Does Water Help With Acid Reflux During Pregnancy
Water can be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to affecting GERD symptoms in pregnancy. Dr. Johnson notes that some women find that drinking water after a meal helps. It is thought that it may reduce the level of acidity in the stomach. However, Dr. Ross suggests saving the water for non-meal times, as drinking large amounts while eating may fill up the stomach and increase the risk of acid reflux and heartburn.
Because stomach volume is reduced due to the growing uterus, consuming too much water can provoke GERD symptoms. Any extra water you drink can overwhelm the lower esophageal sphincter, causing uncomfortable symptoms. In other words, drink water in moderation, preferably after or between meals, to avoid provoking symptoms.
Is It Safe To Take Laxatives During Pregnancy
Yes, it safe to take only some forms of laxatives during pregnancy. Options include milk of magnesia and Metamucil. Stronger laxatives are prescribed when these do not work, but they come with risks and shouldnt be used without your doctors consent .
You will be able to protect yourself from constipation by doing regular exercises and consuming plenty of water. To treat the issue effectively, you should seek advice from your doctor before using these remedies.
Have you tried any of these remedies for pregnancy constipation? Did they help? Share your experiences in the below comment section.
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Due To Iron Supplements
One of the causes of constipation in pregnant women is an increase in iron due to the prescribed supplements.
Though constipation can cause discomfort, it is easily remedied by a simple diet, lifestyle changes, and a few easy home remedies. While some offer immediate constipation relief during pregnancy, others help you gradually improve. Here are some remedies to help relieve constipation during pregnancy.
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How About Bulk Forming Agents
If for some reason you are unable to modify your diet or increase activity levels to experience pregnancy constipation relief, meal supplementation with four to six tablespoons of bran is sure to help. You can also try another bulk forming agent such as psyllium, methylcellulose or polycarbophil. All you need to do is consume these with 1 to 2 glasses of water. It works to relieve constipation by increasing fecal water content and stool weight and decreasing colonic transit time.6
Side Effects Of Constipation During Pregnancy
Given below are the side effects that may occur when you are pregnant and constipated . In some cases, these may even call for a medical emergency.
- Severe abdominal pain
- Repetitive rectal bleeding
Hormonal changes, mainly the increase in progesterone levels in the body, are primary causes of constipation during pregnancy. In addition, iron supplements and the growing pressure on the uterus contribute to slower digestion and irregular bowel movements. As a result, symptoms like hardened stools, abdominal bloating and pain, bloody splotches in feces, and decreased appetite are common. This situation can become extremely painful and lead to medical emergencies. Home remedies to relieve constipation during pregnancy like lemons, orange juice, dietary fiber in the form of flax seeds and psyllium husk, apple cider vinegar, etc., can provide relief from the symptoms and improve bowel movement and its frequency.
Disclaimer: If you are considering taking any of these home remedies, consult your doctor first. It is not recommended to take regular doses of ingredients like isabgol, peppermint, or apple cider vinegar during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
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Reduce Or Stop Taking Certain Supplements
Like iron and calcium supplements, which can significantly contribute to the development of constipation, but if you follow a healthy diet that can meet your iron and calcium needs often during pregnancy, you should consult a doctor to check iron and calcium levels and ways to compensate for the deficiency, if any.
Pregnant women should drink more water if they are taking iron supplements. But if constipation persists, you may need to replace the type of iron tablets you use, consult your doctor.
Varicose Veins In Pregnancy
Varicose veins are veins that have become swollen. They can be uncomfortable but aren’t harmful. They most commonly affect leg veins.
You can also get varicose veins in the vaginal opening , although these usually get better after the birth.
If you have varicose veins, you should:
- avoid standing for long periods of time
- try not to sit with your legs crossed
- try not to put on too much weight, as this increases the pressure
- sit with your legs up as often as you can to ease the discomfort
- try compression tights, which you can buy at most pharmacies they won’t prevent varicose veins but can ease the symptoms
- try sleeping with your legs higher than the rest of your body use pillows under your ankles or put books under the foot of your bed
- do foot and other antenatal exercises, such as walking and swimming, which will help your circulation
Try these foot exercises:
- bend and stretch your foot up and down 30 times
- rotate your foot 8 times one way and 8 times the other
- repeat with the other foot
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Will It Continue After Ive Had The Baby
There are several reasons why constipation may continue after birth. Women who have had a caesarean often experience constipation for a few days until their regular bowel movements return. Women who have stiches after a vaginal birth may hesitate on the toilet, which can cause a build-up in their bowels.
