Constipation is a digestive disorder that occurs due to inadequate nutrition in a person’s diet. During pregnancy, the situation gets worse, causing a lot of discomfort to the mother. The primary reason behind this is digestion slowing down and other hormonal imbalances.
One may experience constipation throughout pregnancy. However, it is easy to fix this disorder through proper diet and some other measures.
Symptoms
Due to frequent biological changes, a woman may experience various constipation symptoms during pregnancy. Some of the common signs include:
- Less than three bowel movements in a week
- Excessive straining to pass bowel movements
- Hard, lumpy stool and a feeling of dissatisfaction, due to the inability to thoroughly clean up the rectum
If you experience such symptoms frequently, discuss the same with your physician at the next meeting.
Common Constipation Causes
Constipation during pregnancy has numerous causes. Generally, significant reasons include low fibre intake and insufficient hydration during the day.
Some of the other causes include:
- Consumption of food items that are not easy to digest may be unfavorable to the condition.
- During pregnancy, higher iron levels are present in gestational vitamins. Although iron is necessary for a baby’s healthy development, it makes it harder for bacteria in the bowel to break down food. However, the hormonal shift is a crucial cause of constipation during incubation.
- Progesterone is the most familiar cause of pregnancy digestive disorder. Ovaries secrete and release it throughout the gestation period. It is known to calm muscles vital to carrying a developing baby. Eventually, it also relaxes muscles of the stomach and intestines, considerably delaying the digestion process.
- With time both baby and uterus grow in size, crowding the internal organs. This causes compression, displacement and even blocks your gastrointestinal tract at times. The baby may create stress on your rectum, making it tougher to drain the contents.
The following physical changes can further turn worse during your pregnancy. But fortunately, positive changes can treat constipation effectively. These include changes in your diet plan, lifestyle routines, and medication patterns. Following are some tips to help you prevent and tackle this situation easily.
Increase Fibre Content In Your Diet
The inclusion of sufficient fibre is the key to a smooth digestive operation. Enough fibre across the day helps you relieve constipation to a greater extent. It also rids any bloating experienced during pregnancy.
Potentially, it would be best to consume 25-30 grams of fibre daily to optimise bowel motion. Fruits, legumes, whole grains and beans are rich sources of fibre. You can include:
Fruits: Pears, strawberries, guava, sapota, apples and bananas
Vegetables: Carrots, beets, green leafy vegetables, drumsticks
Cereals: Lentils, split peas, kidney beans, chickpeas, finger millet (ragi), amaranth (ramdana) and sorghum (jowar)
Seeds and Dry Foods: Almonds, chia seeds, coconut, walnuts, sunflower & pumpkin seeds and pistachios, dry dates, figs and dried apricots
Caution:
Overblown fibre intake may produce excess gas, leading to acidity. If you aim to increase fibre content in your diet, practice it gradually until you reach the suggested daily intake level. It will facilitate your digestive system to adjust to the change in nutrition.
Include Probiotics In Your Diet
Probiotics usage during pregnancy is usual, especially for people with gastrointestinal issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome and diarrhoea. It assists your digestive system in carrying out its function efficiently. By easing out intestines to move food forward, it also reduces any additional health difficulties propagation.
The most familiar source is homesst curd, made by fermentation of milk, leaving behind bacteria in the final product. Other probiotics such as kanji, fermented rice, homemade pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi are good sources too.
Remain Hydrated
The human body naturally consists of 70% water within itself. Maintaining this level of regulation adds comfort to your digestive system by passing off fibres in an efficient way. On the other hand, it may sound too much to fulfil practically, but the target is to drink about 2.72 litres of water every day. It will optimise digestion and eliminate toxic substances.
Additionally, sipping hot beverages may ease digestive symptoms arising during pregnancy. Warm ginger beverages, hot tea, or warm water with lime can be effective in the process of boosting your digestive tract. Remember to restrict the consumption of caffeine during pregnancy as much as possible.
Break Your Meals Into Portions
Shifting your diet into smaller meals that are frequent will help a lot in soothing the constipation discomfort. Splitting food into parts eases the digestive organs to decompose it more thoroughly, eventually passing it through the intestines, colons, and finally out of the body. Even the appropriately sized meals before pregnancy may be too much to handle for your system now.
Having smaller amounts of food makes your tract efficient and helps absorb essential nutrients from it. This eating practice helps the foetus get all the nutrients without overstuffing your system.
To learn more about how to plan up your meal practices, check out this blog on “Nutrient Pairing.”
Exercise Actively
Physical moves help to enable your bowels movement to overcome constipation. It doesn’t matter what exercise you practice until it keeps your body in motion. Search for an activity that your changing body is comfortable adjusting to and include in your routine workout.
Doing Workout Or Practicing Yoga Regularly Can Help You Ease Constipation During Pregnancy
Aspire to exercise for about 20-30 minutes, at least three days a week. It will keep you energetic throughout the gestation span. Ensure discussing your workout routine with your physician to confirm it’s safe for you and your baby. Take a walk whenever you get time in between chores. Even a 10-minute walk is practical to encourage your digestion.
Personalise Your Planning Process
Each pregnancy is distinct, so it’s a unique experience for every individual. Your pregnancy symptoms might differ from someone’s experience in your family or friend circle. The gestation period is so spontaneous that the signs may contrast from earlier pregnancies of your own!
The best advice in such a case will be to understand your stimuli. Pay close attention to what food items and physical activities are good for you and identify the ones which cause discomfort. Keeping a note of your routine and corresponding experiences will assist you in tracking your response efficiently.
If you require any assistance to design a nutrition plan to fulfil your necessities during pregnancy, download our app on Play Store and App Store and our nutrition team will be more than happy to help!