--- title: 'Constipation and Haemorrhoids After Birth: What Helps' slug: constipation-and-haemorrhoids-postpartum lifeStage: postpartum category: Wellbeing medicalReviewer: 'Dr Clare Bourne, Consultant Pelvic and Digestive Health Physiotherapist' reviewerId: 'https://blog.bloume.com/postpartum/medical-board.md#-13' lastUpdated: '2026-07-21' primarySource: "I'm scared of doing my first poo after giving birth. When will it happen and will it hurt?" --- # Constipation and Haemorrhoids After Birth: What Helps Constipation and haemorrhoids postpartum are very common, yet you are often given little warning before they happen. The soreness, the straining, the dread of that first bowel movement after birth are real and widely shared. This article covers what helps day to day, from toilet positioning and fibre to easing haemorrhoid discomfort at home. It also looks at why both turn up, and when it is worth speaking to your midwife, health visitor, or GP. **Q: How long does constipation typically last after birth?** A: Constipation after birth often eases within the first few days, particularly once you are eating and drinking regularly again. If it has not improved after more than a few days, or you have not opened your bowels at all and you are worried, speak to your midwife, health visitor, or GP. They can talk you through safe options, including laxatives if you need them. The dread of that first bowel movement after birth is something you might feel keenly, even though very few people are warned about it. The soreness, the itching, the worry about whether it is going to hurt. These are real, and they are widely shared in the weeks after birth. Constipation and haemorrhoids are among the most common experiences in this period, yet they are rarely talked about openly before birth. If you are finding this difficult, there is practical help available. ## What helps day to day ### How you sit on the toilet How you sit on the toilet makes a real difference. Put your feet on a small step stool, or a stack of firm books, so your knees sit higher than your hips. Lean forward and rest your elbows on your knees. This position, sometimes called a squat position, helps the muscles around your rectum relax, so stool passes with less effort. It is a simple change that can take away the need to strain. If you have stitches from a tear or an episiotomy (a cut made during birth to help the baby out), you can gently press a clean pad or folded piece of toilet tissue against the perineum (the area between your vagina and anus) while you go. This gives a sense of support and can ease the discomfort. This gives a little steadying contact against the area. ### Fibre and fluids Eating plenty of high-fibre foods, like fruit, vegetables, pulses and wholegrains, helps keep stools soft and easier to pass. Aim for around 1.5 to 2 litres of fluid a day, and water is the best choice. If you are breastfeeding, keeping your fluids up matters even more, since your body is using more than usual. These are rough guides rather than precise targets, so drink when you are thirsty and eat as varied a diet as you can manage. ### How your pelvic floor comes into it Your pelvic floor muscles hold up both your bladder and your bowel. Straining to pass a stool puts extra pressure on these muscles, which are already worn from pregnancy and birth. To ease that, try breathing slowly and deeply when you sit down, and breathe out as you go rather than holding your breath. This small shift can make the whole thing more comfortable and take some load off your pelvic floor. ### Easing haemorrhoid discomfort at home The itching, tenderness and general soreness of haemorrhoids often settle within a few days. Haemorrhoids, also known as piles, are swollen veins around the anus. A warm bath can soothe the area, and an ice pack wrapped in a towel (never put straight onto skin) can help ease the swelling. Both are simple and safe to try at home. If the discomfort is heavier, a pharmacist can offer creams and ointments you can buy over the counter. Some contain a corticosteroid called hydrocortisone, which calms inflammation, though these should not be used for more than one week at a time. If you are breastfeeding, check with your pharmacist or GP before using any haemorrhoid treatment, so you know it suits you. ## Why constipation and haemorrhoids are so common postpartum A few things combine to make constipation so common in the days and weeks after birth. Hormonal shifts after birth can slow your digestion down. Pain-relief medicines, including the ones used during labour, can leave constipation as a side effect. Your pelvic floor muscles, which help your bowel work normally, may take time to get their usual strength and coordination back. Haemorrhoids come on when the veins around the anus swell under pressure. The steady pressure of a growing pregnancy, then the pushing stage of labour, can bring this on. Constipation makes them worse, because straining to pass a hard stool pushes that pressure up further. ### How iron supplements can add to it If you