, where you’ll find plenty of resources to support and guide you throughout your pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat foods can help relieve constipation during pregnancy?<\/h2>\n
Adjusting your diet<\/strong> is also essential for managing pregnancy-related constipation. It is recommended to:<\/p>\n\n- Eat fiber-rich foods (especially late in pregnancy) 2 to 3 times per day<\/strong>: cooked vegetables, prunes, whole or semi-whole grain versions of bread, rice, cereals, legumes\u2026<\/li>\n
- Eat foods rich in magnesium<\/strong>:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
– Nuts, seeds, legumes, green vegetables. – Certain fruits: dates, chestnuts, bananas… – 70% dark chocolate and cocoa powder. – Certain cheeses like Emmental, Comt\u00e9, Gruy\u00e8re… – Yogurts with active bifidus cultures. – Certain cooked fish: sole, anchovies, sardines… – Properly cooked seafood and shellfish: snails, squid, or mussels\u2026 – Certain mineral waters like Rozana, H\u00e9par, or Courmayeur.<\/p>\n
\n- Avoid hard-to-digest foods (too greasy, rich sauces\u2026), foods that cause bloating (like cabbage), astringent foods, and processed\/ultra-processed meals (often spicy).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For immediate relief, if you\u2019ve been constipated for a few days, you can try mucilaginous laxatives<\/strong> soaked in liquid (they form a “gel” in the intestines, increasing stool volume, improving consistency, and speeding up transit). For example, soak for 30 minutes a large tablespoon of ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, or blond psyllium in a glass of water, juice, tea, or milk and consume them at breakfast, either on their own or mixed into a compote, yogurt, or muesli\u2014don\u2019t forget to drink a large glass of water afterwards (we can\u2019t say it enough!).<\/p>\nWhat exercises can help relieve constipation?<\/h2>\n
As mentioned earlier, engaging in 30 minutes of pregnancy-safe physical activity daily helps with constipation. Movement is key! Even better: you can add daily abdominal breathing exercises<\/strong> to improve digestion, oxygenation, focus, stress and pain management, and sleep. How to proceed?
\nThe position: lie down, tilt your pelvis<\/strong> so your back lies flat on the ground and the distance between your head and sacrum is maximized: stretch out (this frees your diaphragm!). Relax your entire body. Place your hands on your belly and focus on what\u2019s happening there.<\/p>\nThe exhalation: start by slowly exhaling through your mouth; you\u2019ll feel that your spine lengthens<\/strong> (self-stretching), your belly flattens a little, your diaphragm and navel rise (and your lungs empty). Keep exhaling as long as possible.<\/p>\nThe inhalation: at the end of the exhale, the inhale comes naturally: air flows through your nose, you\u2019ll feel your belly inflate and your diaphragm lower<\/strong> (this downward motion allows the lungs to fill). Then exhale again, and so on\u2026<\/p>\nAt first, this breathing method may not feel natural. But it actually is! You just need time to get used to it\u2014and soon, you won\u2019t want to go without it.<\/p>\n
When should you consult a healthcare professional?<\/h2>\n
You should consult a healthcare professional when constipation doesn\u2019t improve<\/strong>, is bothersome, or causes concern.
\nIf you\u2019re constipated and taking an iron supplement, you can also talk to your doctor or midwife about switching supplements.<\/p>\nYou can also ask all your questions to our team of midwives available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week by downloading the May app<\/a>!<\/p>\nThere are many tips for managing constipation during pregnancy. They\u2019re also useful for people who aren\u2019t pregnant, so feel free to keep them in mind even after your pregnancy.<\/p>\n
This text was translated from French by an artificial intelligence. The information, advice, and sources it contains comply with French standards and may therefore not apply to your situation. Make sure to complement this reading by visiting the May US\/UK app and consulting the healthcare professionals who are supporting you.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Constipation during pregnancy is a very common issue, so if you’re experiencing it, you’re not alone. It\u2019s certainly unpleasant, and we\u2019d gladly do without it. May gives you all the tips to prevent and\/or relieve constipation during pregnancy. Why are you more likely to suffer from constipation during pregnancy? Constipation is a very common discomfort […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":11561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[213],"class_list":["post-25204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pregnancy","tag-pregancy-pains"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25206,"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25204\/revisions\/25206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.may.app\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}