Page 43 - April Issue

wb“tLoophdiuestynttheenoayufnborftgdauoegt.ho”nfyerioeenovluogermtrhe what is normal for an individual
is termed constipation. This
will also include the passage of
hard painful stools. So, if you
are pregnant and passing stools
infrequently, your stools are
hard and sometimes painful,
feel a sense of incomplete
emptying of your bowel after
stools, known as tenesmus, or
passing small hard pellet-like
stools or even large hard ones,
then you are experiencing
constipation in pregnancy.

Reasons

Why does constipation affect
so many women during these
precious months? According
to Rebekah Bradley, Senior
Midwife in Health Bay Polyclinic,
constipation is really common
in pregnancy, especially in the
first half due to the action of the
hormone progesterone. “This
hormone has a relaxing action
and so relaxes the motion of
the gut meaning food takes
longer to transit the digestive
system,” she explains and in
the latter part of pregnancy,
the growing weight of the
baby in the womb, along with
the undesirable effects of iron
preparations mean this problem
can be compounded. Basically,
when you are pregnant,
not only does your body
experience many changes but
your habits change too. You
may eat different things or you
may be taking supplements
recommended by your doctor.
These are all contributing
factors.