The Truth About Green Poop While Pregnant | Do You Need To Worry?

Pregnancy is not a bed of roses, and this is something that all mothers anywhere in the world can confirm. The moment you notice the notice the first symptom of becoming pregnant, you will start experiencing various forms of physical as well as emotional changes that you must learn to cope up with. The raging hormones that your body will produce when you are pregnant will make you experience various issues like hot flashes, headaches and even muscle aches.

As your belly gets bigger, experiencing joint pains accompanied with other issues will be inevitable. Together with these typical changes during pregnancy, it is not so strange for other expectant mothers to experience green poop while pregnant.

The normal poop colour is usually light brown, and therefore it is very natural to feel uneasy if suddenly your poop becomes green in colour. Can hormonal changes cause the green bowel movement? Well, let us find out.

What Are The Causes Of Green Poop During Pregnancy?

While I can’t deny the fact that hormonal imbalance during pregnancy can cause several changes in your body while pregnant, there are other several factors apart from hormonal changes that will make a pregnant woman experience green poop during pregnancy. Let us take a keen look at some of those factors.

Prenatal Vitamins

If you are using prenatal vitamins while pregnant, then there are higher chances that your poop will be green in colour.

While your doctor will most likely recommend these prenatal vitamins to ensure the proper growth of your unborn child, it is worth realising that these supplements contain a significant dose of vital minerals like calcium and iron which are capable of changing the colour of your poop.

When pregnant, you will have increased your nutritional needs, and this will force you to take supplements to meet these needs.

However, the extremely high iron content found in these supplements will obviously change the colour of your faecal matter to green. When your body sometimes fails to absorb all the iron you take, the excess iron will be eliminated during bowel movements, and this is what will cause your poop to appear green in colour.

Intestinal Disorders

The chances are very high that if you have an intestinal disorder, then your poop will look green in colour.

As a pregnant woman, it is very likely that you might develop intestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome that might make your stool appear green in colour.

When you have inflamed tissues in your small intestine, then you will probably develop Crohn’s disease which will cause bleeding when food passes through your small intestines. When blood and bile combine, you will most likely notice some greenish spots in your poop.

Special Medications

Taking some special medications when pregnant can result in green poops. Are you surprised to hear this? Yes, it is very true. Let us take a case in which your doctor prescribes antibiotics if let us say you have an infection. There are high chances that you might end up with green poop in such a case.What you need to be aware of is that this is just a temporary situation that will disappear the moment you stop taking the antibiotics.

If you feel uncomfortable about experiencing the green poop, then you can consult your doctor so that he can do something about the situation. Your doctor can either reduce the dosage or even prescribe other drugs that will not make you have green poop.

Your Diet

This is the first factor a pregnant should consider the moment she realises that she is experiencing green poop while pregnant.This is because what you consume has a direct impact on the colour of your poop.

Doctors recommend that pregnant women should stick to healthy diets during the entire pregnancy period because healthy diets result in fewer pregnancy complications.What’s more, healthy diets also reduce chances of having birth defects in babies.

An ideal diet should include essential vitamins and minerals for a safe and healthy delivery. If you take too many vegetables, then expect your poop to be green in colour most of the times.

Decreased Colon Transit Duration

You are probably wondering what I mean by the term “decreased colon transit duration”. Well, this phrase in simple terms means the duration of time food stays in your colon (large intestine) to when it is released into your body. If the food stays in your large intestine for a very short time then is released to the body, be sure to experience a greenish poop. We all know that bile is green in colour; this bile will then mix with the food and enter the small intestine. Undigested food in the small intestine will pass to the large intestine where it will be released out of the body appearing greenish in colour because of the reduced colon transit duration.

What Can You Do About Green Poop During Pregnancy?

Experiencing green poop during pregnancy should not be a cause for alarm. It is generally something normal and can be handled appropriately even without seeking your doctor’s services. The major causes of green poop may be an imbalance in your hormones or even taking too much iron. Whichever the case, you don’t need to be worried at all.

All you have to do is regulating your level of consuming certain foods while at the same time you can cease from taking the supplements after giving birth to your bundle of joy. By doing this, poop will gradually return to their normal light brown colour again. You should only get worried when you have regulated your intake of vegetables and stopped taking supplements, but the green poop persists.

When To Seek Medication

While I still insist that green poop during pregnancy in most cases is just normal, there are instances when your instincts might tell you that something is not normal and it is wisealways to obey your instincts.

If you have taken stock of the foods you’ve eaten over the last few days and realised that your green poop is not as a result of diet changes, it is wise to visit your doctor. If your green poops last for more than 2 days and are accompanied with severe conditions like abdominal pain, diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, vomiting or dizziness then it is advisable to see your doctor as it could be an indication of a severe problem.

One More Important Thing

Bacteria and viruses are also known to cause green poop. Therefore in such a case then prevention is very vital. Ensure you always wash and cook your food thoroughly. It is also advisable to wash your hands thoroughly before handling any food, before eating and after visiting the washroom. Ensure that your kids also wash their hands so that they do not pass any infection to you while you are pregnant.

Wrapping up

It is very normal to experience minimal cases of green poop while pregnant which should not be accompanied by any other severe conditions. This is normally as a result of hormonal changes and diet changes. Adjusting your food intake should quickly correct the situation.

However, if your green poop is accompanied with other serious issues like diarrhoea, vomiting and dizziness, then this should alert you that everything is not normal. It is advisable to see your personal doctor as soon as possible to save both your lives.

Kristi Cathey
 

Hi everyone! My name is Kristi Cathey and I’m glad you found your way to my blog. I am a mother of 3 beautiful angels. This blog was created in order to share my personal experiences in baby care and general health care for pregnant women. If you'd like to get in touch with me, please contact me by sending me an email via kristicathey.intelligentmother@gmail.com. Welcome to Intelligentmother.com

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