How Pregnant Women Can Avoid Constipation —Gynecologist

A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Lagos State University College of Medicine, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, said pregnant women can avoid constipation during pregnancy by consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables. vegetables.

Prof. Fabamwo, who is the Chief Medical Director of Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, maintains the consumption of fruits and vegetables to aid bowel movement.

The maternal health expert revealed this during an exclusive interview with PUNCH HealthWise, highlighting that healthy eating during pregnancy reduces the risk of cardiovascular complications.

The gynecologist urged future mothers to adopt the consumption of fruits and vegetables, noting that pregnancy tends to slow down intestinal transit.

Prof. Fabamwo explained, "There are classes of foods that are beneficial for pregnant women that we encourage them to ingest when pregnant.

"We encourage pregnant women to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for gastrointestinal activity, adding that pregnancy tends to promote constipation.

"Bowel movement tends to slow down during pregnancy. Also, the pressure of the uterus on the intestines tends to make pregnant women constipated.

"So we encourage them to take a lot of fruit so that they can have a bowel movement freely."

According to the American Pregnancy Association, constipation during pregnancy is a common problem and almost half of all pregnant women are constipated at some point.

Constipation, according to the association, occurs when there is abdominal pain or discomfort, difficult and infrequent bowel movements, and passage of hard stools.

"Constipation during pregnancy is caused by increased progesterone hormones which relax the intestinal muscle, slowing the movement of food and waste through your system.

“Sometimes iron tablets can contribute to constipation. Be sure to drink plenty of water if you are taking iron supplements,” he added.

Prof. Fabamwo noted that pregnant women were free to eat any food of their choice but should not be in excess.

"They are free to eat any type of food they want to eat. They can eat swallow, rice, whatever they want but not too much because also, does not want pregnant women to gain too much weight.

"After all, pregnancy itself will make them fat. They will already add 12.5 kg during the whole pregnancy.

"The total weight gain during pregnancy averages 12.5 kg. So, they don't need to overeat to add more to that 12.5 kg so that they don't have cardiovascular complications.

“Now we also know that pregnant women may not be able to tolerate three full meals. So we also advocate that they have five meals spread throughout the day,” he said declared.

On pregnant women skipping meals to have small babies and vaginal birth, the professor said a baby's weight is determined by many factors, not the mother's food intake.< /p>

The don said, "Baby weight has little or nothing to do with what the mother eats. A baby's weight is genetically determined from conception.

"A baby's weight is a combination of factors, father's height, mother's height, family characteristics, etc.

“Whether the woman eats or not, the baby will tear her pound of flesh from her. It is therefore the woman who will suffer, not the baby. The baby will still grow. The baby has a way of getting all the nutrients it needs, even from the mother's supply. »

The gynecologist warned mothers against starvation during pregnancy, noting that it is dangerous.

He urged mothers-to-be not to mess with their diet and to eat healthy at all times.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, eating well is one of the best things you can do during pregnancy.

"Good nutrition helps you manage the additional demands on your body as your pregnancy progresses. The goal is to balance getting enough nutrients to support your fetus' growth and maintaining a healthy weight,” ACOG said.

In a 2014 article published by PubMed Central Journal titled "Associations of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption During Pregnancy with Infant Birth Weight or Small-for-Gestational-Age Births: A Systematic Review of the literature", the authors stated that maternal nutrition is recognized as one of the determinants of fetal growth.

The authors stated that eating fruits and vegetables resulted in better pregnancy outcomes.

"Consumption of fruits and vegetables is encouraged as part of a nutrient-dense diet and for the prevention of chronic disease; however, in both highly developed and developing countries, intakes are generally lower at recommended levels, including for pregnant women.

"Results from observational studies suggest that overall...