# Digestive troubles in early pregnancy?



## joybird

I'm nine weeks along and ever since I became pregnant I have not been able to digest anything. Warning TMI...My stools have been really loose and sometimes urgent. Not diarrhea exactly but definitely not regular. It is getting really annoying. My midwife says it's normal enough but I don't know - I don't recall having this problem in my first pregnancy. I'm also taking digestive enzymes (Digest Gold) that don't seem to be helping. Has anyone else experienced this?


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## Family4Christ

Oh, big time! My first 20 or so weeks are generally rough. This go around, I had the usual throwing up, but I had tons of GI issues, both top and bottom. I also developed gallstones at 10 weeks, which didn't help with the GI issues and may have caused them. My stools up until say a couple months ago were really loose and always urgent. That isn't like me at all.

I just chalked it up to my body freaking out during pregnancy.


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## mom2p.m.

Yep me too. I had horrible problems with relieving gas, this has never been a problem for me before. It also seemed like some stuff ran through me and other things got lost for days. It didn't seem to matter what I ate either. My midwife suggested not drinking while you ate, but waiting until you were finished eating before drinking anything. She said that drinking while eating interfers with your digestive enzymes. i tried it. It did help with some stuff, but not with everything. I'm 13 weeks not and it had gotten much much better. Hopefully yours will too. Good Luck. Oh yeah, my first two pregnancies I never had any digestive problems either.


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## Punchy Kaby

Quote:


Originally Posted by *joybird* 
I'm nine weeks along and ever since I became pregnant I have not been able to digest anything. Warning TMI...My stools have been really loose and sometimes urgent. Not diarrhea exactly but definitely not regular. It is getting really annoying. My midwife says it's normal enough but I don't know - I don't recall having this problem in my first pregnancy. I'm also taking digestive enzymes (Digest Gold) that don't seem to be helping. Has anyone else experienced this?

YOu may want to try a different brand of enzymes. I also have used digest gold but have found Houstons enzymes much better for me, I take Zyme prime and no phenol. Have you changed anything else about your diet since becoming pregnant, like a new pre-natal vitamin? I am only 5 weeks but as soon as I became pregnant I could not tolerate the fish oils I was taking, they caused me very runny diarrhea, heart palpitations and morning sickness. Hope you find what is bothering you.


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## freestyler

It's normal to have loose stools or diarrhea in pregnancy, especially the first trimester. This is our fifth baby, and this pregnancy has been HORRIBLE for diarrhea! The whole first trimester it was so awful I thought I would die.

One thing I HAD to do eventually to counteract all the electrolyte loss from diarrhea, was get a whole PILE of electrolyte/sports beverages. I bought Gatorade and Recharge. At one point when the, uh, runs were really out of control, I just cranked on the bevereages and it made me feel like 1000 times better! And it also made the diarrhea better too. Same thing as women being hospitalized with an IV from excessive vomiting---but ww can keep down the electrolyte drinks and are lucky in that sense. I would highly recommend you get some and drink at least one bottle of them a day. More if you are in the bathroom like 6 times a day, which I was.

Anyway, I'm in week 14 now and getting better---yayyyy!! I hope you will feel much better soon. It's awful, I know. Oh, and Tums helped once in a while, but not always.


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## nuwavemomma

I had that going on I figured I was just having lower rather than upper digestive issues this pregnancy. Then I switched my prenatal to a bare-bones one - the other one had lots of herbs and greenfoods - and voila! Now I have no GI symptoms at all! I just wish it wouldn't have taken me like three weeks to make that connection...


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## ChantelMonet

Oh yes- can I ever relate! I had terrible loose stools up until around 12 or 13 weeks with several of my pregnancies. It is absolutely awful. it tied me down to the house for weeks. It didn't matter what I ate, although within an hour or two of eating I was in the BR. Sometimes up at night too. My research made me think it was hormone related. I found a study that talked about how some women who tend to have loose stools around their period may be more likely to have loose stools in early pregnancy.
There were 2 prenatals I tried that made it worse, but none made it better. It just took time. I think I lost about 8-10 lbs. but at 14 weeks now, I'll gain it back I'm sure.
I know how hard it can be. Just a tip- hot/ warm temp foods and drinks stimulate the bowel and cold slow it down. Maybe it would help to try popsicles, freeze some of your sports drinks, and put ice in your water. And avoid the hot things for now until your bowels settle down.
HTH,
Chantel


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## pantufla

Yep. With DS#2 I either had diarrhea or was constipated, never anything in the middle.


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## ilovebabies

Me too! This is baby #5 and I'm a little over 12 weeks and I've had a horrible time of it. As if the debilitating nausea hasn't been enough, I get a lot of stomach aches and upset stomach and diarrhea. It's not been fun at all. It's not unusual for me to have tummy troubles at certain times of the month when I'm not pregnant, so I think it's hormonal for me.


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## joybird

Okay, whew! I was thinking there was something very wrong with me for a while there. Thanks for all the replies.

I also get this around the time of my period so that does make sense. And I discovered last night that cold things are settling well in there. At least I can stop fretting now and just be uncomfortable instead of uncomfortable AND worried.


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## Rie

I did not experience that with my first 2, but with this preganacy, YES! But only through the 1st trimester. That was one of the symptoms that made me think I might be pregnant and sure enough! I am still regular, but no more loose stools.


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## Cherry Alive

I experienced it, too. It seemed to continue out for me to around 11 weeks. It probably had something to do with the hormones peaking as that is when the worst of my M/S and fatigue was too.

Now, I'm into the second trimester, and I'm either having constipation or just a really slow digestive movement. Only a little comes out after a couple days, but it appears to be solid, healthy stools and I'm not straining.


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## freestyler

Isn't pregnancy fun?? I'm 15 weeks now, and just checking back in. My loose stools are not getting any better after all. I get such horrible stomach cramps two hours after eating and end up in the BR every time. It's awful. So anyway, I hope your own problems, Joybird, disappear more quickly than mine! How are you feeling now?

I'm thinking that maybe eating less at each meal might help? But probably not. I'm gonna try it though. Good luck with your upset intestines!!!


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## simplesunshine

In case this helps anyone else - I'd often get loose stools around my period, and a midwife told me it's related to progesterone levels. So, it makes sense that it could happen with increasing progesterone when you get pregnant.


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