Diarrhea before childbirth: a harbinger of childbirth or pathology?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

When pregnancy comes to its logical conclusion, most mothers literally stop sleeping at night. The cause of insomnia is a lot of questions that concern a woman in labor. The expectant mother thinks about whether it will be difficult for her to endure contractions, whether the birth will be successful and whether the baby will be he althy.

But the main question for many is the date of birth. Often, mothers begin to listen to the slightest changes in their condition and take each symptom as the beginning of the process. And how to relate to such a delicate problem as diarrhea before childbirth? Is it a harbinger or a pathology?

When a delicate issue is a positive sign

The human body is able to adapt to various conditions, and all physiological processes in it occur for a reason. In particular, diarrhea before childbirth happens for a very understandable reason.

It turns out that the woman's body is preparing for the passage of the child's body through the small pelvis. If the child's head has already fallen, then there is tremendous pressure on the organs and the body begins to throw out excess from itself in order tofacilitate the process of the upcoming birth.

Correct Symptoms

Diarrhea, which precedes the birth of a child, occurs up to 5-6 times a day. At the same time, a woman rarely feels weak, because such diarrhea should not be accompanied by dehydration.

Feces do not exude a strong odor, they are not too plentiful and without foam. Often, diarrhea is accompanied by gas and uterine cramps. False contractions often occur, sometimes turning into real labor. After all, the intestines of the expectant mother have cleared, which means that nothing will interfere with the process of childbirth.

When is the due date?

One of the signs that diarrhea is a sure harbinger is its short duration. If a delicate problem occurs for no apparent reason and resolves without assistance, it is most likely harmless pre-delivery diarrhea. How many days can this happen? Experts say that for a he althy woman, such a harbinger indicates that in a day or two the baby will be born.

Sometimes it's not easy to determine how many days before childbirth diarrhea starts. Such a sign is, rather, an indirect harbinger, and various factors can affect it. The age of the woman in labor, the state of her he alth, individual physiological characteristics affect. If the birth is the second or subsequent, then diarrhea may not be at all.

If the harbinger is missing

A clean intestine helps to carry out quality labor. ToIn addition, the presence of feces can confuse a woman in labor and distract her from such an important process, not to mention possible discomfort. Therefore, in the hospital before childbirth, they often help to empty the intestines. To do this, a woman is given special harmless candles or an enema.

There are also situations when diarrhea did not happen, and the woman in labor was urgently admitted to the maternity hospital. What if doctors do not have time to carry out the necessary procedures? This is not a cause for concern, since by the time of attempts or during them, bowel movement will still occur. A woman in labor should not be embarrassed by trying to interfere with the natural process. Doctors have seen nothing like this, and it is difficult to surprise them with such a sight.

Why it's really important to listen to your body

It is not for nothing that the expectant mother worries about whether diarrhea before childbirth always means the birth of a child is approaching. The fact is that loose stools are not always a positive sign. It is possible that diarrhea was the result of poisoning or another serious and dangerous disease.

Can there be green diarrhea before childbirth? Doctors warn that such a color of feces, especially in combination with vomiting, can be an alarming bell. Then the expectant mother will need hospitalization.

If the pre-delivery diarrhea is yellow, frothy and strong-smelling, self-medication is also not recommended. It is best to call an ambulance and trust the experts, otherwise the consequences can be the most unpredictable. For example, dehydration, which will lead to repeated loose stools, will entail irreversibleprocesses in the body of both mother and baby.

What if I had diarrhea before childbirth?

The duty of the expectant mother is to listen to her body and respond in time to any changes that seem pathological.

Even if a mother knows that there is diarrhea before childbirth, and most often this turns out to be the norm, you should not ignore your condition. And positive symptoms can be very unpleasant, and to avoid possible consequences, mom should:

• Move less and stay horizontal more, rest and relax.
• Do not lean on heavy meals, prefer easily digestible snacks. Fortifying food will give a positive effect.
• Drink more plain water to stay hydrated.
• Try not to leave the house, avoid crowded places.

After childbirth

Not always a delicate problem visits a woman before giving birth. And if diarrhea before childbirth is rather the norm, then after them there should definitely not be diarrhea.

However, this is a fairly common situation, sometimes caused by prenatal enema or unusual hospital food. Such diarrhea is likely to lead to dehydration, so the mother needs the utmost care for the body, as it is in a weakened state.

The set of measures in such a situation is as follows:

• Obstruction of body dehydration, recoverywater-s alt balance.
• Taking drugs to restore intestinal microflora.

You can give first aid to a young mother on your own, you just need to heed the first advice. To replenish the level of fluid in the body, you can use plenty of fluids. You can drink both plain water and fruit drinks with compotes. Things will go faster if the drinks are close to body temperature. According to doctors, this way the liquid is absorbed faster by the body.

The ideal option is to purchase sachets labeled "Rehydron" at the nearest pharmacy. Suitable drug "Hydrovit" or any other. By the way, with the advent of the baby, such funds should become permanent "inhabitants" of the first-aid kit.

Medications

Can I independently use drugs to normalize the microflora of the intestines and stomach? If the mother does not want to inadvertently harm herself and the baby she feeds, she should trust the advice of a specialist. The doctor will select the right medicine, taking into account the fact that the mother is in the lactation period.

If diarrhea after childbirth was provoked by a sparing diet of a mother who is afraid of spoiling milk, then it is better to simply adjust your diet. The pediatrician, who will definitely visit a new patient, will be happy to give recommendations on he althy and harmless nutrition for a nursing woman.