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First post as a mom! About constipation... sigh


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  • Whole30 Certified Coach

2 weeks post partum and of course I need help with poop :rolleyes:

After 1 poop in 8 days after a 48 hour induction and subsequent labor... I'm now back to my usual 1x a day in the morning routine.  But its like rabbit pellets and not super comfy with the wonderful hemorrhoids that I was lucky enough to get :) I don't want to take colace if I can help it because in general I don't like to take medicine.

Pre-little man I took magnesium each night and if I wasn't careful I had the opposite problem.  I'm now taking a dose higher than I used to (800mg), I'm eating literally POUNDS of fruits (usually apples, which used to help move things along promptly) and veggies, I'm drinking a minimum of 100 oz of fluids a day (homemade seltzer, tea, kombucha <-- probiotics in there too)...  I'm not doing a strict W30 right now but I'm avoiding things that I perceive as "constipating" - dairy, rice cakes (my usual deviations from strict compliance).  I'm eating a TON of fat too - I've even been eating 1-1.5 tbsp of solid coconut oil each day on an empty stomach because in the past that has emptied me out like an enema!  But the rabbit pellets persist!  

Is this just a rite of passage for post partum and I just need to wait it out or is there something I'm missing?

Thanks!

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Try prunes? They often help me a little in that department. There is conflicting evidence about prune juice actually being effective but some people swear by that too. 

Pear sauce helps me too. Chop pears into chunks (leave the skins on), steam till soft, blend with a stick blender. Before whole30/paleo I used to eat in on oatmeal, now I like it on pork or in a root veggie soup or just by the spoonful :).  

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Besides the pounds of fruit and veggies you're eating, are you eating in sufficient quantities to actually have anything to pass?  If we undereat, then we don't have that push from above onto items already in our digestive tract to move them downwards and then out.

How much do you weigh?  100oz is good for a 200 pound person... 

Are you eating your veggies cooked? That often helps as raw can be hard to digest.

Can you take the Natural Calm twice a day?  Maybe spreading out the dosage would help?

Other than those things, I can't think of anything else except to say congratulations!  I know this was a tough road for you guys and I'm so happy that you have a little bundle of joy!

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Thanks for the suggestions.  I've tried prunes in the past - I'll eat them like candy (thus in excess) and they don't seem to have any impact.  

I'm not kidding about pounds of fruits and veggies per day - almost all cooked besides baby carrots.  I think my baseline quantity of food is what most breastfeeding women eat.  And now I'm eating more :)  And I'm ~148 right now, up 10 from pre-preggo.

Full size dinner plate, this is one of 3-4 meals:

32108175530_19f263cb35.jpg

Lunch the other day:

32322298411_6fc0d3870a.jpg

I tried magnesium in the morning yesterday.  I felt drugged all day.  Could have been the 3 hours of sleep I got (in 1 hr chunks) or the Mg... not really sure ;)

Guess I just have to wait it out.  Sigh.

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  • 1 month later...

I hate to say it but my postpartum constipation was TERRIBLE. I feel so sad for you :(

It sounds like you're doing all the right things, it may be hormonal more than anything. :/ 

i would up the water intake though. I know you're drinking plenty but if you're breastfeeding you need A LOT of water. I would aim for at least 150 oz and see if that helps 

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On January 23, 2017 at 11:26 AM, littleg said:

Thanks for the suggestions.  I've tried prunes in the past - I'll eat them like candy (thus in excess) and they don't seem to have any impact.  

I'm not kidding about pounds of fruits and veggies per day - almost all cooked besides baby carrots.  I think my baseline quantity of food is what most breastfeeding women eat.  And now I'm eating more :)  And I'm ~148 right now, up 10 from pre-preggo.

Full size dinner plate, this is one of 3-4 meals:

32108175530_19f263cb35.jpg

Lunch the other day:

32322298411_6fc0d3870a.jpg

I tried magnesium in the morning yesterday.  I felt drugged all day.  Could have been the 3 hours of sleep I got (in 1 hr chunks) or the Mg... not really sure ;)

Guess I just have to wait it out.  Sigh.

Yipes, I would feel drugged all day too if I took mag in the am.... after a magnesium bath, I have to go straight to bed... makes me feel like my arms and legs are lead, which is great when you want to go to sleep and I imagine less great when you have to be awake and take care of an infant.  Try switching the mag to night time...

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Just wanted to update this.  Full serving of magnesium (800mg I believe, Magnesium Serene) and lots of cooked and cooled potatoes.  Gutsense.org planted the seed for the potatoes.  In the past when I overdid it on potatoes I noticed poop got softer so I figured I'd try it again.  Not sure if its one or the other or both.  But 'rhoids are finally going into hiding and the rabbit pellets are gone! 

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VERY interesting, @littleg - thanks for sharing. My husband has been having very loose poops for no apparent reason and I did a roasted potato medley on the weekend that we've been having gently reheated all week for breakfast. I wonder if the resistant starch is causing it?

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I'm 8 weeks pp and almost done with my second whole30 and MAN I've had some serious constipation issues this time! like you, it seems like I'm doing everything right, but the only thing that is guaranteed to get things going is the occasional mug of smooth move tea. 

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That has senna in it which is a stimulant laxative so be careful with that I think it can lead to dependency...  try magnesium (and cooked and cooled potatoes if you don't think I'm totally off my rocker ;) ).  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Olive oil always does it for me. Lots and lots of olive oil. Cauliflower and carrots roasted in lots of it (I mean poured onto the pan quite freely, not measured by the tablespoonful) and eaten generously, potatoes sautéed in it and eaten liberally, salads drizzled in it and eaten gluttonously. Oils help things slide right on through the system. Good luck!

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