Painful Constipation in Early Pregnancy
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
I am 8 weeks pregnant second child. I woke up this morning severely constipated. I went very white and was sweating profusely. I have never experienced this before. It took almost two hours of agonizing pain before I finally had a movement. Now I am afraid to go to the toilet again in case of reoccurance.
Please can you help me? I am really scared
Josey
ANSWER
During pregnancy, it is really important to drink a minimum of 2 liters of water per day. You can tell that you have enough if your urine is clear, not yellow. It is also important to eat lots of fiber. My own favorites are: fruits where you eat the skin or the seeds, like grapes or raspberries, but not bananas; salad; artichokes; raisins; whole grains (like in bran flakes); and beans (like in chili). A hot drink in the morning can also help. You should also get your half hour of exercise each day you are pregnant.
Because things get pretty crowded at the end of pregnancy, it is good to have your stools the consistency of tooth paste as much as you can. It's also important to go as soon as you feel the urge, because the longer it stays in you, the harder the stool gets. So four things: water, fiber, hot drink and exercise--every day!
-- Cynthia, CNM. PhD.
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
