Help? WAY TMI - Constipation?

OMG. I don't know what I'm supposed to do here. I've been having issues with constipation for several days now. My pre-natal vitamin has 50mg of Colace in each pill and I've been taking it regularly. I'm drinking plenty of fluids. Well, my RE's office today said I could take OTC Colace on top of that as long as I don't exceed the recommended mg/day. So, this afternoon, I took another 200mg (directions say up to 300mg/day). I've been trying to eat food that promotes, umm, movement like spicey stuff and raising bran and oatmeal and fiber-rich foods. But so far, nothing (well, very little at least). So, do I just need to keep taking the Colace max dosage for a couple of days until something happens or is this beyond Colace? My instructions from the RE say NO laxatives.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

I would just take us much colace as possible until something happens. You might be able to use the glycerin laxitives, but not too sure. I know if I was really constipated I would try almost anything! I feel for you.

Try drinking alot more water too.

juli

 

I had some REALLY bad constipation for a while... for me, LOTS of water helped.... dried apricots, apples, pineapple, and eating lots of Barilla past plus (has extra protien and fiber) -- I also totally swtiched off my percription pre-natles to a brand called "Rainbow light" (it has enzhymes that help your body break it down) -- and after about 3 days (OUCH!!) I cleaned out, and have been (relativly) regular since. I'm so sorry...honestly, for me, the constipation was worse then the m/s...ugh!

 

Colace is a softener not a stimulant/laxitive. When I was in the hospital with PTL they gave me Colace and Peri-colace, the Peri has the stimulant, again the Colace does NOT! Not to be gross but it honestly doesn't matter how soft it is if it isn't coming out, talk to your doc about Peri-Colace!

 

I had the same issues for a while... mine were due to the fact that I am slightly anemic when not prego... I heard twins & started eating even more foods that are high in iron.... lots of iron = lots of constipation!!!!! The best advice.... WATER & HIGH FIBER FOODS!!! I would ask your doc about beni-fiber. I mix it into my juice 2 times a day (doc said I can take it up to 3 times like the container says) It is no thicking & has no taste. You can mix it into drinks or cook it into food. It doesn't act like a lax, but it just helps keep me 'regular'

HTH!

 

I'm not sure but what if you switched pre-natals??... I'm on a multi-vitamin with 400mcg of folic acid...which i the main thing they are concerned about... my doctors have told me it's fine to stay on... it doesn't overdose you with iron like some of the pre-natals do.... and my problem now is that I seem to only go every 3 days, but on day 3 I make up for lost time... I was in the bathroom like 6 times today for it.. I kid you not... I went from feeling like I had a huge belly last night to totally deflated...sorry gross TMI... anyway with a singleton you don't need quite as much as you need with twins....

 

Prune Juice works really well too. I find if you heat it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then drink it, it seems to work. I have used this and it works great in the morning on an empty stomach. But start with 1/2 a glass and see how that does. To much and you may be making several trips! Also, drink lots and lots of water.

 

I have never been plauged with constipation... until I was pregnant with twins!!! I don't recall any constipation with my first singleton pregnancy.

I had bouts of it during the first part of the first trimester. And then all of a sudden a 180 turn around and I had the other problem! I was worried because I thought it was a stomach virus and I worried about the twins.

Then I found this website and saw someone post about going back and forth between the two is common with twins.

I'm just past halfway and get a bout of constipation once in a while. It has never bad enough to where I need to take anything, and hopefully it won't get that bad!

 

I remember that well! It seemed to happen every few weeks. I would take milk of magnesia to get things cleaned out (usually within 30min or so) and then take the stool softener twice a day AND a few of the Benefiber tablets each day. I'd be fine for a bit, then get lax (LOL pun not intended!) on either the Dulcolax or benefiber and the cycle would start over. Good luck getting it under control, I hope you feel better fast!

 

At the beginning of this pregnancy I was having horrible problems with that and it was my peri that told me two Granny Smith apples and apple juice every day. It didn't give me the instant relief of a laxitive but I promise after two days I felt great!!! I also used some of that fibur sure stuff that you mix in with food or whatever you are drinking for a couple days.

 

QUOTE(Ericka B @ May 2 2007, 07:51 AM) [snapback]240898[/snapback]
At the beginning of this pregnancy I was having horrible problems with that and it was my peri that told me two Granny Smith apples and apple juice every day. It didn't give me the instant relief of a laxitive but I promise after two days I felt great!!! I also used some of that fibur sure stuff that you mix in with food or whatever you are drinking for a couple days.


You know I've been eating Granny smith apples daily (just because I crave them) and I have not had any problems with constipation...I may be too early in the pregnancy to know for sure if that's what it is...but let me tell you, every morning I have to let my DH go to the restroom before I go in, because my system works just like clockwork. I'm just not sure if this "regular" routine is replacing morning sickness, because I haven't had any morning sickness since being regular. (I still get nauseated all day if I don't eat every two hours).
Oh, and try the prune juice, I've heard that works.

 

Thanks for all of your recommendations! I'll try a couple of them out. If nothing by tomorrow, I'll call my RE.