IBS in pregnancy

**oreilly2** · 09-09-2007, 12:37am

does anyone have IBS who has been or is pregnant?

I am up again with a dodgy tummy and am wondering if IBS it at the root of it (I am currently having a cycle of 5 days of constipation then one day of an upset stomach/diarrhoea

). When it started I thought it was a bug but now I'm not so sure.

I've not had an official diagnosis of IBS but have strongly suspected for years that I have it

we went to the MIL's today and I am picky with food ATM so ended up eating a load of chocolate on the way home as I was hungry (and I had been drinking caffeinated tea which I've cut out at home) and felt like the upset tummy was coming on all day

to anyone who does suffer, does this sound like IBS type stuff to you and any advice?

ta

**Monkey Chops** · 09-09-2007, 01:37am

It does sound like the IBS symptoms I get. Chocolate is a killer tbh. I found though that mine was a lot better when pregnant, so I can't really help with that aspect of it.

I find that avoiding heavy and greasy food and things like chocolate helps a lot. Other than that I swear by an emergency stash of Imodium

**WoollyNewty** · 09-09-2007, 09:39am

O'reilly - I started suffering from terrible IBS at uni (bought on by stress I think - not that I realised at the time how horrendously stressed I was!). It really was awful and certain things like chocolate made it worse. Anyway it basically cleared up for a few years but every time I've been pregnant the hormones seem to have tripped it off again. I can remember many agonising morning sat on the toilet - together with very embarassing incidents at people's houses

and the worst ever in a crowded garden centre with a toddler in tow.......

(I don't think pushing old folks out the way to get into the disabled toilet is very PC but when I say it was an emergency I mean it really was!).

Both times it cleared right up as soon as I gave birth but sorry to say I never found much that helped it when I was pg. I'd say just try to eat small regular meals, drink plenty of water and try to note what foods trigger it (if any). Sometimes high fibre things make it much worse or not eating regularly enough.

Hope yours fades though because it sucks!

**Luckyclucky** · 09-09-2007, 10:17am

I had stress related IBS which was really quite bad when I was a teenager.

I was then fine until I became pregnant (worse with 2nd pg too) although it didn't get as bad as it was in my teens.

For me the trigger was wheat and I found avoiding that made a h-u-g-e difference, it was a pain to begin with(!) but it was worth it. I was fine after the birth but ds had hideous colic and me avoiding wheat (I was bf) made all the difference to him too.

LC

**manclass** · 09-09-2007, 11:30am

sounds like me although i can go from constipated to diahroeaa to constipated within a few hrs when its bad

i really need to go back to no bread etc again also fruit doubles me over in pain and trips to the loo which is a pain as i love snacking on fruit!