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Being pregnant is synonymous with many good feelings, hope and a good anxiety for a life to come. But the process is not the easiest, as many women are well aware and a true festival of hormones invades the woman’s body, forcing her to change her lifestyle to adapt to this phase. And with that, it is clear that some problems arise like constipation in pregnancy.
The good news is that these changes do not always have to be negative , even when problems such as constipation arise during pregnancy. As it is not uncommon to happen, many people work so that less and less pregnant women suffer from this type of condition, all without harming any other aspect of pregnancy and, especially, the baby.
Through diets and proper nutrition, a pregnant woman can get rid of constipation without suffering too much. But to combat it, it is necessary to know some basic information, such as the harms of constipation and how it acts on your body.
What is Constipation?
Constipation, also called constipated or constipation is a bowel trouble to fulfill its function, which ends up requiring a great effort at the time of evacuating person, commonly associated with very hard stools.
Constipation also brings symptoms such as abdominal discomfort and cramps . This condition is not simply about how often a person evacuates, but about how difficult it is to perform the act. Many people who suffer from constipation evacuate every day, but still suffer from the pains and symptoms of this condition.
Why does constipation occur during pregnancy?
Constipation is not exclusive to pregnant women. And it is important to emphasize this information because not every case of constipation in pregnancy occurs exactly because of pregnancy.
Many times a woman can already suffer from this condition before she even becomes pregnant and continue to have it after being pregnant, or even with an aggravation of this problem. Now, is it possible that pregnancy causes constipation? Yes. And it is a very common thing , actually.
The explanation for this is simple. First, the woman’s body changes a lot, as we said at the beginning of the text. And one of the biggest and most noticeable changes is in the belly, where the baby develops.
The woman’s belly grows and the uterus expands, which inevitably causes the intestine to become tighter inside the woman’s body. The result of this is exactly this common pregnancy constipation.
In addition, there is also another factor: The large increase in progesterone, one of the main pregnancy hormones, ends up making the intestine lazier, which also contributes to constipation during pregnancy.
Can Constipation Harm Pregnancy?
This is not a simple question to be answered, since we need to think that it does not simply refer to the baby, but also how the mother feels during the gestation period.
Constipation during pregnancy does not affect the baby in any way, that is, it will not be directly harmed by this condition of the mother. But she can be harmed, because of all the symptoms that we have already mentioned here and also because her body is more fragile due to pregnancy.
Indirectly, constipation in pregnancy ends up affecting the baby, as it has to do with the mother’s diet. Therefore, the best way to prevent it from occurring is with a balanced diet.
Best Diet for Pregnant Women
So that the symptoms of constipation are alleviated and that it does not become a problem in the life of a pregnant woman, it is recommended that a diet for pregnant women rich in fiber be eaten, eating every 3 hours and chewing the food a lot, preferably slowly to facilitate digestion, in addition to staying hydrated, drinking at least 2 liters of water every day.
Recommended Foods for Pregnant Women
The main foods recommended to combat constipation in pregnancy are:
- Fruits with peel
- Whole grain bread
- Integral rice
- Vegetables and legumes
- Seeds
- Nuts
Foods Not Recommended for Pregnant Women
There are also foods that should be avoided so that a pregnant woman’s constipation does not have complications. They are:
- Industrialized soft drinks and sweets
- Milk
- Processed meats
- Fried food
Constipation is a problem that affects millions of people, many women and is quite common during pregnancy. But while it seems inevitable, this is a problem that can be solved smoothly and does not affect the pregnancy itself very much.
It is not necessary the aid of medication or any type of intensive treatment for the constipation of a pregnant woman to improve. A controlled diet and followed correctly can help make this one less problem in your pregnancy. Thus, the worries do not disappear from the head of a woman who is about to give birth, but they certainly decrease.
See also: Diarrhea in Late Pregnancy – Understand the Symptom
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
