Constipation during pregnancy may occur for a number of reasons. It could be that the iron supplement you are taking is difficult for you to digest, and so will block up your system.
Chinese Medicine has some other ideas, such as there is too much heat in your system, which is drying out your stool and blocking you up. Heat comes from food such as chili, curries, ginger, garlic and the most “hot” meat, lamb or any baby animal for that matter. So if you are suffering from constipation during pregnancy, it’s best to minimize this kind of food. Deep fried food is also very “hot” too.
It could be that your Large Intestine energy is stagnated through improper food or not enough exercise and this could be blocking you up, or that things in general are stagnating. Gentle exercise daily such as walking or swimming is great and taking care to eat the right for you is essential. Lots of greens and water will help your body to function at its optimal level.
Essentially, the idea in Chinese Medicine is to address the underlying issues to encourage regulation of bowel movements, so feel free to get in touch for more information on how we could support you.
In the meantime you may wish to use this acupressure point that is pictured below.
It regulates the water passages (involved in moving bowels) in Chinese medicine and is called the Triple Energizer or San Jiao channel. This point is number six (SJ-6) and can be found by placing your four fingers together on the top of your arm (where the freckles would be), starting from the wrist crease with your baby finger resting there. The point is found four finger widths up from the wrist crease in the centre of the arm. Press this point firmly for 3-5 minutes daily to help move your bowels as it helps to moisten the stool.
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