Skip to main content

Constipation During Pregnancy - Home Remedies

It's quite common to experience constipation during pregnancy. It may occur as early as in the first trimester and may persist up to the last trimester. It can cause a lot of discomfort like abdominal bloating, flatulence and intestinal pain.

Straining to pass the stools may also lead to piles and haemorrhoids. So if you are experiencing constipation during pregnancy, do not ignore this problem as an inevitable pregnancy issue but try to alleviate the symptoms naturally without taking recourse to medicines.

In any case, it's not safe to take any drug without your consulting your doctor. To ease the symptoms, you will have to make some changes in your food and lifestyle, along with a few home-remedies.


Causes of Constipation in Pregnancy

One of the reasons that contribute to constipation during pregnancy is because of the hormonal changes. The hormone progesterone is produced in increased quantities and this hormone tends to relax the intestines. This hormone causes the food to stay longer in your body so that more nutrients can be absorbed by you and the developing fetus.

As the baby grows in your womb, the uterus exerts pressure on the rectum and this makes the bowel movements harder resulting in constipation. Another reason that induces constipation is the intake of iron tablets usually prescribed by the doctor.

 

Measures To Relieve Pregnancy Constipation


Include plenty of fiber in your diet.

Fiber absorbs water and softens your stools and speeds their passage through the intestine. Eat plenty of high fiber foods like whole grain cereal,legumes, dried fruits, vegetables, fresh fruits and oatmeal.

You can have high-fibre cereal or bran for breakfast if you wish. Or else, you can prepare a simple porridge from oats and have it regularly. Boil half a glass of milk in a pan. Soak 2-3 tbsp of quick cooking oats in it and when the milk comes to a boil add the soaked oats into it and then let it come to a boil. Have it once a day.
 

Increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

You should give priority to whole fruits rather than juices. Juices aren't deemed healthy and they do not contain fibre and are only calorie laden. (Also read Is Your Food Missing Dietary Fibre?)

Consume lots of fluids.

When you are consuming lot of fiber, it's highly necessary that you should increase your fluid, otherwise it may worsen your constipation. Fluids allow the smooth passage of food through yoru digestive system and keeping yourself adequately hydrated will help fight constipation.  

Yogurt and butter milk are some healthy fluids that you you can include in your diet. They contain beneficial probiotic bacteria which help aids digestion. Tender coconut water is another natural health drink that contains plethora of minerals, electrolytes and vitamins.(Read this.)   

Barley water is another fluid that has tremendous health benefits (read here) and is highly recommended for pregnant women.

Including these healthy fluids in your pregnancy diet will not only rid you of constipation but also prevent urinary tract infections and the like.

Avoid foods that lead to constipation.

Reduce intake of foods such as white flour (maida), White rice, white bread and certain brands of corn flakes.

Don't eat big meals.

As digestion becomes a little sluggish during pregnancy, eating a large meal can lead to indigestion and in turn can lead to constipation. Instead of 3 large meals, opt for  6 mini meals. When you have small meals at regular intervals, the load on your digestive system is decreased are you are less likely to experience bloating and gas.

Exercise!!

Regular exercise ensures more regular and easier bowel movements. 20-30 minutes of walking 4 times in a week and simple stretches will help. However, talk to your doctor if you have any complications. Even some yoga poses suitable for pregnancy can be practiced under the guidance of a yoga instructor.

Go to the bathroom as soon as you get the urge! Never hold it in! 


This post may contain affiliate links which means I may make a small commission if you purchase something via a link on the site - at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the complete disclosure policy to know more.

Home-Remedies for pregnancy constipation

If you had constipation anytime before your pregnancy, then it was perfectly fine to use purgatives like aloevera juice,  castor oil or Triphala Choorna. But when you are pregnant, these are not recommended.

Intake of these could make the baby in the womb hyperactive and besides these are emmanagogues  and hence to be on the safer side, it's better if you avoid these when you are pregnant. However the below mentioned home-remedies are quite safe, especially the ones with ghee and ripe bananas.


1.Ghee with hot water

Take a glass of lukewarm water. Add 10 drops of cow's ghee (clarified butter) (Amazon link) to it and drink it. Have it twice a day. Now this remedy was recommended by a highly reputed Ayurvedic physician.

Ghee has laxative and diuretic properties; It makes the Vata Dosha to move downwards and thus helps in elimination of waste products effectively. It's oily property keeps the digestive tract lubricated; it softens the stools and reduces flatulence, bloating and other symptoms of  aggravated Vata.

Ghee, as a laxative as well as a health food is highly recommended throughout pregnancy. Consumption of cow's ghee by an expecting mother builds up her stamina and also helps in the overall physical and mental development of the foetus in womb.

And contrary to popular belief, ghee poses no danger to cardiac health, if taken in moderate quantities and as per a study it could even protect us from cancer. (The recommended quantity for a pregnant woman is 8-10 grams. per day.)

 

2. Ripe Bananas

Take 2 medium-sized overripe bananas and mash them. add 1/2 tsp of black sesame seeds (Amazon link) to the mashed bananas and mix well and have it. Now eatables prepared with sesame seeds are usually not recommended during pregnancy, especially eating too many Til Ladoos during the first trimester, at least isn't advocated. But half a teaspoon of sesame seeds is just fine. But still if you are concerned then skip the sesame seeds and eat only the mashed ripe banana paste.
 .

