This blog provides natural remedies for quickly relieving and healing constipation during pregnancy and postpartum. Our goal is to provide women with simple at-home tips that provide fast reliefs as well as long term healing.

What is Constipation?

Constipation is described as less than three bowel movements a week by medical practitioners. Natural practitioners, herbalists and nutritionists describe constipation as not having a consistent daily bowel movement. It involves difficulty, straining, sluggish or pain when emptying the bowels. Constipation is often associated with hard feces. If you are constipated, you know it. It’s not a mystery.

Why Constipation During Pregnancy?

Growing a baby crowds the intestinal tract creating a number of digestive issues during pregnancy including constipation, acid reflux, and more. Although, pregnancy is a natural bodily experience it can create temporary havoc on your abdominal region.

The Basics of Constipation Relief During Pregnancy

Drink at least 90oz of fluids, including 64oz of water and 26oz and other non-sugary drinks like tea
Eat 25-40 grams of fiber which come from whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables
Daily movement of your body even with minimal exercise like walking.

Immediate Relief for Constipation with Abdominal Massage

Abdominal Massage is an effective way to get your bowels moving manually, relieving constipation fast. Using a moisturizer on your hands and abdomen, such as our Love Butter Belly Balm, move your hands smoothly and gently around your belly in a clockwise motion, the same direction your digestion moves. You can manually help the motility, (movement) of your digestive tract with this simple circular motion. The magnesium chloride in our Love Butter penetrates through the skin giving you an extra digestive benefit.

Love Butter Belly Balm

After a few minutes of Abdominal Massage, you will start to feel your abdomen loosen up and relax. You may even feel the movement of your digestive tract. Start by massaging 10 to 15 minutes before bed and 5 minutes in the morning. Massage whenever you feel constipation. For more information about Abdominal Massage techniques, check out our blog, The Benefits of Belly Massage During Pregnancy.

Magnesium Supplements Provide Fast Constipation Relief

Magnesium citrate, or magnesium lactate if you have a sensitive stomach are a helpful natural approach to relieving constipation during pregnancy. Adequate magnesium creates smoother bowel movements in the morning.

Natural Vitality makes an effervescent powder called Calm that’s added to water. It comes in a variety of flavors, and it is best consumed before bed as it can be helpful at inducing restful sleep.

Soaking in a magnesium-rich salt bath absorbs through the skin rapidly, relaxing the muscles, supporting a softer bowel movement. It’s also an excellent way to replenish dozens of different trace minerals including magnesium. We created Bathtub Madonna Salt Soak. It’s free of man-made salts like Epsom and only contains naturally occurring salts like Himalayan, Dead Sea, and others for maximum medicinal benefit.

Bathtub Madonna Minneral Salt Soak

Castor Oil Packs Provide Long Term Healing from Constipation

Castor Oil Packs provide amazing healing from constipation symptoms. Doing a Castor Oil Pack involves putting Castor Oil on a cloth, on your belly against your skin and then applying heat with a warm water bottle on top to assist with penetration through the skin.

Castor Oil penetrates the abdominal cavity, soothing inflammation in your digestive area. The hot water bottle that’s used in a Castor Oil Pack increases circulation and blood flow supporting your digestive tract in moving and healing. For more information on how to perform a Castor Oil Pack, check out our blog post, How to Relieve Constipation With Castor Oil Packs.

If you are pregnant, do not apply additional heat to your belly. Just use the Castor Oil by itself. If you have chronic constipation, you can treat yourself to a Castor Oil treatment three times a week until you notice improvement. Adding healthy, high fiber foods and adequate hydration with all assist with this treatment.

Castor Oil Pack Kit

Healing Hemorrhoids During Constipation

Hemorrhoids can always flare up with constipation, especially in pregnancy and postpartum. Booty Bliss Hemorrhoid Salve is an entirely organic, plant and herb-based salve that will reduce inflammation, provide fast soothing relief, and start the healing process.

Apply Booty Bliss Hemorrhoid Salve whenever you go to the bathroom and especially at night before bed. By being proactive with hemorrhoids, you can avoid flare-ups that can accompany constipation. For more info, check out our blog post, How To Heal Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy and Postpartum.

Booty Bliss Hemorrhoid Salve

Constipation can be very difficult during pregnancy and throughout life. First focus on the basics like diet, hydration and simple movement. Then, look to remedies like Abdominal Massage and Magnesium supplementation. Practices like Castor Oil Packs can provide long term healing if you suffer from chronic constipation.

Please let us know your success stories and questions in the comments below. We love to hear about how people are finding relief.

Natural Remedies for Constipation Relief During Pregnancy