Do you constantly feel bloated? Does the possibility of feeling constipated during your pregnancy scare you? Well, constipation is an uncomfortable condition, but unavoidable for would-be mothers. Being pregnant only compounds the discomfort of constipation.
If you want to know what causes constipation during pregnancy and the ways you can minimize its effects, then you have landed on the right post! Go ahead and give a read!
It is not uncommon for women to suffer from constipation during pregnancy. However, most women choose not to talk about it out of embarrassment and other reasons. Let’s look at some causes of constipation during pregnancy:
If you are one of those women who suffer from severe nausea early in your pregnancy, you may have problems eating and drinking. In this gentle condition, any loss of nutrient will cause bowel stiffness. If you tend to vomit more than usual, you might want to think about eating some natural digestives to soften those hard stools.
When you become pregnant, your body goes through various hormonal changes. Some of these changes may relax some muscles, sometimes including the muscles designated to squeeze food into the digestive tract. This muscle relaxation can lead to constipation, especially if you don’t eat fiber or don’t have enough water in your diet.
Another reason for constipation in pregnancy is also an increase in a hormone called progesterone. Progesterone helps relax the smooth muscles all through the body, including the digestive tract. It ensures that food passes slowly through the intestine and in turn through the digestive tract.
You need to remember that white pasta, cakes, bread and other white flour products are made from refined flour, and no longer contain the same amount of fiber. This causes slow movement of food into the digestive tract, often triggering constipation. These foods usually absorb liquids and form a stretchy plaster like substance. This plaster like substance can worsen your constipation.
Although it is advisable to eat iron supplements during pregnancy, iron isn’t exactly something that is easily digestible. Iron usually clings to the intestine and only a little part of it is apportioned for the blood. This leftover iron combines with other undigested substances and clings onto the intestine. If you have a healthy diet, which includes many natural sources of iron, you shouldn’t take iron supplements. Tweak your diet to cease the use of iron supplements, especially if you have a low-fiber and low-water diet.
You may be tempted to try over-the-counter medicines for constipation, but keep in mind that they contain high levels of aspartame, which can be noxious for pregnant women. So, how do you treat it? Well, the following are the home remedies for constipation during pregnancy:
Adding a lemon to a warm glass of water helps stimulate your taste and smell, and also acts as a great catalyst for the digestive system, flushing out toxins and other undigested material from the colon. You can have some concentrated lemon juice. However, adding a little bit of water lessens the intensity of the lemon flavor and helps add fluid to your bowels. Warm water and lemon have been known to induce peristalsis or bowel contractions that help you pass stool (1).
The best way to soften something up is to add water, right? Well, in the case of hard stool, it is quite true. Drinking around 8-10 glasses of water a day will help you get the required amount of water in your system, and help you keep constipation in check. Drinking the right amount of fluid not only softens hard stool, it also ensures that the food moves through the digestive tract.
Oranges are rich in dietary fiber, and vitamin C. One of the main reasons for constipation is a lack of dietary fiber. Thus, oranges are one of the best remedies for constipation. Increase fiber intake a little bit every day, until you get to 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. You can also consider eating other citrus fruits like grapefruit and grenadine (2).
Wondering how to cure constipation during pregnancy? Prune Juice is widely hailed as an effective cure for constipation. All you need to do is have prune juice 4 to 6 times in a day to ease constipation and soften the stool. If the concentrated taste of prune juice is too strong for you, dilute it with a bit of water and add a slice of lemon (3).
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