Page 42 - April Issue

mother, baby & child April 2011 on the way | discomfort

all blocked up:

Constipation in
pregnancy

Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s
life. Nothing can compare to the wonder
of feeling a new life growing inside you.Yet
with the wonder comes a number of health
complaints – and one of the most common

of these is constipation.

M ariam Ghanem is a Syrian expat in
Dubai who recently gave birth to a
baby girl and says that of all of the
symptoms she was expecting in pregnancy,
constipation was the least of her concerns until
it actually happened to her. “I had morning
sickness for a month initially and that was
something that I expected. I also expected the
sleepiness and the fatigue but constipation
was a shock. I have always eaten very healthy
and even in the days of morning sickness, was
very careful to consume more than my regular
quantity of fruit with the peel on, whole grains
and I even ate oatmeal for breakfast. But
from the fifth week I just could not go to the
bathroom properly. My constipation was so
bad that I felt bloated and uncomfortable…”
Mariam is not alone; in fact according to
Senokot ‘Health Taboos Uncovered’ survey
conducted by YouGov in March 2005, a quarter
of expectant mums suffer from constipation
during their pregnancy, many of whom have
never had constipation before. In fact, it is
among the top three most uncomfortable
complaints listed by pregnant women.

Defined

Most people open their bowel from as much as
three times a day to as infrequently as no more
than three times a week. Any deviation from

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