Pregnant and constipated? Watch it! - page 2

Beat constipation with diet

As in all things, the type of diet a pregnant woman eats will also determine the frequency of bowel movement, experts warn. They advise that low-fibre diet can lead to constipation.

Instead of eating without thinking, Peters says, “a pregnant woman’s diet should contain soluble and insoluble fibre, all of which work to keep the pregnant woman in top health.”

Fibre-rich foods include wheat breads, assortment of fruits, nuts and seeds, beans, vegetables such as tomatoes, okra, sweet corn and potatoes.

Peters warns that while constipation may not necessarily affect the baby, the pregnant mother might develop complications as a result of the condition, and this may be in form of haemorrhoids, bleeding through the rectum, as well as a painful condition in which a cut or tear occurs in the anus (rectal fissures).

“Rectal fissures typically cause severe pain and bleeding whenever bowel movement is attempted,” the physician warns.

He also advises intake of small meals at regular intervals as the days wear on, instead of taking large meals that might overburden the system, resulting in constipation.

He advocates regular intake of water, which, he says, will keep the food moving and ultimately make bathroom time hassle-free.

He urges pregnant constipated women to avoid stimulant laxatives which, though may work in the short run, may make the patient very uncomfortable. He also warns that when used repeatedly, stimulant laxatives can be harmful.

Ditto the numerous herbal remedies that litter the Nigerian market, the physician notes; warning that they could be absolutely dangerous for a pregnant woman. Indeed, he cautions pregnant women to abstain from medications that their physicians have not prescribed for them.

“This is to guard against foetal malformation or, as we have seen before, death of the mother and possibly the child in-utero. Using drugs not prescribed by the physician is equal to abusing drugs, and it comes with a lot of negative effects both for the mother and her unborn child,” Peters warns.

He also advises that where the pregnant woman is taking a vitamin supplement that contains iron, she should see her doctor and ask for a different prescription, as the iron content can also affect bowel movement negatively.