Constipation in a nursing mother

Quite often a woman after childbirth faces such a problem as frequent constipation. First, it can be associated with hormonal changes in the body, injuries of the rectum, obtained during childbirth, or with psychological problems. But gradually, if you do not take any measures, the situation is aggravated. Especially often, severe constipation occurs with GV.Moreover, they are not associated with the very process of lactation, but with the wrong diet and way of life of a woman.

How

is manifested Constipation of is a pathology that manifests itself in the delay of the defecation process for 2 or more days. It can also manifest severe discomfort or difficulty in emptying the intestine. Constipation in nursing mothers are common and not only cause suffering to the woman herself, but can also affect the child. After all, her psychological state and poor state of health can affect the quality of breast milk, in addition, digestive disorders lead to a deterioration in its composition.

Constipation may appear immediately after birth or later. Sometimes the nursing mother immediately does not pay attention to the decrease in the frequency of defecation, only the discomfort that appears makes her take certain measures. In addition to rare, once in 2-3 days or even less often, bowel movements, constipation manifests itself by such symptoms:

• bloating, heaviness, flatulence;
• intestinal colic;
• need to strain while defecating;
• sensation of incomplete bowel movement;
• decrease in the amount of feces, it is hard and dry;
• worsening appetite and overall well-being of a woman.

In addition, some symptoms depend on the type of pathology. Constipation during breastfeeding are of two types: atonic and spastic. Atonic constipation occurs due to a decrease in the tone of the intestine. This happens after caesarean section due to muscle weakness. With atonic constipation, there are aching pains in the lower abdomen, a decrease in appetite, increased gas formation, nausea and flatulence. Defecation is rare, and with its appearance of fecal masses a lot, but they leave painfully, causing tears mucous.

Spastic constipation in a nursing mother often appears for psychological reasons. Because of the fear of pain, the woman is restrained, and the tone of the rectum rises. In this case, there are colic pains, nausea, flatulence. Desires for defecation can be frequent, but the bowel is not completely emptied, and the feces come out in small portions, in the form of dry solid lumps.

Constipation in a nursing mother may be caused by fatigue or psychological causes.

Causes of

Constipation in a nursing mother may be caused by various causes. Often they arise because of hormonal changes in the body of a woman and changes in her diet. Also, they can cause weakening of the muscles of the abdominal belt, ruptures and stretching of the perineum, changes in the position of the intestine after childbirth. In addition, the common cause is the psychological factor. After all, in the process of childbirth, crotch lesions often occur, seams are applied, hemorrhoids arise. After that, the woman is simply afraid to strain, so as not to cause the return of pain.

In addition, when breastfeeding a woman often changes her lifestyle. Caring for a child takes a lot of time and energy, often on themselves they do not remain. Sometimes a woman does not even have time to go to the toilet, which forces her to restrain the urge to defecate

. After giving birth, moms move less, which leads to a decrease in intestine tone. Many drink little water, while the lack of fluid is replenished from the stool. And because of the fear of an allergic reaction in the baby, many mothers stop eating certain foods. Moreover, they do not always harm the child, but their absence in the diet can lead to constipation. Some women also begin to follow a diet in a desire to lose weight faster, despite the fact that they are breastfeeding.

Infringement of the bowel movement can also be caused by various inflammatory diseases, abnormalities in the structure of the intestine, metabolic disorders. Taking certain medications, for example, drugs from anemia, also often causes constipation.

Do not ignore such a problem, since the mother's condition is directly related to the health of the child

Treatment of

When constipation occurs, do not ignore this problem. Without treatment and elimination of their causes, pathology will only progress. Moreover, because of this discomfort will appear not only in the mother, but also in the baby. After all, the wrong diet, negative psychological state of a woman, a violation of digestion, any medications taken - all this affects the composition and quality of breast milk. Therefore, it is not recommended to take laxatives or pain medications on your own. Only a doctor can determine how to treat constipation in a nursing woman correctly.

In this case, it is necessary to use complex therapy, because strong medications at this time are contraindicated. Particular attention should be paid to changing the way of life and choosing the right diet.

Diet

When solving the problem of constipation in a nursing mother, the most important is a properly selected diet. It is advisable to consult a doctor or specialist in breastfeeding how to make a diet correctly. After all, he not only needs to support the woman's normal digestion, but also provide the child with all the necessary nutrients, without causing him allergies.

