Digestive difficulties, such as constipation and diarrhea, may occur regularly during pregnancy. Blame it on shifting hormones, changes in diet, and included stress. The fact is, pregnant women deal with diarrhea quite a lot, and if they aren’t cautious, it can cause problems.
Why Diarrhea is Common During Pregnancy
If you experience three or more loose bowel movements in someday, you might have diarrhea. Diarrhea during pregnancy is common. However, just because you have diarrhea doesn’t necessarily mean it’s directly related to your pregnancy.
Reasons other than pregnancy include:
- virus
- bacteria
- stomach flu
- intestinal parasites
- food poisoning
- medications
Certain conditions also make diarrhea more typical. These include short-tempered bowel syndrome, Crohn’s condition, celiac condition, and ulcerative colitis.
Pregnancy-related causes for diarrhea include:
- Diet changes. Many women make significant diet changes when they find out they are pregnant. This sudden shift in your food intake can distress your stomach and potentially trigger diarrhea.
- New food sensitivities. Food sensitivities might be just one of the many changes you experience during pregnancy. Foods that never fazed you before becoming pregnant might currently leave you with gas, an upset stomach, and diarrhea.
- Prenatal vitamins. Taking prenatal vitamins benefits your health as well as the health of your expanding child. Nevertheless, these vitamins might upset your stomach and create diarrhea.
- Hormone changes. Hormones may make your digestive system reduce, so constipation might be a problem. Hormones can likewise quicken the digestive system, which might make diarrhea a problem.
Diarrhea is More Common in the Third Trimester
As you near your due day, you might discover that diarrhea becomes more typical. That may be since your body is preparing itself for labor. Diarrhea doesn’t always mean that your labor is mere days away, so don’t be alarmed by the increased frequency.
Some women will not even experience frequent diarrhea in their third trimester, though others will. Everyone’s experience will be different.
Remedies for Diarrhea During Pregnancy
If you’re leery of medications while you’re pregnant, there’s some excellent news. You might not need to take any extra medications to treat your diarrhea. Actually, most situations of diarrhea clear up without treatment. Nonetheless, if you need something else, a few treatments are offered.
How to treat diarrhea during pregnancy:
- Provide it time. A lot of situations of diarrhea will improve in a few days. This is typically the situation if your diarrhea is the outcome of food poisoning, a pest or virus, or bacteria. Keep moistened.
- Consider your medication. If a medication you’re taking is creating the diarrhea, your body may have the ability to get used to it, and the diarrhea may quit. Otherwise, talk with your doctor.
- See a doctor. Make a visit to see your doctor if your diarrhea doesn’t finish after 2 or three days. Your doctor will perform a physical exam and may draw blood to determine what is causing the diarrhea.
- Prevent problematic foods. Certain food groups can make diarrhea even worse. Steer clear of high-fat, fried foods, spicy foods, milk and dairy, and high-fiber foods.
Do not take an over-the-counter antidiarrheal medication without consulting your doctor. Certain problems might be worsened by these medicines. Additionally, they are not safe for every person.
Stay Hydrated
If you’re experiencing diarrhea, it is very important to remain hydrated. Watery, loose bowel movements remove a great deal of liquid from your body. Dehydration can happen quickly and be very severe, particularly for pregnant women.
Even when they aren’t experiencing digestive problems, pregnant women require more water than everybody else.
Drink water to change the liquids you’re losing. Drink juice and broth to aid change several of the electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals your body has lost.
When to Seek Treatment
Prolonged diarrhea can cause dehydration. If your diarrhea lasts more than 2 or three days, call your doctor. Serious dehydration causes pregnancy difficulties. Signs of dehydration include:
- dark yellow urine.
- dry, sticky mouth.
- thirst.
- decreased urine output.
- headache.
- dizziness.
- lightheadedness.
You can avoid dehydration during pregnancy by drinking a minimum of 80 ounces of water on a daily basis.
