How to prevent constipation during pregnancy and folk remedies for constipation

We all know that female friends will suffer from constipation to some extent during pregnancy. Constipation can affect our personal health. In severe cases, the skin will also be affected. Constipation during pregnancy needs timely treatment and relief.

How to prevent constipation during pregnancy

1. Develop a good habit of regular bowel movements. You can go to the toilet on time in the morning, after breakfast, or before going to bed at night, regardless of whether you have the urge to defecate or not. Over time, you will develop the habit of regular bowel movements.

2. Pay attention to regulating your diet, eat more green leafy vegetables and fruits rich in fiber, and eat less spicy and stimulating food.

3. Carry out some light activities appropriately to promote intestinal motility, shorten the time for food to pass through the intestines, and increase bowel movements.

4. You can drink a glass of boiled water or cold boiled water on an empty stomach every morning. This is also a good way to stimulate intestinal peristalsis and help defecation.

5. Drink more honey water. Honey has the effect of moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements. It can be taken with water.

6. Drink plenty of water and go to the bathroom immediately if you feel the urge.

7. If your constipation is severe, you should see a doctor, who will give you medication to soften your stool.

8. Keep a relaxed mood. Medical scientists have conducted experiments. They used a colonoscope to observe the sigmoid colon of people for a long time, and consciously made the subjects feel depressed, disappointed, angry, anxious, rebellious, etc. At this time, they found that intestinal peristalsis was inhibited, and the sigmoid colon spasmed (contracted) and feces were retained. Constipation occurred repeatedly. Therefore, to prevent constipation, expectant mothers must relax and not be too anxious.

Note: If constipation still occurs after taking the above methods, you can take some relief medicine, such as Chinese medicine Ma Ren Zi Pi Wan, Senna Leaf Granules or Fruit Laxative Tablets. You can also use enema or glycerin suppositories to relieve constipation, but you must pay attention to it under the guidance of a doctor. Straight sesame oil laxatives are prohibited to avoid causing miscarriage. But don't take laxatives lightly to avoid hurting the fetus and even causing miscarriage.

Home remedies for constipation

1. Baizhu powder

Method: Take an appropriate amount of raw Atractylodes macrocephala, crush it into fine powder, take 10 grams of Atractylodes macrocephala powder each time, 3 times a day. Generally, after 3 to 5 days of medication, the bowel movement will return to normal. You can stop taking the medicine after the bowel movement returns to normal. After that, take the medicine 2 to 3 days a week to maintain long-term bowel movement.

Effect: Hard stool is caused by lack of body fluid and dry intestines. The function of Atractylodes macrocephala is to produce body fluid and moisten the dry intestines, and it has the function of moistening and relieving constipation. Later, doctors of all dynasties also reflected on the effect of Atractylodes macrocephala in moistening stool. Modern research has confirmed that Atractylodes macrocephala has a two-way effect of "inhibiting" and "enhancing" gastrointestinal motility. Therefore, it is feasible to treat constipation with Atractylodes macrocephala powder.

Applicable: This method is particularly effective for constipation caused by physical weakness and spleen deficiency in the elderly.

2. Shaogan Decoction with Flavor

Method: Take 30 grams of raw white peony root, 20 grams of licorice, and 15 grams of bitter orange, add 2 bowls of water and boil until it becomes half a bowl. Take 1 dose per day, divided into 2 times.

Efficacy: White peony root is a medicine that can nourish and purge, astringe and disperse, soften and disperse, and can collect and promote. Yin deficiency constipation is treated by astringing Yin and dispersing Qi with its sourness to achieve the purpose of smooth bowel movements. Licorice soothes the stomach and abdomen, and Citrus aurantium is a traditional medicine for treating constipation. Therefore, this prescription is reasonably matched and has a definite effect.

Applicable: Using white peony root as the main ingredient to treat elderly people with yin deficiency and constipation can nourish yin and blood and achieve the effect of moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements.

3. Forsythia

Method: Take 15 to 30 grams of Forsythia suspensa, boil it and drink it as tea, 1 dose per day. Children can add sugar or rock sugar. Take it for 1 to 2 weeks and then stop.

Efficacy: Although Forsythia suspensa is a traditional medicine for clearing heat and detoxifying, clinical findings in recent years have shown that it is also effective in treating constipation.

Applicable: It is especially effective for constipation caused by surgery. In addition, for women, constipation caused by pregnancy, menstruation and postpartum, constipation caused by high blood pressure, habitual constipation, constipation caused by weakness in the elderly, and constipation caused by cerebrovascular disease can all be treated with Forsythia suspensa.

4. Plantago

Method: Take 30 grams of Plantago seeds every day, add water and boil into 150 ml, take 3 times a day before meals, 1 week is a course of treatment. Generally, 1 to 4 courses of treatment will show obvious effects. Other drugs need to be stopped during medication.

Efficacy: Plantago is sweet and cold in nature, non-toxic, and mainly contains a large amount of mucus, plantago polysaccharide, succinate, choline and oil, etc. Animal experiments have shown that plantago contains plantago polysaccharide, plantago gum, etc., which can increase the moisture in the intestine and shorten the defecation time, thus playing a laxative role.

