Severe Constipation

I have to say, as absolutely reluctant as I was, I started eating activia. All I can say is WOW. I feel SO much better. I'm not afraid to eat certain foods anymore! I can get my nutrition from my fruits and veggies without worrying about hemmorhoids or constipation. I am a believer. There are many flavors, they have low fat, plus fiber, and no sugar. It took 3 days to get going, and another couple of days to get my body's timing right. I eat it at night and I'm right as rain in in the morning - no pain.

Drink lots of water. Eat bunches of veggies, fruits, as much as possible, fresh/raw. Drink lots of water. Juice is good, too. Most any fruit juice is helpful. Prune juice is excellent, if you can stand it! Oh, did I mention, drink lots of water?! If you're eating a lot of white rice, pastas, stuff like that, try to cut back...that stuff can contribute to constipation. Good Luck! I know that's a miserable condition to deal with, and one that if not dealt with can lead to other health issues.

I agree to drink lots of water! The other thing I would try is Fiber One bars. They have worked for me and they don't taste bad. They also have a cereal that may work as well (I have not tried that one). I tend to have the same problem and I have one a few times a week and they help. It's funny because my husband is quite regular and he can't eat them because they make him go too much, LOL! Good Luck

I'd introduce oat bran or oatmeal into your diet for breakfast. Cook it with a banana and stir in some honey. Eat lots of fiber...whole wheat bread, definitely brown rice, apples and other fruit, and lots of veggies. I agree that drinking lots of water is also good.

I just want to add... If you are going to go on a high fiber diet, you need to be careful how much fiber you eat. If you eat to much it can be very hard on your intestines. Even diets you think are healthy can be dangerous for certain parts of your body. Make sure you research anything you plan on doing! Good luck.

I have always had a hard time in this area (pooping). My whole entire life. I changed to a vegan diet 2 years ago, and oh my gosh, I've never been so happy! I think it's for 2 reasons: including lots of fruits, veggies and grains is a huge help, but I think it's mostly that meat and dairy block me up terribly. I mean bad. Even now if I go back and have some cheese or a burger (I'm flip flopping on mt vegan status right now), I have a hard time pooping for a while. So maybe try switching out some of your meals, like use almond milk instead of milk, pass by the cheese, and use veggies or beans in your main dishes instead of meat. H. that helps!

i had the same problem for a LONG time. i even took stool softeners EVERY day. about 3 a day, or i couldnt go. i was also on a lot of different medications. blood pressure, antidepressants, heartburn, migraine, triglycerides, etc. i stopped taking ALL my meds, and ya know what? i feel a whole lot better and no more constipation and the hemorrhoids are gone now too! if u are taking ANY kind of meds, check the paperwork that comes with it from the drug store.

I don't know about any diets, but there is this herbal tea called smooth move and the brand is traditional medicinals. I haven't personally tried it, but it has got rave reviews on amazon. Just thought you could give it a try for a quick fix while you find your diet. I buy my traditional medicinals teas at Target.

To keep up your milk production, oatmeal and lots of fluid are usually part of the 'diet'. This will tremendously aid in your constipation too. I've noticed that chocolate actually helps with softer stools (sorry I'm training to be a Nurse, so this issue and discussion doesn't phase me).

Constipation is usually due to dehydration (in lesser severity or else you'd be in the hospital) and lack of fiber in your diet. Also, try to cut out gluten!! Fiber is in all vegetables and fruit, and many companies offer gluten free breads, cereals, granola bars, etc.

Buy a 24 pack of water, Crystal Light on the go packets in as many flavors as you like - - and drink at least 3 of those a day, 4 or 5 if you can.

Is your breastfeeding relationship going well? Do you feel there is an issue with your milk production?

Hi there,
Constipation is the first sign of a toxic colon and a toxic colon can lead to disease. Changing your diet is the only way to heal your gut, and a healthy gut makes for a healthy person physically and mentally.
Please go to www.bodyecology.com and order her book, The Body Ecology Diet. It will explain everything as well as give you specific foods and recipes.
Also please feel free to email me at ____@____.com or call me
###-###-#### for more info. I study holistic nutrition and teach nutrition classes and would be happy to help you sift through it. I can also recommend a fruit and vegetable concentrate that can help you get started.
Blessings,
C.

Eat a "dried plum" (prune) followed by a cup of hot green tea - healthy & totally works.

I also found an herbal supplement called Nuvaprin HD (you can find it online thru Purity Products, I think) - this was originally formulated to help varicose veins but definitely, positively keeps those hemorrhoids minimal. Good luck -

My advice would be to really increase your water intake!! Forget anything like coffe or soda. Just drink a lot of water. Drink at least half your height in onces of water: If you are 70 inches tall - drink at least 35 onces of water per day every day.

Deb

Well, I'd say all the usual stuff--water, fiber, walks, trying not to sit the same way all the time (getting up frequently if you have a desk job). Other things that I've found helpful are acupuncture, massaging my belly and certain stretches. My acupuncturist showed me how to do the massage and how to stretch.

