Constipation After Postpartum: What to Know

After delivery, the bowel may slow while your body recovers. Less activity, changes in eating and drinking, and discomfort from stitches, swelling, or a caesarean birth can make it harder to pass stool. Opioid pain medicines and iron supplements can also contribute. Some people hold back because they worry that opening their bowels will hurt; this can make stool firmer and more difficult to pass.

Constipation can involve hard or lumpy stool, straining, a feeling that the bowel has not emptied, or fewer bowel movements than usual. It is separate from ordinary postpartum soreness, although the two can occur together. Dehydration can worsen dry stool, especially when feeding a baby and forgetting to drink.

Drink fluids regularly unless a clinician has told you to restrict them. Add fibre gradually through foods such as fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, and keep moving with short, comfortable walks if your recovery allows. When you feel the urge, allow time and privacy rather than delaying it. A small footstool may help position your knees above your hips; avoid forceful straining.

If these measures are not enough, contact your midwife, obstetric clinician, or pharmacist about a stool softener or laxative that fits your recovery and feeding plans. Do not stop a prescribed medicine, including iron or pain relief, without discussing alternatives. Nutrition Counselling may help if food choices are difficult while caring for a newborn.

Seek urgent medical help for severe or worsening abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, a swollen abdomen, inability to pass gas, fainting, or heavy rectal bleeding. Contact a clinician promptly if constipation does not improve, keeps returning, or is accompanied by fever, marked weakness, or unexplained weight loss. These symptoms can need an examination rather than home treatment.

Tell your clinician about your delivery, any tear or stitches, medicines and supplements, fluid intake, and when you last passed stool or gas. They can check for medication effects, dehydration, or another bowel problem and recommend a suitable treatment.

Ask: Could my iron, pain medicine, or another treatment be contributing? Which stool softener or laxative is appropriate while I am recovering and feeding my baby? How much fluid and fibre should I aim for? Could my pain, bleeding, or difficulty passing gas need an examination?