Applicable: This recipe can not only treat constipation, but is also suitable for patients with hypertension and diabetes.

5. Sterculia lychnophora

Method: Take 5 pieces of Sterculia lychnophora, put them in a teacup or bowl, and brew them with about 150 ml of boiling water for 15 minutes. After it swells, take it in small amounts in several times, and eat the swollen Sterculia lychnophora slowly. Do not eat the kernel of Sterculia lychnophora. Generally, taking it for 1 to 3 days can relieve constipation symptoms.

Efficacy: According to traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs and large intestine are exterior and interior to each other; heat accumulation in the large intestine can lead to constipation, and can also cause heat stagnation in the lung meridian, resulting in symptoms of dry mouth and sore throat. Sterculia lychnophora can clear both lung and intestinal heat. Sterculia lychnophora is sweet in taste and cold in nature, and has the effects of clearing heat and moistening the lungs, relieving sore throat and detoxifying, and moistening the intestines and relieving constipation.

Modern pharmacological studies have also shown that the extract of Sterculia lychnophora can increase the volume of intestinal contents and produce mechanical stimulation, causing increased reflex intestinal peristalsis, thereby playing a laxative role.

Applicable: Suitable for constipation caused by damp heat and toxin accumulation.

Folk daily recipes

1. Konjac + honey

Use a juicer to squeeze out the konjac juice, put it in a pot and cook it over low heat until it becomes a lake, put it in a container, and mix it with cool honey (honey has cool and hot properties), and take two spoonfuls every morning on an empty stomach. Be sure to persist, it can cure long-term constipation.

2. Eat pears after meals

Every 100 grams of pears contains 3 grams of cellulose (mostly insoluble fiber). It is an insoluble fiber that can help prevent constipation and digestive diseases, purify the kidneys and clean the intestines. People with long-term constipation should eat more pears, which can help prevent colon and rectal cancer.

3. Drink rice vinegar after meals

30 ml of rice vinegar (about two tablespoons), two tablespoons of honey, stir 3-5 times the amount of water, and drink after each meal.

Vinegar can promote bowel movements, but drinking it directly can hurt the stomach and duodenum, so it should be diluted before drinking. For those with severe constipation, the dosage can be increased.

4. Drink water on an empty stomach in the morning

One of the reasons for constipation is insufficient water intake. The water from food residues in the intestines is constantly being absorbed, which slows down the peristalsis of the large intestine. Replenishing water as soon as you get up can indeed eliminate constipation, because the stomach and intestines are in a resting state at night. Drinking water before eating in the morning will make the stomach and intestines move faster than usual, allowing water to be immediately transported to the large intestine, increasing the water content of the stool, and soft stool is easier to excrete. It is recommended to drink two cups of warm water on an empty stomach in the morning, and one cup is about 240cc.

5. Soak dried candied dates in boiling water

Candied dates are rich in pectin and have an excellent laxative effect, while roses also have a laxative effect, plus they replenish the body's water, so drinking it this way is effective! But it should be noted that roses have the effect of activating blood circulation and removing dirt, so pregnant women should not drink it. In addition, this method is okay occasionally, but long-term use will cause intestinal paralysis and become ineffective.

6. Drink yogurt

Cold drinks are more irritating to people with sensitive stomachs, so some people will have diarrhea after drinking them. The probiotics in yogurt are the main reason for helping digestion. Probiotics will ferment the cellulose in the intestines, and the generated organic acids will promote intestinal peristalsis.

However, the disadvantage of drinking yogurt on the market is that it has a high sugar content and drinking too much can easily make you fat. One cup a day can allow the body to absorb enough probiotics. It would be better if you can make your own yogurt to control the sugar content, or choose yogurt fermented with soybeans, which also has less sugar.

7. Drink coffee for breakfast

The caffeine in coffee beans also stimulates the parasympathetic nerves, thereby promoting intestinal peristalsis and making morning bowel movements smoother. Some people feel that the effect is more obvious when drinking brewed coffee because the caffeine content in brewed coffee is higher.

The harm of constipation in pregnant women

Pregnant women with constipation have a reduced appetite in mild cases, which further aggravates intestinal dysfunction. In severe cases, it can induce auto-poisoning, because many metabolites in the body need to be excreted through feces. In severe constipation, the metabolites accumulated in the intestine are absorbed and cause poisoning. This is not good for both pregnant women and fetuses. Generally, pregnant women with constipation will become more and more constipated in the late pregnancy. They often have no bowel movements for several days, or even 1-2 weeks, which leads to abdominal pain and bloating in pregnant women. Severe cases can lead to intestinal obstruction and premature birth, endangering the safety of mother and baby. There was a patient who had most of the small intestine removed at 38 weeks of pregnancy due to constipation and intestinal obstruction leading to small intestine necrosis. When some pregnant women with constipation give birth, the feces accumulated in the intestine hinder the descent of the fetus, causing prolonged labor or even dystocia. They can eat more fruits, vegetables, crude fiber, etc. to regulate constipation.