MOLLY-MAE HAGUE said her severe postpartum constipation was harder than her labour.
The ex-Love Island star and influencer, 23, revealed that she experienced severe constipation for nine days after her daughter Bambi was born in January.
The 23-year-old influencer revealed she couldn’t poo for nine days after giving birth
“That constipation I experienced in the first week was actually harder than my labour,” Molly Mae said in a YouTube video about how she was coping with being a new mum.
“I know that sounds crazy,” she added. “I was actually at one point in the shower with [sister] Zoe stood outside, and I was crouching down in the shower that constipated that I was screaming for her to call me an ambulance.”
The influencer said not being able to poop for nine days made her feel incredibly unwell.
“The feeling was taking over my whole body and I was literally going green, and I physically couldn’t [go].”
Molly-Mae said her vaginal birth and having a epidural made her lose ‘all ability down there to push’.
“That was something that I was not prepared for,” she shared, adding that she hoped other mothers watching her video ‘will hopefully be able to relate’ to her experience.
It’s not uncommon for new mums like Molly Mae to have trouble pooing a few days after birth, according to NHS guidance.
A Finnish study from 2021 found that women who had a vaginal delivery were less likely (47 per cent) to be constipated in the days following the birth compared to women who had a caesarean section (57 per cent).
It still found that women who were pregnant or a few days postpartum were two to three times more likely to have difficulty pooping.
Speaking to The Independent, physician and health writer Dr Nsisong Asanga – known as Dr Cici – said you might be constipated after birth due to not eating or drinking enough in the hours leading up to the birth.
“This means that the bowels are empty following the birth, and will take longer to fill them up enough for a bowel movement,” she explained.
Pain medication and anaesthesia can also have an impact on your gut and reduce gut function, Dr Cici added.
To ease constipation after birth you should:
1. Hydrate and add fibre to your diet
According to Dr Cici, a diet low in fibre and not getting enough hydration can be one the reasons you’re struggling to do a number two.
The NHS recommended you eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, salad, wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread, and drink plenty of water.
2. Do gentle exercises and stomach massages
Helen O’Leary, a physiotherapist and clinical director at Complete Pilates, told The Independent that you could be constipated after a C-section ‘due to lack of mobility and movement’.
She suggested doing some gentle exercises to help move your gut contents along – although this won’t be possible for all new mums.
Helen recommended certain Pilates poses such child’s pose and lumbar rolls, as as well as stomach massages.
To get into a child’s pose, get on thee floor on your hands and knees, with your knees wide apart. Then push your hips back towards your heels and rest your torso between your knees.
For lumbar rolls, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor on the edges of a yoga mat, with your hands to the side. Gently lower your knees to one side and hold for a second, before coming back to the centre and lowering your knees to the other side.
Helen also said you try the ‘squatty potty’ method when going to the toilet – this means putting your feet on a stool or something similar to raise your knees higher than your hips, and lean forward.
Speak to a doctor or physiotherapist of you’re worried about starting a new exercise regime.
3. Try a gentle laxative
The NHS said to take a gentle laxative if your constipation doesn’t go away after a few days.
4. Speak to your midwife
When in doubt, also speak to your midwife or GP if you haven’t been able to poop for a few days after giving birth.
Dr Cici said: “They will trouble shoot and provide guidance.”
“This could be a pessary to soften stools, a change in diet to get more fibre, more hydration, reviewing your medication, or removing impacted faeces.”