Bed rest ladies...let's talk about constipation.

weddedwife · October 2012

I'm sure this whole thread is gonna be full of TMI...but are you guys constipated??

I instantly got constipated back when I was put on bed rest. My Dr explained that no movement = no movement! I was managing it pretty well with Metamucil in the morning and a stool softener.

Now I have to take iron 3x a day. I upped my stool softener doseage to 2x a day and sometimes I do Metamucil twice too. I'm drinking a fair amount of water too but all of the sudden I'm way constipated again. It's not that I'm not going, I'm not going enough and it's pretty hard. Yesterday I had some pretty bad cramps because of it.

I think this recent bout has been due to the Tums I've been taking. That 3rd tri heartburn has kicked in in full force when I lay down. I've heard that Tums can be constipating and I think that is just adding to my woes. I feel like its an endless cycle!

Any tips? Similar issues? Wanna whine with me??

::currently drinking a small cup of coffee to "get things moving"::

Kadyra · October 2012

I was really constipated at home, but not in the hospital. I found that weird. They gave me senakot there, but I stopped taking it after it gave me explosive diarrhea. I got colace post partum, which helped.

At home if I got desperate, I'd take a colace and use a dulcolax suppository. That usually worked. I often did that if I took any zofran. I had Mag citrate in the fridge for emergencies, but I never used it.

I think I'll take a nap. Ds1 woke me 30 minutes after I went to sleep after my 5am pump. Should be interesting here in this rocking chair.

Whales124 · October 2012

Okay here is some TMI for you! I've had a few bleeding hemmroids since becoming pg, couple that with IBS that I've had for years and going has been a real treat! I take a stool softener in the morning and night, eat fiber 1 something every day either cereal or a granola bar, and I drink a cup of decaf French roast coffee everyday. This combo seems to work for me. Too bad you have to be on iron bc I'm sure that isn't helping! Good luck!

yinyang124 · October 2012

I'm on iron supplements 2x/day plus the iron in my PNV, and I take a stool softener 3x/day. I'm still constipated though- not painful or completely constipated, but my tummy is definitely upset since I only have small BMs once a day. Nothing is helping. I drink 100+ oz of water a day, lots of fiber, warm tea in the mornings. Dang iron supps. Hopefully someone has a suggestion.

E&RMommy · October 2012

Colace twice daily

25 grams fiber daily

PRUNE JUICE warmed up the microwave (this is used for old people in hospitals / nursing homes because it really works)

100 oz water daily

It did all of this and it worked.

I'd ask your OB for a real acid reducer instead of tums.

Good luck

yinyang124 · October 2012

Do you drink the prune juice every day or just when the other methods don't work?

elizabeth0705 · October 2012

I feel your pain. I am on bed rest, and was recently put on iron supplements. Combining those things with a million Tums a day (for heartburn) has been interesting. I take the iron at 6 am (that is the only time I can take it, thanks to all of the counteractions with other meds I'm already taking) with half of a water bottle's worth of water, and that seems to help a little with the constipation.

The main problem I'm having is that I'm supposed to sit up after taking the iron pill (a per the instructions on the package), however, I usually go back to sleep for an hour or two after I take it so as to avoid eating while the pill is still in my stomach. The trouble is that I need to lie completely flat in order to avoid back cramps/contractions while sleeping. And being flat after drinking so much water and taking iron adds to my heartburn. I can't win!

ashbee0223 · October 2012

I haven't had a problem with constipation so far. I drink a cup of coffee about 3 times a week (hey I don't drink any other type of caffiene, such as soda) so that has been keeping me going a few times a week.

candy4steve · October 2012

When I was on my hospital bedrest in August they started me on round the clock colace and it was wonderful. Just lying there so much makes your body really slow down and the colace seemed to help. The bonus was when I had my csection it helped that I already had some in my system so the first #2 after the surgery wasn't as awful as I had thought it would be. I also asked the hospital to give me salads and stuff to help get things moving.

starfish717 · October 2012

Hmm so I feel like a dummy because when I read this post I tried to think back to my last big potty.... and I couldn't remember when it was! I guess that's a bad sign. I've been on bed rest for over a month and I've had terrible heart burn lately so Tums and I are best friends. I had no idea Tums caused constipation (again, big dummy head here lol) so that's probably part of the problem.

Maybe I should try some Colace to help move things along.

E&RMommy · October 2012

yinyang124:
Do you drink the prune juice every day or just when the other methods don't work?

I had to drink it daily for a while then just as needed.

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Bed rest ladies...let's talk about constipation.

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