After you have a child, you may have problems going to the bathroom. Depending on how long you were in labor and what you went through during it, the constipation you experience can be mild to severe. Here are some of the things that you can do to alleviate this problem, so you can start to feel normal again.
What are the causes?
Here are some of the main causes of constipation after having a child.
Hormones
Even when women aren’t pregnant, sometimes their intestines slow down, which can make them a bit irregular. This is due to the hormones that the body makes each month to do different jobs throughout the body. This is one of the reasons why you may not be able to go to the bathroom after delivery.
The bad news is, even months after the baby is born, you may keep having problems with hormones, so your constipation may keep coming back. There isn’t anything you can do about this, but you can institute some of the other things that are listed below to help alleviate your problem if it keeps coming back.
Diet
If you weren’t eating properly or drinking enough water during the pregnancy, it will be harder for the body to go. This also effectively slows down your intestines, so it will take longer for you to start going to the bathroom normally.
Epidural
Any prescription pills or medicine that you take during your pregnancy or injections you are given during delivery can slow your system down as well. This means it will give you problems while you’re in the bathroom. This is also true for any pills you have to take during or after your pregnancy, since they can shock your system and slow things down, in a general sense.
Stress
Stress is bad for all parts of your body. If you are too stressed out right before you have your child or while you’re having your child, this is going to show up in negative ways, such as not being able to use the restroom properly.
Injury or pain
Sometimes there are issues during the delivery that cause tears or scratches in delicate areas of the body, especially if you had to get a c-section. This can leave you not feeling your best and make you unable to go. When you don’t feel your best, it is hard to convince your body to do normal things, but it can be done. Take it day by day, hour by hour, and you will get through any pain you have.
What can I do?
There are things you can do to ensure, as much as you can, that your body is able to go when you need to.
Eat enough fiber
You absolutely have to eat enough fiber. If you eat a balanced diet, you probably eat enough fiber in fruits and vegetables for you to have this covered. Excellent sources of fiber are things like beans, cereals, and brown rice. On the other hand, you don’t want to eat too much insoluble fiber, due to the fact that it can make your constipation even worse. Things like granolas or bran cereals may cause more problems instead of solving the problem you already have.
Drink plenty of water
Another essential is drinking enough water. This is roughly 8 glasses of water a day, although some days you will need slightly more or slightly less. Your body will let you know when you’ve had enough, so listen to it. When you drink enough water, all of your processes work better. You’ll likely feel great, your skin will glow, and you will be less likely to get sick or anything like that.
Relax
It is hard to act like everything’s normal when you can’t go to the bathroom, but remember that this will pass. Stay calm and don’t let it get you down. When it is time to go, you’ll be able to, so try your best to relax. This is easier said than done, but it can also be easier if you distract yourself, so you can forget that you’re having this problem. Do something fun like watch a movie or read a book, and you may forget what the problem was. This may even be able to relax your system enough to be able to go.
Don’t strain
A very important thing to remember is that you should not strain. If you can’t go to the bathroom, you may feel better sitting in a hot bath of water, which may relax you enough to be able to go. However, if you strain too much, you can give yourself hemorrhoids, which are not pleasant and can be rather painful.
Is constipation serious?
Even when constipation is minor, it may cause you some concern. In most cases, it is nothing serious and will pass quickly. However, if it has been a few days since you have been able to go and it is painful, you can check with your doctor to see what they say. They will be able to tell you if it’s safe to take a laxative or stool softener, which can help you out in emergency situations. He may also be able to prescribe something stronger, depending on what your needs are.
Conclusion
Constipation can be a real problem when you’ve just been through labor and want to feel some normalcy again. There are many reasons why you may not be able to go to the bathroom, and most are not really worth worrying about. On the flip side, there are some things you can do to help the situation out more, and the most important one is making sure that you drink enough water. These solutions may not work as quickly as you want. If that is the case, you can contact your doctor to see what the best course of action is. This problem isn’t permanent and will pass, so don’t stress out too much. It happens to many people each day.