resort would be an enema. I know, people say ooh gross I'd never do that, well, I guess they would if they were in the same painful embarrassing situation. Just a few ideas, but start now before your pipes get clogged (that's the best way I know to explain it).

good luck and hang in there

As the book says, Everyone poops!
Anyway, you have so much changing in your body right now and no doubt it is affecting your digestion. You may need to drink more water, but you should call your doctor's office. You can just ask to leave a voice message for the nurse. I am certain that it will not be the first time they have been asked!

Don't be embarrassed. A lot of nasty, uncomfortable things happen when you are pregnant. You can try some Juicy Juice. It's healthy and should help. Otherwise, you could ask your doc for a safe stool softener. I'd stick to the natural remedies though. They're safer and they taste better. Good luck.

A.,
A couple of other places you can get extra fiber when you have had all the fruit and veggies you can stand for one day;
Kashi Waffles. The blueberry waffles have 7 or 8 grams of fiber per serving and are quite tasty.
Nature's Owl Double Fiber Wheat Bread - there are 5 grams of fiber in each slice.

Hang in there!
L.

the problem is probably with your prenatal vitamins you are probably getting a lot more iron than usual. you can ask your doctor for some colace(stool softner) you can take it when your pregnant. be careful you will probably have hemoroids after delivery and due to the hard stools (isn't this a lovely conversation) Hope this helps

Hello A.,
I don't know if you watch Oprah,however she has Dr.Oz on there a lot. And they talk very often about Bowel Movements. And he always says that you should have large healthy stools. This is how you know that you body is getting rid of toxins in the bowel and colon. They talk about how a lot of young children have very large stools. And they say that when you have large stools that your digestive tract, bowel and colon are healthy.People that have runny stool or very small stools should worry . Because this means that you have a lot of old fecal matter on the walls of your colon and bowel. A lot of times that means you have an obstruction. ( meaning the walls are caked with toxins.) I have read a lot of research on this very thing. And they say it is very healthy to have very large stools. As long as they are not extremely hard stools.

I hope I did not ramble too much for you. Hope this helps some.

Sincerely

T. Lanell

Hi A., you may need more fiber in your diet. Cereal in the morning with help like cherrios. You can drink some apple juice to loosen it.

I can remember I was the same way. I sat for an hour at 8 months pregnant because my babies head dropped. This is very painful. just keep a good breakfast with high fiber or take a gentle laxative and that will help. YOur doctor can recommend one.

I hope this helps. We all go through with pregnancy.

Are you taking Iron? I was anemic when pregnant with both my kids and I had horrible problems with constipation, etc. Iron can do that to you. If you aren't taking iron, don't be afraid to call your OB's office and tell them this. Or look at the list of what meds it is ok to take and see if there is any kind of stool softener or mild laxative on there. You might also try cutting out cheese and other foods that tend to block you up. Pregnancy does strange things to the body, that's for sure! And here I am thinking about having a 3rd when my youngest is 7! LOL

By any chance do your prenatel vitemens have iron in them? This is probly the culprit. Ask you OB if you can switch to some iron free and I bet that your problem will be solved.
Isn't it fun being pregnant? Everyone gets to know everything about you! ;)

A.,
I would talk to your OB-GYN and get your prenatal vitamins changed. I am taking some that are actually 2 pills every day. One is the vitamin with DHA & EPA & omega 3 fatty acids and the other is a stool softener & minerals. And they taste so good...I just want to suck on them, LOL...its a coating that wont make you nauseated or gag due to the smell and taste of the vitamin. The vitamins are called Prima Care. They are great. I never have a problem using the bathroom. Hope this helps a little. Give them a try. Ask for samples from you MD.

It is very common to get constipated while you are pregnant. Add more fiber rich foods to your diet and talk to your doctor about a stool softener. It will make you bathroom visits much more pleasant.
Jen

Alot of it could be all the iron in the prenatal vitamins and the fact that you are probably consuming more than you did when you were not pregnant, but the iron can deff make it very hard to go and painful.