Also, I have hypothyroidism, which causes constipation. You might want to get your thyroid tested. You can find out more at http://thyroid.about.com/

H. that helps!

I have diverticulitis (pockets in my colon) and colon ulcers so I have to be on a high fiber diet. I tried the bars and commercial foods labeled high fiber but they produced too much gas. I went online searched high fiber foods and printed out a couple of charts that show which foods are the highest in fiber. I was surprised to see that avocados were one of the highest. My Dr told me that everyone is supposed to eat between 25 - 30 grams of fiber a day so I started keeping a food journal to see how much fiber I was eating. It turns out I average about 25 grams a day, but with the help of the chart I find it easy to add the best choices for me. If a certain food is not on the chart you can search that food + fiber and you will see how much fiber is in the food you are eating. You might also add magnesium and more water to your diet. I've been very regular since doing this, H. it helps.

I was diagnosed with cancer just a few weeks postpartum and started chemo very quickly. So, I had the hemorrhoids from the delivery + severe constipation from the chemo (very common). It got to the point, I had to seek advice from my Oncologist who said, "I don't do hemorrhoids", so I went to my OB/GYN.

In my case, because I could not nurse at that point in time, I was prescribed topical treatments to reduce the inflammation of the hemorrhoids.

I was also started on a stool softener (Senna is vegetable based) and increased both my liquids/fiber. Still, it was awful.

So, my recommendation is to eat as high of fiber foods as possible (Fiber One has some really good ones, but they're pretty high calorie carb - little known fact: you can subtract the grams of fiber from the total carbs if the fiber is 5g or greater)

Because you are nursing, I'd ask your pediatrician if there's anything that you should certainly avoid - you may need medication initially to help reduce the inflammation and to soften the stools and then use more dietary intervention once the symptoms are improved. I'd ask about fiber supplements (BeneFiber, FiberSure) to see if they're excreted in breastmilk.

Good luck. It's awful, but there is light at the end of the tunnel - no pun intended.

Try Fiber1 Cereal. It really works for me.

Hello Hopie,

Increase your magnesium intake. don't take magnesium oxide because you only aborb 4% and the rest goes down the toilet. get the book 'the magnesium miracle' and see how much we need magnesium. they also have topical magnesium gels (www.bioinnovations.com) in case your GI track does not tolerate magnesium very well. eat more cruciferus veggies (broccoli, cauliflower) check www.rawfoods.com and www.hacres.com for recipes. avoid milk products and see if that helps with your constipation. God Bless! ~C.~

you've gotten a lot of good advice, definitely eat lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains. Stop eating anything refined or processed, and things high in sodium, which is typically processed foods. And drink LOTS of water. I use a reusable water container and carry it with me everywhere I go, so I am always reminded to drink it. I pack the sippy cup for babe, and water bottle for me :) Sometimes we forget to drink water because we are so busy with everything else we have to do as moms. But if you are feeling thirsty, then they say you are already too dehydrated, which is bad, and can account for constipation. For a jump start to your diet changes, I think it's safe to take Metamucil. My OB said I should take it when I was pregnant. To be on the super safe side, give your OB a call and ask. I know the diet changes will help immensely! Good luck!

I've dealt with hemorrhoids and constipation before. The biggest help to me was increasing my fiber. I tried those powders and such but they were a hassle. Now I just make sure I eat a reasonably sized bowl (maybe 1.5 "servings") of 4g+ fiber cereal every morning. Currently I eat Mini-Wheats (regular flavor with a few chocolate "Little Bites" thrown in for taste), but as long as it has 4g+ of fiber, you can pick whatever you like the flavor of.

You probably need probiotics big time. If you are out of balance probiotics will constipate at first so supplement with magnesium to balance. Most women are low on magnesium anyway. Aloe vera juice is an excellent stool softener but I don't know about taking it while nursing.
Good Luck and God Bless

I had a similar situation. I even gave my hemorrhoids names! The solution is easy: Stop eating BREAD. Eat tons of salad. Raw greens makes things much better for you and will also improve the quality of your milk. I didn't really change much else, but i notice when i eat bread bad things happen down south! Good luck!

The more hydrated you stay the better the constipation gets. I, too had issues with hemroids after birth, and found the more water I drank the easier life got... I don't have a specific diet, although everything I've read says increase the fiber to stay regular. Good luck, I know how painful that can be and H. it resolves soon.

You can have the baby's plum gerber food. It works wonder and also peel an orange but leaving part of the white skin and eat everything (except the seeds). Another really good fruit that works very well is Papaya. All this plus a lot of water should do the trick while also being good to your health and the baby.

I am also nursing (5 month old baby boy!) and a few weeks ago had some problems with constipation. I bought some prunes, apple juice, and cranberry juice and after a couple days I was regulated again... (and this did not negatively affect my son).
There are some good books by Ann Louise Gettileman. I have read and followed the diet for the fast track detox diet with great results. She also has a book called Fat Flush and Gut Flush. I have read both of those. They are all really great books and diets... but it is a complete change of eating... very healthy. She deal a lot with foods causing a lot of negitive problems we have with our bodies. I am not sure how these diets will work while breastfeeding... I think they would we would just need to make sure to eat enough calories. I am actually thinking of trying her diets again while breastfeeding because I just found out my baby is allergic to dariy and soy (that I eat and it passes through the milk) and they are in everything!
Oh and like another poster stated oatmeal is great and is supposed to help with milk production. I read that nursing moms should have some everyday. Even if it is an oatmeal cookie!

Here is a link to some helpful info: http://www.annlouise.com/

H. you feel better soon!