Get your bowels moving for pregnancy and postpartum

Get Moving | Postpartum number 2's

Poo – not fun to talk about, but a super-important topic during pregnancy and postpartum.

IT ALL STARTS IN PREGNANCY…

It is not uncommon for pregnant women to experience some digestive system sluggishness at some point in their pregnancy. Hormonal changes can have an effect of slowing slow down transit time, which means you may not be having bowel movements as frequently as you once were. This is common from around the second to third month of pregnancy and may get worse as pregnancy progresses and your uterus grows. To help normalise bowel movements during pregnancy:

  • Drink plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day.
  • Increase fibre by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, mixed grain bread, brown rice, legumes, nuts and seeds.
  • Try a natural digestive supplement such as Phloe, which is made from NZ green kiwifruit extract.
  • Exercise! It helps to improve bowel regularity.
  • Be careful with iron as it can lead to sluggish bowels – choose your source wisely.

POSTPARTUM POO, WHERE ARE YOU?

Your first bowel movement after birth, especially after a C-section, can be daunting, and postpartum constipation is common. It can have a number of causes, such as new sleep schedules, dehydration, less overall movement, iron infusions, and the use of opioid pain medication. It can take three or four days for your bowel to start functioning normally again after birth. Plus, if you have stitches (either from an episiotomy or C-section) or haemorrhoids, this may lead to constipation as you may be afraid to cause more pain by putting strain on your stitches, which means you hold on instead of going to the loo.

HOW PHLOE CAN HELP

Phloe is a natural digestive health supplement that is suitable for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is made from New Zealand green kiwifruit extract Zyactinase, which contains fibre, digestive enzymes and prebiotics to gently help normalise bowel movements and avoid discomfort from gas and bloating.

Fibre: Phloe contains two types of fibre – insoluble and soluble – which both work differently. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to loose stools and soluble fibre absorbs water to soften firm stools.

Digestive enzymes: These help to gently support movement in the bowel without sudden urgency and assist in moving toxins and waste through quickly.

Prebiotics: Phloe is a natural source of prebiotics which help to feed the good bacteria in the gut. This, in turn, supports the bacteria balance in the digestive system and overall gut health.

CAN’T I JUST EAT SOME KIWIFRUIT?

Phloe’s production process makes the kiwifruit extract Zyactinase more bio-available. This means it’s more available for absorption into the body than it would be from just eating kiwifruit – in other words, you would have to eat A LOT of kiwifruit to get a similar effect!

Review

A little piece of Kiwi ingenuity. My friends warned me about how uncomfortable number 2s can be postpartum, so I decided to stay well ahead of the game and take these. I took the Phloe capsules once a day, and they really supported me with regularity and bloating! Love that they are made of kiwifruit and natural too. ~ Maria

This article was written by BUMP&baby with information supplied by Phloe

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BUMP&baby

BUMP & baby is New Zealand’s only magazine for pregnancy and early babyhood. Our team of mums and mums-to-be understand what it’s like to be pregnant in this connected age, and that’s why BUMP & Baby online is geared toward what pregnant women and new mums really want to know.

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