constipation & diarrhea

eightynine · April 2016

I will talk to my doctor about this at my next appointment, but I'm wondering if this combo is common-- I had typical preg constipation and the doctor recommended I take a pregnancy safe laxative twice a day (milk of magnesia) and this solves my constipation issue, but then I almost always have loose stools. Not severe, but consistent. Anyone else experiencing this?

wildtot · April 2016

Yup I switched back and forth. You can try prune juice for constipation too and keep up your water intake.

Linsbins · April 2016

Welcome to pregnancy.

sarahufl · April 2016

Take Colace instead- it softens your stool. Laxatives can be really hard on your stomach and cause things to swing too far in the opposite direction.

splsmama2016 · April 2016

sarahufl said:

Take Colace instead- it softens your stool. Laxatives can be really hard on your stomach and cause things to swing too far in the opposite direction.

This. Colace is my best friend still and I'm at 33 weeks.

LizaKate1213 · April 2016

Milk of mag, while safe, should not be used regularly, as it can cause your bowels to become laxative-dependent. I would switch to a stool softener such as Colace or MiraLax (which is not a true laxative despite its name).

ladyshark311 · April 2016

Just to add to this, my son is 8 and has suffered with constipation since he was 2. He takes Miralax every single day because it's the most gentle on your system and isn't really a "laxative" as mentioned above. I'm taking it myself because I've had serious constipation so far this entire pregnancy and I'm really happy with how it works.