After birth, many women face a problem such as constipation. There can be many reasons for this condition, and young mothers do not always go to the doctor for examination. But you need to deal with constipation, as this condition not only causes serious discomfort to the mother herself, but can also harm the child. There are a lot of drugs with a laxative effect, although not all of them can be taken lactating. Most drugs are absorbed into breast milk, changing its taste or affecting the baby’s condition. Therefore, it is better to consult a doctor so that he advises a safe laxative. When breastfeeding, it is better not to drink the medicine right away, but to try to cope first with medications.
Causes of constipation after childbirth
Many believe that disruption of the digestive tract occurs only during pregnancy, and after childbirth everything normalizes. But in reality this happens rarely, after the birth of a child, most women continue to suffer from constipation. There are many reasons for this:
- compression of the intestine or changes in the position of its loops under the pressure of the uterus during gestation;
- weakening of the muscles of the perineum as a result of childbirth;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- fear that stitches will open during bowel movements.
Often, a woman who is breastfeeding a child does not eat properly, as she is afraid of provoking an allergy in the child. Errors in mom's diet can also be associated with stress or lack of time. These causes, as well as the consequences of surgery or complex labor, lead to the development of atonic constipation, in which intestinal motility is weakened. This condition is accompanied by a decrease in appetite, increased gas formation, slowing digestion. And under stress, spastic constipation often develops, caused by a spasm of the smooth muscles of the intestines.
Why you need to treat constipation
This condition greatly affects the general well-being of a woman and can affect the quality of breast milk. In case of violation of the process of bowel movement, a woman has abdominal pain, increased gas formation. Due to a decrease in appetite and a slowdown in digestion, a lack of essential nutrients develops, which leads to weakness, headaches, and insomnia. A woman’s skin and hair condition worsens, and bad breath appears. With prolonged and frequent constipation, a woman may experience hemorrhoids or anal fissures that cause serious suffering.
This condition of the nursing mother is reflected in the quality of breast milk. It becomes less nutritious, contains little trace elements necessary for the health of the child.
How to cope without medication
When a woman consults a doctor with a question about whether a laxative can be used for breastfeeding, most experts recommend trying to cope with the problem without drugs. Often, special medications are not required, you just need to eliminate the causes of constipation. For this, a woman is recommended to establish a daily regimen, try to move more, and avoid stress. Adequate drinking regime is also important - you need to drink at least 2 liters of clean water.
In addition, it is recommended to add laxative products to the diet. Breastfeeding is the safest way to get rid of constipation. Dried fruits, beets, figs, apricot, pumpkin, watermelon have the greatest laxative effect. It is useful to eat whole grain bread with bran or buy bran separately, add them to food. In the diet of women should also be oatmeal, olive oil, flaxseeds, dairy products. But you can use only natural yogurts without additives and fresh one-day kefir. Other products will not give a laxative effect. You also need to try less to eat rice, tea and coffee, crackers, cookies, fast food.
Medications for treating constipation
Only a doctor can determine which laxative for breastfeeding can be taken without fear of harming the baby. At the same time, it takes into account the type of constipation, its cause and the general state of health of the woman. In addition, there are several groups of drugs for constipation, which are divided by the nature of the effect and method of application:
- Medications to soften feces can be taken orally or delivered to the intestines as an enema. They are made on the basis of liquid paraffin or macrogol.
- Drugs that increase the amount of feces affect intestinal motility and contribute to its rapid emptying.
- Contact laxatives for breastfeeding are not recommended. They act on the receptors of the intestinal wall, stimulating its work, and can cause colic in a child.
- Osmotic laxatives are often used. By inhibiting the absorption of water, they improve bowel movement.
- The safest laxatives for breastfeeding are local remedies: enemas or suppositories.
Stool softening preparations
Such funds have a gel-like consistency, sometimes they are liquid. The active substance of such drugs is liquid paraffin or macrogol. The most famous stool softening medications are liquid paraffin, oral almond oil, glycerin. During lactation, you can still use Forlax powder or put microclyster "Norgalax". All these funds are not absorbed into breast milk, they act at the level of the small intestine.
The mechanism of action of such funds is that they soften the stool, which facilitates their removal from the intestine. With lactation, they are not contraindicated, but often they can not be used, since they can lead to a decrease in intestinal motility.
Increase in feces
Such drugs, entering the intestine, swell in it, stimulating the receptors of its walls. This contributes to the activation of peristalsis. Such drugs are not digested, therefore, do not pass into breast milk. Such drugs are indicated for atonic constipation, but it is not recommended to take them for a long time, since they can cause feelings of heaviness and bloating.
Preparations that increase the amount of feces include funds based on flax seeds or plantain seeds. It can be preparations "Naturolax" or "Mukofalk". Whole flax seeds, figs, seaweed also have a similar effect.
