Constipation

I’m am the same. It’s an uphill battle. Benefibre is great to add to any food with liquid eg cereal with milk. Movicol is also good though check with your doctor to see if it’s ok for you. Also maybe consider taking a lower iron supplement.. I hope this helps.

I have this problem too!... before pregnant I had constipation infrequently but since pregnant it is basically chronic. Tried supplements and fibre drinks but nothing seem to work until I regularly drink Perkii probiotic shots! They're expensive so I only drink 2x a week and it does really help. I've started this routine since week 9 of pregnancy and been well! I still take blackmores probiotic alternative day as well "just in case".

You can try movicol or coloxyl and senna from the pharmacy. Something I ended up trying in conjunction with the meds above was a water enema- just helped flush everything out when it was super firm. Hasn’t harmed the baby as far as I can tell 😅

I know your pain! (Literally 😂)
I’ve started making my own flaxseed jelly and drink beer kvass. I can give you recipes if you want.

thank you, I unfortunately cant lower the iron dose because I'm still really low and I just started upping the dose too

where do you get these shots from?

I think I have a box of movicol, is it safe during pregnancy?

what is beer kvass?

Yep movicol is safe during pregnancy 😘

Woolies and coles should have the probiotic shots! Perkii has shots and drinks . I find the shot (tiny bottle cost around $4) works better (and fast reacting) for me than the other type of drinks. They're sugar and lactose free too!

This stuff is much less likely to cause constipation:

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/99935/spatone-iron-supplement-28-sachets-apple-flavour?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwvKtBhDrARIsAJj-kTj_YivHa9TBOsHeAjC-FCAMMaIbYXD33U8ql-CjfPTOYNTXcBLnTmsaAkAWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Beet* sorry I know beer wouldn’t have been much nicer 😂. It’s the juice of fermented beetroot.

is it like Yakult?

I'm taking liquid Maltofer at the moment and was told this one was the best. Spatone seems appealing (love apple) but I'm just worried its not as strong ad Maltofer because if I dont improve my iron I will need an infusion 😥

ohh haha okay 😅 Beetroot is my only food aversion this pregnancy 🙃

Can I ask what your typical diet consists of? What is a normal day of food intake?
Also get some magnesium oxide supplements, it’s great for muscle and nervous system support but also has a bit of a laxative effect. It’s also used by people who have issues with acid reflux so it could help with sickness too.
Diet wise let me give you mine as an example: breakfast 1 cup of oatmeal with honey, peanut butter and bananas. For lunch a cup of cooked rice with a protein source (eggs, chicken, pork, beef) and fiber rich veggies. At work we have a canteen so the other day they served us soft shell tacos that had beef, rice and tomatoes and on the side there was red cabbage slaw and leafy greens salad. For dinner I cooked chicken fillet in my grill pan with a leafy green salad on the side that had sheets and nuts in it with a drizzle of olive oil and salt for dressing and some flatbread on the side. Additionally I try to eat 2-3 pieces of fruit throughout the day,bannas and kiwis being my go to

I reached the character limit on my previous comment.
Try to include natural pro biotic foods such as kimchi and yogurt (make sure it’s full fat and as little sugar added in it). Avoid refined sugars as those foods can make constipation worse.
I hope any of the suggestions could work for you and you can feel better!

Is it the Maltofer syrup you're taking?
If so, just advising that Methyl hydroxybenzoate and Propyl hydroxybenzoate are both parabens and there are also many other unnecessary ingredients in there.
The Spatone only has iron in a highly bioavailable form, potassium and Vitamin C which is why I'd choose that over the other one.

Along with Danni mentioning your diet, constipation is usually caused by SIBO or other bacterial overgrowth issues in the gut.
Until the bacteria or fungus are killed off, it will persist.

I would advise to avoid refined sugars and gluten to begin with and see if that helps.

Happy for any other questions!

my doctor recommeneded maltofer as being the best working iron supp 😟

Same to me. I have had that problem since I was a child. Now I'm 30 weeks pregnant with gestational diabetes. Yogurt and cabbage Curry really work for me. And I've been drinking fiber drinks 3 times a week. Be careful constipation can worsen in the third trimester. Don't eat too much sweet fruit like grapes that can cause GD. Eat a lot of Veggie.