Navigating through the unexpected hurdles of pregnancy, many pregnant women stumble upon constipation.
Despite sounding slightly comical, it often leads to abdominal pain and adds unwelcome discomfort to your daily routine.
The Root Causes of Constipation in Pregnancy
To fully understand constipation during pregnancy, it’s essential to first explore its correlation with your digestive system.
Primarily, hormonal changes significantly contribute to the onset of constipation.
During pregnancy, the hormone progesterone rises naturally. This hormone plays an imperative role in health care, safeguarding the health of your uterus and fostering your baby’s growth.
However, the flip side of this process involves relaxing your digestive tract muscles, causing a slowdown in food transit and, consequently, constipation.
Subsequently, the increased pressure from your growing baby occupies a noteworthy spot in the list of causes.
As your baby naturally develops and expands, pressure is exerted on your intestines, so the efficiency of waste elimination decreases, resulting in constipation.
Thirdly, the lack of fibre in your diet ranks high amongst the numerous culprits.
Dietary fibre dramatically aids bowel bulkiness, promoting smoother bowel movement.
However, dietary changes during pregnancy might mean lesser fibre intake, paving the way for more persistent constipation episodes.
Moreover, an often overlooked yet essential factor is your iron supplement.
Routine during pregnancy, this mineral can aid in anaemia prevention but, unfortunately, results in constipation due to hardened stools.
Finally, the lack of physical activity due to decreased mobility or general pregnancy fatigue slows down bowel movements, thus aggravating constipation.
Five Tested and Trusted Tips to Win the Battle Against Pregnancy Constipation
Here are some tips to help you soothe your pregnancy journey:.
Tip 1: Let Fibre Become Your Best Friend
Understanding the central role dietary fibres play in digestion allows you to adjust your diet.
Implementing a routine consumption of high fibre foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and dried fruits, can naturally offset the discomfort of constipation.
Furthermore, balance this out by staying well-hydrated to maximise the positive effects of fibre.
Advantages Consuming Fibre
- Enhanced Digestive Health: A diet rich in fibre can help relieve constipation by softening stools and increasing their weight and size. This encourages better movement through your digestive tract, enhancing overall digestive health.
- Weight Management: High-fibre foods are generally more filling, making you feel satisfied for a longer period of time. This can help prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy.
- Balanced Blood Sugar Levels: Eating plenty of fibrous foods can slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream and prevent spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels.
- Reduced Haemorrhoids Risk: An increased intake of dietary fibre can lower the risk of developing haemorrhoids—swollen blood vessels in the rectal area, which are common during pregnancy due to increased pressure on the veins.
- Cardiovascular Health: Several studies have shown a direct link between high fibre intake and a decrease in cardiovascular disease. This is due to fibre’s ability to bind with cholesterol, preventing its absorption.
- Improved Immune System: Certain types of fibre can help improve your immune response as they act as prebiotics, enhancing your gut health and promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
Incorporating high-fibre foods into your diet can provide all these benefits, making pregnancy a more comfortable experience.
Tip 2: Keep Moving
Engaging in even minor physical activity can considerably stimulate your digestive system.
Striking a delicate balance between rest and activity helps mobilise your bowel, significantly impacting your bowel movements.
Advantages Maintaining Physical Activity During Pregnancy
- Eases Constipation: Regular exercise helps speed up digestion by stimulating the muscles that promote the movement of waste through the bowel.
- Promotes Healthy Weight Gain: Staying active helps manage weight gain during pregnancy by burning calories and enhancing metabolic health.
- Boosts Mood and Energy: Exercise aids in releasing endorphins, the hormones responsible for creating feelings of happiness and euphoria. This can help manage mood swings and fatigue common during pregnancy.
- Improved Stamina for Labour: Regular physical activity can boost your endurance, which may assist during labour and delivery.
- Reduces Pregnancy Discomfort: Exercise can ease pregnancy symptoms such as backache, bloating, swelling, and varicose veins.
- Enhanced Post-Delivery Recovery: Regular exercisers often experience quicker recovery post-childbirth as their bodies are better conditioned for recovery.
- Improved Sleep: Physical activity often leads to better quality sleep by reducing feelings of restlessness and anxiety.
Remember, it’s crucial to consult with your healthcare provider before you start or continue with an exercise regimen during pregnancy.