If youve taken strong pain medication after having your baby this may also cause constipation.
New mothers are often busier than usual in the first few weeks and months of motherhood. It may seem like taking care of yourself has become less of a priority, but your health is no less important now than it was during your pregnancy. Be sure to have plenty of fibre-rich fruit, vegetables, and wholegrains as well as increase your fluid intake while breastfeeding to encourage healthy bowel movements, even when you are busy.
Feeling Faint In Pregnancy
You may feel faint while pregnant. This is due to hormonal changes. Fainting happens if your brain is not getting enough blood and, therefore, not enough oxygen.
You are most likely to feel faint if you stand up too quickly from a chair or out of a bath, but it can also happen when you are lying on your back.
Here are some tips to help avoid feeling faint:
- try to get up slowly after sitting or lying down
- if you feel faint when standing still, find a seat quickly and the faintness should pass if it doesn’t, lie down on your side
- if you feel faint while lying on your back, turn onto your side
It’s better not to lie flat on your back in later pregnancy or during labour. You should avoid going to sleep on your back after 28 weeks as it has been linked to a higher risk of stillbirth.
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Increase Your Fiber Intake
Changing your diet is one of the easiest natural ways to help relieve constipation while pregnant.
How does fiber help improve constipation?
Fiber is the part of vegetables, fruits, and grains that is not digested by our bodies. There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water. It forms a gel-like substance that helps your stool pass smoothly through your bowels . Soluble fiber can slow down the passage of food from the stomach to the intestine, which helps your body absorb nutrients.
Insoluble fiber holds on to water to produce softer stools and helps speed up the transit of food in the digestive tract .
Which Foods Help Increase Fiber Intake?
There are many food options with high fiber content. A lot of beans, vegetables, and fruit contain needed fiber. Below is a list of foods that can help relieve constipation in pregnancy by providing greater than 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Source: Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025
A reader left a great comment about using chia seed and flaxseed to help relieve constipation, which is such a fabulous idea. One tablesoon of chia seed provides about 4 grams of dietary fiber and there is about 2.8 grams fiber in one tablespoon of whole flaxseed. Since they can be added to or sprinkled on many different types of foods, flaxseed and chia seed are a sneaky way to add more fiber into your diet.
How much fiber should I be eating?
Constipation Due To Diet
Its important to understand that refined flour products such as pasta, bread, cakes and pastries, or refined white rice, have lost most or all of their fibre. Just like when you remove the skin from an apple, it takes away much of the goodness and you feel less full.
Refined flour products dont move through the digestive tract very easily. Refined foods cause constipation by absorbing any liquid that you drink, and creating a plaster-like substance which makes your bowels become stretched. It can exacerbate the issues when you have hormonal changes on top of that.
Avoiding grains can significantly help with digestion, inflammation, blood sugar levels and weight gain. After all, livestock are fed grains to fatten them up!
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Position Yourself Properly On The Toilet
This may seem like a strange tip, but make sure you are sitting on the toilet in a way that helps facilitate the passage of stool .
When we potty trained my daughter, she did amazing learning to pee on the toilet but it was a big struggle to get her to sit on the toilet for bowel movements. Why? I always thought it was because she prefered to squat rather than sit because its easier to poop that way!
How Should I Sit on the Toilet To Relieve Constipation?
Your knees should be positioned higher than your hips. You can use a footstool if necessary or the famous Squatty Potty. It is also helpful to lean forward and support your elbows on your knees.
What Is Constipation Dangerous During Pregnancy
During constipation, they most often worry problems that the pregnant woman feels. These include pulling or aching pain, painful bowel movement, feeling incomplete bowel movements. But all these problems are not so important, according to attitude to those that the pregnant does not feel.
Stagnation of feces in the large intestine slowly poisons the body. No more useful food left in processed food substances, and the wall of the colon is capable of absorbing substances, which are there for a long time.
As a result, substances already toxic to the body are absorbed into blood and gradually poison the body, both the mother and the child. Therefore, when constipation occurs, it is very important to start treatment immediately, as toxins primarily act on the nervous system, and the baby is still only at the developmental stage and intervention can leave a negative imprint on health.
Possible complications:
- Stretching the wall of the colon and rectum acts on the uterus, irritating, which can provoke premature onset of labor
- Stagnation of feces prevents normal outflow venous blood from the lower extremities, which contributes to the appearance of edema, varicose veins and hemorrhoids that occurs in pregnant women quite often
- Stagnation of stool can lead to inflammation of the wall of the colon, sigmoid or rectum.