To normalize the digestive processes of nursing mothers, it is very important to monitor your diet

Moreover, each person's reaction is individual, so often you have to try different foods, watching the reaction of the baby, choosing a correct diet for a long time. But there are also general rules about which a woman should be told by a doctor. Some products often lead to the appearance of constipation, especially with breastfeeding. They slow digestion and worsen intestinal motility, so they need to be excluded from the diet. Especially negatively affect the digestion of rice, white bread, legumes, fatty meat, strong tea and coffee. It is not advisable to eat eggplant, semolina, blueberries, pears, quinces, persimmons, wheat bran, chocolate, nuts and whole milk.

constipation But there are also products that are recommended to eat as much as possible. They are not only useful for the baby, but facilitate the process of defecation. This buckwheat and oat porridge, black bread, muesli, vegetable oil, apples, melon, apricot, kiwi, zucchini, beets, broccoli, compotes of dried fruits, sour-milk products. You can add oat bran to your daily diet.

Sometimes, constipation with lactation is obtained by simply increasing the amount of fluid. A woman with breastfeeding should drink at least 2 liters of water. It is recommended to drink a glass for half an hour before each meal, necessarily a glass after sleep. To improve the work of the intestine, water can be replaced with a decoction of raisins, prunes, dogrose berries, gooseberries or cherries. Sometimes it is recommended to add lemon juice, apple slices.

Lifestyle

To completely cure constipation, and not just to remove their unpleasant symptoms, an integrated approach is necessarily necessary. Often, even proper nutrition does not help if the mother moves little. Only movement helps maintain intestinal tone, provides restoration of abdominal muscles functionality and normal blood circulation. Therefore, to prevent constipation, a woman needs to walk as much as possible.

In addition, it is recommended to do daily gymnastics. Even a few exercises, taking 10-15 minutes a day, will help maintain weight and improve the functioning of the intestine. Especially useful are the exercises "bike", "scissors", lifting the knees to the chest from the supine position. It is recommended to practice swimming, yoga.

In order to avoid harm to the child, it is best to use glycerin suppositories for constipation.

Drugs

In cases when it is not possible to get rid of constipation by changing the diet and lifestyle, you need to resort to medication. But their choice should be approached with caution. In addition, that most drugs are contraindicated for breastfeeding, prolonged use of laxatives can lead to addiction and even greater deterioration of the intestine. Therefore, any medication should be prescribed by the attending physician, self-medication is unacceptable.

Therefore, breast-feeding women are prescribed lactulose-based drugs for constipation. The most popular and safe drug that even babies give is Dufalac. But similar effect have other drugs: Goodluck, Normaise, Portalalak. Taking them to a nursing mother is safe, since they do not penetrate into breast milk. Lactulose in unchanged form reaches the rectum, where it stimulates the production of lactobacilli, softens the stool and facilitates their progress. The drugs Fitomycil, Forlax and Fortrans are also considered safe.

Helps with constipation drug Eubikor. It contains bran, stimulating peristalsis of the intestine. Take it is recommended for half an hour before meals 3 times a day. In addition, nourishing women are also prescribed glycerine or sea-buckthorn candles to facilitate defecation. They soften the contents of the rectum and facilitate its emptying. This method is absolutely safe for both the mother and the baby, it can not be used only if there are hemorrhoids or cracks in the anus.

There are effective and safe drugs against constipation, but they need to be applied after consulting a doctor

. Folk methods

. People with constipation also help with constipation in a nursing mother. Although not all of them can be used, there are some among them that will normalize the work of the intestine, but they do not harm the baby.

• Mix in equal parts the seeds of anise, caraway and fennel. Take 2 teaspoons of collection, brew a glass of boiling water. The resulting broth should be divided into 3 times and taken in a warm form before eating.
• A popular and effective remedy for constipation is the regular reception of a decoction of raisins, prunes or figs.
• Instead of tea, you can use herbal preparations. Useful for them oregano, fennel, chamomile, nettle, anise, valerian root, mint, leaves of strawberries. What herbs and in what proportions to take, it is better to consult a doctor.

There are many ways to treat constipation. But it is impossible to determine if the medicine recommended by the doctor will help, whether the proposed diet is suitable for a woman. Therefore, sometimes it happens that a woman tries for several months different means, changes preparations, but constipations still torment her. Therefore, it is better to avoid the reasons for their occurrence in advance and to prevent this problem.