3. Dry black Grapes and/or figs

Soak 4-5 dry black grapes (raisins) or 2-3 dry figs overnight and then and have them the first thing in the morning.
 

4. Isabgol:

While Triphala Choorna is a strict no-no during pregnancy, it's usually recommended that you can take Isabgol (Refer Wikipedia Info here.) But is it ok to take Isabgol when you are pregnant? Well, the truth is that you should consult your doctor regarding this matter.

As per WebMD, Isabgol might decrease the absorption of certain medications taken pregnancy and as such it is recommended that you should take this product (Isabgol) at least 2 hours from your other medications. 

Now if you have conceived through IUI or IVF, then usually aspirin tablets are prescribed. And a study suggests that Isabgol may decrease aspirin's absorption by the Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) into the blood.

So here again exercise caution and consult your doctor. Better still, avoid Isabgol, in such cases and try to relieve constipation through diet and other measures.




How to take Isabgol?

Soak 1½ tsp of Isabgol (the husk of the psyllium seed) (Buy Isabgol from here) in a glass of lukewarm water / warm milk for around 3-4 hours and have it during the day.

However remember to drink lots of water after taking Isabgol.

Similar Reading: Why do I get constipated before menses?

Comments

  1. Medini3:27 PM

    I found a glass or two of hot water helped move things along. Prune juice and others just made me have diarrhea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kiran3:30 PM

    drink lots of water and eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Just keep a high fiber diet because pregnancy does slow down your digestive system.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments posted on this blog are moderated and approved only if they are relevant, on-topic and not abusive. Avoid using links to your site/blog in the body of your comment unless it is highly relevant to the post.

Popular posts from this blog

Home remedies for sore throat

Sore throat is a common malady that each one of us faces sometime or the other in our lifetime.  That scratchy, dry and abrasively painful feeling at the back of the throat that you experience is so very discomforting! There are many ways to relieve that scratchy and painful, infected throat. Sore throat home remedies are many and varied and range from the folk ones to the medically tested and proven ones.  With this common recurring condition many sufferers have their own favourite sore throat treatments that seem to work for them. Sore throat is one of the ailments which responds very well to home based remedies, so there is no reason why one should hesitate to try out these invaluable tips which have been handed over to us by generations of yore.  After all these remedies have negligible side-effects and so there is no harm in trying them. And you can always rush to a doctor if they don’t work for you. 

Kapalabhati Pranayam for wrinkle-free, radiant complexion

Did you know that Kapalabhati Pranayam / kriya can also be used to enhance your beauty and ward off skin aging? Done the right way,  Kapalabhati Pranayam can be used as a beauty aid - it can give you a wrinkle-free, luminous forehead and radiant complexion. Kapalabhati For Beauty   ‘Kapalabhati’ Pranayam breathing exercise is an excellent way of maintaining good health and fighting diseases. ‘Kapala’ means ‘skull’ (and ‘forehead’ also) and ‘bhati’ means ‘shining’. By doing kapalabhati, the ‘nadis’(nerves) of the brain get good exercise. This is achieved by exercising the diaphragm. There will be a glow on the forehead. After the age of 25, the tell-tale signs of ageing start making their appearance in the form of fine lines on the forehead. A regular practice of Kapalabhati for 10-15 minutes everyday will give you a tight forehead sans wrinkles for many years to come. Avoid Botox, try Kapalabhati Why resort to Botox   and other expensive chemical or surgica...

Pore shrinking mask recipes from home

A face with large open pores when seen from close quarters doesn’t look so good. While it’s quite common for oily skins to have a tendency towards open pores, an attack of pimples also leaves ugly scars and open pores behind.  Even though the scars may fade away after some time, open pores appear to be more obstinate and hardly show any signs of shrinking.  Age also takes its toll by giving an uneven/pigmented tone to the skin and making the open pores more prominent. Heredity could also be a contributing factor in determining your pore size. It’s not easy to get rid of these pores or shrink them completely or permanently using serums, lotions or face packs. Even resorting to drastic chemical/surgical procedures at the dermatologist’s isn’t quite capable of giving satisfactory results.  Nevertheless, you can try and minimize their appearance at least temporarily with clever makeup and a few natural skin care masks such as these: * Cleanse your face with a mild ...

11 things you can do with olive oil

Besides lemon , milk , sugar , aloe , turmeric , sandalwood and honey , olive oil is another household item that has multifarious uses as a beauty aid. It is a mild, non-irritant, antibacterial oil that is rich in antioxidants; hence is ideal for the skin. Here are a few things that you could do with olive oil .

Teeth whitening remedies

Teeth could be naturally dark or could be discolored by repeated exposure to beverages like tea, coffee or red wine, smoking and also medications apart from decay and trauma to the tooth. If you want your captivating smile to be adorned by a row of glistening pearly white teeth, then try these treatments and remedies: ‘In chair’ bleaching at the dentist for teeth whitening Though there are several options available for teeth whitening, bleaching at a cosmetic dentistry clinic can significantly lighten your teeth within an hour. A large percentage of the people who have undergone bleaching have experienced a positive change in the color of their teeth. Read about it at About Cosmetic dentisty . ‘At home’ teeth whitening bleaching kit The ‘at home’ teeth whitening technique is also a popular bleaching procedure to whiten your teeth. You can obtain the bleaching kit from your dentist or make an over-the counter purchase. Use it conveniently at night and the gel should work while you sleep...