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Make Time For Yourself
Its important to go when you need to go. Give yourself plenty of time for toilet breaks, so you can take it easy and dont have to rush. Holding it in can lead to constipation, so try to listen to your body and visit the toilet as soon as you need to .
If you are pregnant and suffering from constipation, read our article about constipation in pregnancy, as there are ways to help improve it.
If you are concerned about your health during your pregnancy talk to your midwife or GP for advice.
How To Relieve Constipation During Pregnancy
What can I take for constipation while pregnant? This is a question most expecting moms ask their friends, family, and ob-gyns.
You will meet with many symptoms for the first time in your life when you are expecting your first one. One of them may or may not be constipation. Statistics reveal that 10 to 40 percent women have episodes of constipation during pregnancy.1
Infrequent defecation, hard or lumpy stools, less than three defecations per week or excessive straining to pass stools are all signs of pregnancy-related constipation.2
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Safe Home Remedies For Gas During Pregnancy
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Got gas while pregnant? Youre not alone. Gas is a common symptom of pregnancy.
Youre likely paying special attention to what you eat and the medications you ingest right now, which often means that typical gas remedies should be shelved for the time being.
Fortunately, there are several home remedies that can help ease any gas troubles youre having, and some are as easy as reaching for a tall glass of water.
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Maintain A Balanced Diet
Are you getting your five a day? When youre pregnant your eating habits may change. Tiredness in pregnancy can also cause you to reach for a quick but not always the most nutritious snack.
Its really important to eat a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fibre to keep constipation at bay. So make sure youre including wholegrains in your diet as well as plenty of fruit and vegetables .
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Are Girl And Boy Pregnancy Different
Three weeks into pregnancy, women carrying girls exhibited hormone levels 18.5 percent higher than those of their boy-carrying counterparts, regardless of factors such as previous pregnancies or maternal age. Finding this gender-related difference so early in pregnancy may help explain how it occurs.
Does Heartburn During Pregnancy Mean My Baby Will Be Born With Hair
Suffering from severe heartburn? You may want to stock up on baby shampoo. Research has backed up the superstition that, on average, the more heartburn you have during pregnancy, the more likely your baby will be born with a full head of hair.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When Youre Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
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Is It Safe To Use Otc Colace During Pregnancy
Introduction
Thanks to shifts in hormones and the added pressure a growing uterus places on the intestines, many women face constipation during pregnancy. Constipation is defined as having three or fewer bowel movements per week. Its also marked by straining during bowel movements, trouble passing stools, and passing small stools.
If you have constipation, your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes or over-the-counter products to help ease your symptoms. Colace is one OTC drug used to relieve occasional, short-term constipation. Learn about its safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
How To Get Rid Of Constipation During Pregnancy Using Natural Remedies
Congrats! Youre pregnant! Now that the morning sickness has passed, why are you still feeling so bloated? Gassy? Constipated?
Unfortunately, constipation is the second most common gastrointestinal complaint in pregnancy . Constipation can affect up to 38% of pregnant women.
Since over one-third of pregnant women experience constipation, lets talk about some natural ways to help relieve constipation in pregnancy.
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Suffering From Pregnancy Heartburn 5 Top Tips To Relieve Heartburn During Pregnancy
If you are having pregnancy heartburn, you are definitely not alone! In fact, pregnancy heartburn affects 8/10 women at some point during their 9 months and as you probably know by now can be pretty unpleasant. Its been found that around 1/4 of women experience heartburn during pregnancy in their first trimester, 1/3 of women in their second trimester and 3/4 of women in their third trimester. So, whilst some things get better as your pregnancy progresses, pregnancy heartburn, although harmless is unfortunately, likely to get worse.
Thankfully there are some solutions and pregnancy heartburn remedies that have been tried and tested. To help you find pregnancy heartburn relief and put your mind at ease, weve put together a brief insight into what pregnancy heartburn actually is and some of the best ways to manage it.
What is pregnancy heartburn?
All heartburn, including heartburn during pregnancy, is caused by acid reflux: Acid from your stomach rises up through your food pipe , irritating it. This happens when a small muscle, located where the food pipe meets the stomach, is weak or too relaxed. Its job is to let food into the stomach and to stop food and acids from coming back out, but if it is weak, the stomachs contents are able to flow upwards. It can leave you with pain or a burning feeling in your chest and/or throat. It can also cause a hoarse voice, sickness, bloating, an unpleasant taste in your mouth and bad breath not fun!
