5 Home Remedies to Avoid Constipation During Third Trimester
Each trimester of pregnancy may bring with it its unique set of problems and symptoms. Your last trimester of pregnancy, too, may bring on some discomfort as your baby is growing bigger. Some of these problems include frequent urination, constipation, back pain, and fatigue, among others. Learn more about pregnancy symptoms & its remedies here.
Constipation is one of the most common problems that pregnant women face in the third trimester of pregnancy. However, there are a number of over-the-counter and home remedies to help relieve pregnant mothers of this problem as well as to avoid it. Following are five such home remedies for constipation that are quite effective. Please consult your doctor before trying any remedies, and to check for any allergies.
5 Simple Home Remedies To Keep Constipation During Pregnancy At Bay
1. Lemon
Lemon is one of nature's best gifts that can do wonders to your body in a lot of ways. Avoiding and relieving constipation during pregnancy is one of them. Packed with antioxidant properties and Vitamin C, lemon can help flush out toxins and, more importantly, undigested food. Pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy can add the juice of one or half a lemon to some warm water and drink it once or twice a day.
2. Increased water intake
One of the easiest home remedies for constipation is to ensure that you drink enough water during the day. Intake of enough water allows for the food to move around the digestive tract better. This helps loosen the stool and avoiding constipation in pregnant women in the third trimester.
3.Prunes
Eating prunes can help ease and avoid constipation too. Prunes are rich in fiber, which help regulate bowel movement, and they also help increase fluid intake, which is also one of the important home remedies for constipation during pregnancy. If you find prune juice too strong for your taste, you can always enhance it by adding a dash of lemon and diluting it with some water.
4. Pelvic floor relaxation
Relaxing your pelvic floor muscles when passing stool can also help relieve constipation during pregnancy. To do this, give yourself some time when you need to use the toilet. Once seated, inhale deeply and relax your pelvic muscles as you exhale. You should try not to strain yourself. Try lifting your toes to a tip-toe position or use a footstool to raise your knees above your hip level so that you are almost squatting. This puts you in an ideal position to pass stool easily. Also, these 3 simple exercises during third trimester can help you stay fit & keep pregnancy pains at bay. There are also Kegel exercises you can follow during your third trimester.
5. Reflexology During Pregnancy
This is another natural remedy for constipation during pregnancy. Reflexology is based on the idea that different parts of your feet correspond to different parts in the entire body. This is a completely safe practice. The arch of your feet is what needs to be massaged for relieving and avoiding constipation, as it corresponds to the digestive system. You can do this by yourself or ask someone else to do it for you.
These are five of the many effective remedies for constipation in the third trimester of pregnancy. While all of these home remedies are safe for both the baby and the mother, it is highly recommended that you speak to your OB/GYN before you choose any one of them, as every pregnancy is different and so what may work for one woman may not work for another. Also, as you go about preparing for labour during the third trimester of pregnancy, here are some of the signs of labour that you should look for. You can use our pregnancy due date calculator to get an estimation of your baby’s due date & visit our hospital bag checklist page so that you are prepared for your baby’s arrival.