Local funds
Answering the question of what laxative is possible for breastfeeding a mother, the doctor most often recommends suppositories or microclysters. They are now easy to buy in pharmacies, they are convenient to use and effective. Their safety is explained by the fact that they act only in the region of the large intestine, without penetrating into breast milk.
Most often, two remedies are recommended to nursing mothers: glycerin suppositories and Mikrolaks microclyster. Their peculiarity is that they have a complex effect: they soften feces, facilitating their removal from the intestine, and also act on its walls, stimulating peristalsis. A similar effect is exerted by the glycerol suppository, as well as the Norgalax microclyster. Such drugs are contraindicated for hemorrhoids, cracks in the anus, and inflammation of the rectum.
Other laxatives
The most common laxatives are saline or osmotic. They interfere with the absorption of water in the intestines, and also attract liquid from the plasma. This helps to soften feces, increase their volume and stimulate intestinal motility. But most of these drugs for lactation is not recommended. For example, saline laxatives are absorbed into breast milk and may make it bitter. These are the Erlovar salt, magnesium sulfate, magnesium hydroxide.
What laxative while breastfeeding can still be taken? Most often, prebiotics based on lactulose or lactobacilli are recommended. It can be "Hilak Forte", "Linex", "Lactobacterin." They normalize the intestinal microflora, which facilitates its emptying.
What is a laxative for breastfeeding?
Many drugs for constipation are taken orally. They enter the stomach and, passing through the digestive tract, are absorbed into the bloodstream. In this case, all components of these drugs can pass into breast milk. Moreover, they can not only change the taste of milk, but also can harm a child. Therefore, not all laxatives with breastfeeding can be drunk. Usually only those that are safe for the baby and act quickly are recommended. Among all drugs intended for the treatment of constipation, only a few meet these requirements:
- Preparations containing lactulose syrup are most often recommended at this time. This laxative is often used for infants. With breastfeeding, it helps to establish the intestinal microflora and accelerate its emptying. And it is not addictive and has no side effects. Lactulose syrup is produced under the names "Dufalac", "Prelax", "Portalac", "Normase".
- Macrogol-based preparations, for example, Forlax or Transipeg, are also often used. This is a chemical substance that increases the volume and softens the stool, which contributes to a faster bowel movement.
- Sometimes a laxative is needed for mom to breastfeed so that it works quickly. In this case, it is recommended to use glycerin suppositories. They are absolutely safe for the child and last for 3-5 minutes. They are used only as necessary to facilitate bowel movement.
What drugs should not be drunk
Doctors do not recommend starting medication immediately if constipation occurs. Any laxatives during breastfeeding can have a negative effect on the body of both mothers and babies. Even the safest remedies are often addictive. They can also lead to the appearance of abdominal pain, flatulence. In addition, any medicine is an emergency aid. It is recommended to use it when the constipation lasts a long time, for example, there is no stool for more than 3 days, and this leads to pain and discomfort. In other cases, it is recommended to start by changing the diet and eliminating the causes of constipation.
In addition, among laxatives, there are those that are not recommended for nursing mothers. First of all, these are preparations containing senna extract. They can be issued under the names "Senadeksin", "Glaksena", "Senada", "Sennalaks". These drugs act on intestinal receptors, but are absorbed into breast milk. In a child, senna can cause colic. In addition, it is not recommended for mothers to take such drugs as Fortrans, Regulax, Bisacodyl and Picolax. They can be dangerous for the child. And "Swedish bitterness" and "Chitosan" can make milk bitter.
Natural Laxatives
In the treatment of constipation, some nursing mothers use herbal remedies. But you need to use them after consulting a doctor and very carefully, as they can cause an allergy in a child. When breastfeeding, laxatives based on herbal components should contain only herbs that are safe for the baby. Most often, it is recommended to brew fees containing anise, caraway seeds, nettles, dill seeds, fennel, mint leaves. You can use these recipes:
- boil figs in milk, take a tablespoon several times a day;
- drink half a cup of decoction from the seeds of anise, fennel and caraway seeds;
- drink a prune broth in the morning;
- make a gooseberry broth - a tablespoon of berries in a glass of water.
Laxative for breastfeeding: reviews
Many young mothers have to deal with constipation, not all of them go to the doctor about this. Some take drugs based on reviews of other women. The main thing is not to drink drugs that are absorbed into breast milk so as not to harm the baby. Most of all positive reviews about the preparations "Dufalac", "Prelax", "Normase". They are absolutely safe for the child and effectively help to cope with constipation. The main thing is not to take such funds often, so as not to impair intestinal motility. Therefore, doctors recommend taking drugs periodically, and the rest of the time to cope with constipation with proper nutrition.