Postpartum Constipation

Many new mamas experience postpartum constipation after having a baby. We know, it's totally not fair! First your vajayjay gets ripped from front to back (or, if you had a c-section you've got a huge slice across your belly) and now you can't poop!

If you took drugs to take the edge off your labor pains, that could be the culprit. Give it a few days and things should start, ahem, moving again. If you had a c-section, it can likewise take a few days for your pooper to start working properly, so hang in there. A lot of women get constipated after delivery because their perineum is so sore they're afraid to poop and they end up holding it in.

So what's a constipated mama to do? Here are some tips:

• When they offer you stool softeners in the hospital, take 'em! They'll make those first few bowel movements a lot less painful.
• Drink tons of agua to stay hydrated! You might also want to swig some prune juice to get things moving (just ask your Nana, she'll know alllll about it).
• Walk it off! OK, so walking might be the last thing you feel like doing after having a baby, but if you get your legs moving, your bowels will follow!

Wanna read more? Check out this page full of postpartum health information!