Pregnancy Constipation

[viajera919]

Hi, Jeff! I’m 35 and 28.5 weeks pregnant. I’ve followed the McDougall diet faithfully for 11 years. An idea of my day of eating is: rolled oats with a frozen banana microwaved with water, lunch is dinner’s leftovers (usually always rice, some legume, 50/50 with some steamed veggies and a low density/no salt sauce) and then some different variety for dinner. I have a nectarine for snack. I’m not taking a prenatal with iron. This is my third McDougall pregnancy but this one has been causing constipation recently. I’m drinking water only and frequently. I have celiac and haven’t had gluten in years. I don’t drink coffee/tea. I recently added 3 dried prunes to my after morning breakfast. I’ve got two young boys and were active. Could I need to be adding more fat? More food? I eat really big portions. Thank you!

[JeffN]

Hi, Jeff! I’m 35 and 28.5 weeks pregnant. I’ve followed the McDougall diet faithfully for 11 years. An idea of my day of eating is: rolled oats with a frozen banana microwaved with water, lunch is dinner’s leftovers (usually always rice, some legume, 50/50 with some steamed veggies and a low density/no salt sauce) and then some different variety for dinner. I have a nectarine for snack. I’m not taking a prenatal with iron. This is my third McDougall pregnancy but this one has been causing constipation recently. I’m drinking water only and frequently. I have celiac and haven’t had gluten in years. I don’t drink coffee/tea. I recently added 3 dried prunes to my after morning breakfast. I’ve got two young boys and were active. Could I need to be adding more fat? More food? I eat really big portions. Thank you!

The good news is you have 2 successful pregnancies while following this program. The question is, why the constipation this time. It is hard to say from here so you will have to do some detective work.

One simple potential solution that I have no evidence for but seems to work well and have mentioned before is soon after awakening, to rapidly consume a 16 oz glass of warm water. If you want, you can put a little lemon in it too. May take a day or two but often helps. If not, you can try it before lunch and dinner too. I have my theory for why it works but we will save that for another day.

I think at the program besides the prunes, Dr Lim used to recommend Mira-Lax but i have no experience with that.

In Health
Jeff

[viajera919]

Thanks! I’ll try the warm water with meals first. My midwife mentioned magnesium but I’d prefer to try warm lemon water first before mira lax or magnesium.

[JeffN]

Thanks! I’ll try the warm water with meals first. My midwife mentioned magnesium but I’d prefer to try warm lemon water first before mira lax or magnesium.

Agreed. Magnesium can work too and some of it, depending on the form, way to good.

Let me know how it goes.

In Health
Jeff

[viajera919]

Hi, Jeff!

An update. I did plain warm water and warm lemon water and they were giving me heartburn (lovely side effects of pregnancy!). So I switched to having herbal tea (yogi breathe deep) - the only tea I really care for - along with 4 prunes and it’s improved. Hopefully this combo will work for 10 more weeks!

Thanks again!