I had the same problem. I would go days it seemed like between movements and then they were like that. My doctor said I needed more fruit and veggies well that wasn't the problem b/c that is all I wanted to eat. The problem was I wasn't drinking enough water. He said if you don't also drink tons of water like your supposed the fruits and veggies will not help constipation it will do the opposite. So try lots and lots of water and see if that helps

How is you iron? I was told to take iron pills during pregnancy and I had an effect similar to yours...not quite a cucumber (haha), but similar. Talk to your OB about it and she might suggest a change in diet.

Its the hormones and is a common thing. Try eating 2-3 prunes a day. If you dont like them try some high fiber cereal. If that does not work ask your dr. about taking a stool softener. Good luck, A.

Bless your heart, and everything else :) Try not to be too embarrased, you're not the first pregnant woman to have this complaint, and you definately won't be the last.

Personally, I hate pills/medication and would go for a diet change first. For your evening snack try and apple or plum and a handfull of grapes with a large glass of water. Also you can try to add more green leafy vegies (roughage) to your diet. Turnip greens cooked in a little bacon grease tends to work wonders! :)

If an alteration to your diet doesn't seem to be helping, call your OB and ask what type of stool softner would be best to use.

P.S. Let me know what your diet is like, I'm 31 weeks preg. and having the opposite problem. Whooooosh! LOL

Don't stress, dear, it happens. Are you taking any prescription medication? When I was preg with my last child I has really bad nasuea and they prescribed me a nausea medication - I don't remember what it was called - but it made me horribly, um, concentrated. LOL Iron in prenatal vitamins can also make your feng shui get out of balance - fruit like apples can help, or raisins, and if that doesn't work, ask your caregiver about a stool softener like Colace (sp?) - it is what they give after delivery to keep you from straining, it doesn't cause any uncomfortable cramping and you can get it over the counter. Again, please check with your caregiver before taking ANY medicine while expecting! Hope everything, um, works out for you! =D

I would say that it is from your prenat vit. I had that problem with my first preg. Drink more water and try some warm lemon water (squeeze a slice of lemon and drop the slice in the water and heat it in the microwave until it is hot, let it cool down to where you can drink it but don't let it get cold. Only need to do about 4oz of water) You can also try some warm prune juice. These are natural ways to try and loosen things up. Good luck

Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt lol. The book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" was a big help to me with both of my pregnancies. In the book, it mentions fruit and extra fiber just like all the other ladies have mentioned. But it also says to get something like a small foot stool to put your feet on when you have to "go." It makes "getting it out" a little easier.

I really ain't sure what to say other than maybe try to drink lots of water. Now I will say this, After you have the baby it will be a LOT WORSE!! So as soon as you get home from the hospital start taking stuff to get you going Fast. That was the one thing nobody warned me of and I will say for me that in it self was worse than the actual birth.
Try asking your doctor what could be normal right about now for you.
I wish you all the best. T.

A.,

Talk to your doctor about this. There is probally something she can give you. Maybe an over the counter Stool softner, Extra fiber or both. Just ask. This is not uncommon. Good luck.

Okay....that is not that embarassing. I guess it would be if you had to ask in person but on here, not so much. Anyway, I had that problem and I figured that it must be from the extra vitamins that I was consuming. Prenatal Vitamins. So, I started eating more fiber.....and it helped ALOT. Actually there are two things that really got me more regular and less "big and firm", if you will. I ate corn and Raisin Bran.....both of those really did the job......hope this helps!!

Hey, just to let you know I am not grossed out and you are not alone. The same thing happened to me. I had to switch my prenatal vitamins. I had to start taking childrens chewables. It may just be that you are getting too much iron. Also, drink lots and lots of water. It really helps!! Hope it gets better for you. I know hhow miserable it can make you.

I have soooo been there and I feel for you. You've gotten some great advice already, so I won't repeat it, but I have one word to add...Benefiber. I used it when I was pregnant and it was really helpful. I had tried Metumicil (sp?) and it made me sick. You can sprinkle Benefiber in your food or drinks and it doesn't change the consistency or taste at all. Hang in there...it'll get better.