Tip 3: Prioritise Hydration
Water is an indispensable ally in your fight against constipation.
When combined with dietary fibre, it simplifies the passing of stools. Therefore, aim to have at least 8 glasses of water every day.
Key Benefits of Proper Hydration
- Alleviates Constipation: Staying well-hydrated softens the stool, allowing it to pass more easily and aiding in preventing and relieving constipation.
- Maintains Amniotic Fluid: Adequate water intake helps maintain the required amount of amniotic fluid, thus ensuring the baby’s comfort.
- Prevents UTIs: Drinking enough water can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which are more common in pregnant women.
- Manages Weight: Water not only quenches your thirst but also fills you up, thus helping you manage your weight appropriately during pregnancy.
- Reduces Swelling and Oedema: Proper hydration can help reduce water retention and swelling during pregnancy.
- Aids in Nutrient Transport: Water serves as a transport medium, carrying essential nutrients and oxygen to your baby.
- Soothes Heartburn and Indigestion: Drinking plenty of water can help dilute gastric acids, reducing the risk of heartburn and indigestion.
- Regulates Body Temperature: Water plays a crucial role in regulating your body temperature. This is increasingly important for pregnant women, as overheating during pregnancy could potentially harm the baby.
Remember to always have a water bottle nearby to remind you to take sips frequently.
Tip 4: Experiment with Fibre Supplements
If your revamped intake of high fibre foods is not hitting the mark, considering a soluble fibre supplement could come in handy.
As always, it is recommended to seek advice from your healthcare provider prior to starting any new supplements.
Advantages of Including Fibre Supplements in Your Pregnancy Diet
- Effective Constipation Relief: Fibre supplements can help alleviate constipation by adding bulk to your stools, making them softer and easier to pass.
- Gut Health: Some types of fibre supplements also act as prebiotics, providing nourishment for gut-friendly bacteria, thus supporting better overall gut health.
- Lower Haemorrhoid Risk: Regular intake of fibre supplements can reduce the strain caused by hard stools, subsequently reducing the risk of developing haemorrhoids during pregnancy.
- Maintaining a Balanced Diet: Because dietary habits can change during pregnancy, fibre supplements can help ensure you’re still getting enough fibre in your diet.
- Blood Sugar Level: As with dietary fibre, fibre supplements can also help control blood sugar levels, an essential consideration for pregnant women both with and without pre-existing diabetes.
- Weight Control: Similar to dietary fibre, fibre supplements create a feeling of fullness, potentially helping to control weight gain.
Remember, it’s essential to start with small amounts when introducing a fibre supplement into your diet and gradually increase the dosage to allow your body to adjust.
Also, fibre supplements should always be paired with ample water intake.
However, it’s recommended to consult with your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.
Tip 5: Eat Regularly
Sticking to a scheduled eating routine is highly beneficial for your digestive system.
Regular, balanced meals help maintain rhythmic digestive functionality, consequently reducing constipation.
Reasons to Maintain a Regular Eating Schedule
- Stabilises Blood Sugar Levels: Regular eating intervals help maintain steady blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of gestational diabetes.
- Prevents Overeating: Regular meals prevent extreme hunger, which can lead to overeating. This can help manage weight gain during pregnancy.
- Energy Boost: Eating at regular intervals prevents energy dips that may occur due to low blood glucose levels.
- Promotes a Healthy Digestive System: Regular meals can aid digestion and prevent constipation, a common pregnancy discomfort.
- Improved Nutrient Absorption: Consuming smaller, more frequent meals may enable the body to better absorb the nutritious elements of the food consumed.
- Prevents Nausea: In early pregnancy, eating small amounts regularly can help limit symptoms of morning sickness.
- Boosts Mood: Regular meals help maintain stable blood sugar levels, which can positively affect your mood by mitigating mood swings.
Remember, ‘regularly’ doesn’t always mean ‘more’.
It’s key to focus on balanced meals containing protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates to help meet the nutritional needs of you and your baby.
Conclusion: Constipation During Pregnancy
At each stage of your wondrous journey as a pregnant woman, you might find alternative remedies like prune juice beneficial.
Moreover, even as you tackle this issue, remember to keep your physician informed if your constipation becomes severe or persistent.
As the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’. Always prioritise your comfort and health to ensure a joyful end to your beautiful pregnancy journey.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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