have been prescribed iron supplements after birth to treat anaemia (low iron levels), these can bring on constipation or make it worse. If you notice that, speak to your midwife or GP before changing anything. They might suggest ways to handle it, like taking your supplement with food, though any change to how or when you take prescribed medicine is best guided by a professional. ### The worry about that first bowel movement Feeling anxious about your first bowel movement after birth is very common, especially after a caesarean section, a tear, or an episiotomy. You might worry that passing a stool will damage your stitches. In practice that is very unlikely, but if you have specific concerns about your stitches or your recovery, it is worth raising them with your midwife, who can talk you through your own situation. ## When to raise things with your midwife, health visitor, or GP If constipation has not eased after more than a few days, or you have not had a bowel movement since giving birth and you are worried, speak to your midwife, health visitor, or GP. They can advise on whether a short-term laxative is right for you. For haemorrhoids, call your midwife if the discomfort is heavy, as they can arrange a prescription for an ointment. See your GP if there is no improvement after a week of treating it at home, or if you notice ongoing bleeding from the back passage. Any bleeding from the back passage should always be checked by a doctor. > **INFO**: If bladder or bowel problems, like leaking urine or struggling to control when you go, have not improved within the first six weeks after birth, speak to your GP or health visitor. Your GP can refer you to a physiotherapist who specialises in pelvic health. --- **Q: How long does constipation typically last after birth?** Constipation after birth often eases within the first few days, particularly once you are eating and drinking regularly again. If it has not improved after more than a few days, or you have not opened your bowels at all and you are worried, speak to your midwife, health visitor, or GP. They can talk you through safe options, including laxatives if you need them. **Q: Can I use haemorrhoid cream if I am breastfeeding?** Several haemorrhoid treatments are available over the counter, but if you are breastfeeding, check with your pharmacist or GP before using any of them. Creams containing hydrocortisone should not be used for more than one week at a time. A pharmacist can advise on what suits your situation. **Q: Will having a bowel movement damage my stitches?** This is a very common worry, and in practice it is very unlikely that passing a stool will damage stitches from a tear or an episiotomy. Good toilet positioning (feet raised, knees higher than hips), breathing out rather than straining, and softly supporting the perineum with a clean pad can all help. If you have specific concerns about your own recovery, your midwife is the right person to ask. **Q: Can iron supplements make constipation worse after birth?** Yes. Iron supplements prescribed after birth to treat anaemia can bring on constipation or make it worse. If you notice this, speak to your midwife or GP before changing how you take your medicine. It is best not to stop or adjust iron supplements on your own without professional guidance. ### Clinical Sources - [I'm scared of doing my first poo after giving birth. When will it happen and will it hurt?](https://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1011236/im-scared-of-doing-my-first-poo-after-giving-birth-when-will-it-happen-and-will-it-hurt) - [Postnatal care: management of common symptoms](https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/10.12968/bjom.2015.23.3.171) - [Toilet Positions](https://www.bladderandbowel.org/bowel/bowel-resources/toilet-positions/) - [Exercise and Advice After Pregnancy](https://thepogp.co.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/pogp_ea_after_pregnancy.pdf) - [Fit for the Future](https://thepogp.co.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/241419pogpfffuture_1.pdf) - [Fit for the Future](https://thepogp.co.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/241419pogpfffuture_1.pdf) - [Piles (haemorrhoids)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/piles-haemorrhoids/) - [Piles (haemorrhoids)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/piles-haemorrhoids/) - [How to Deal with Postpartum Constipation](https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/postpartum-constipation) - [Piles (haemorrhoids)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/piles-haemorrhoids/) - [Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking ferrous sulfate](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/ferrous-sulfate/pregnancy-breastfeeding-and-fertility-while-taking-ferrous-sulfate/) - [I'm scared of doing my first poo after giving birth. When will it happen and will it hurt?](https://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1011236/im-scared-of-doing-my-first-poo-after-giving-birth-when-will-it-happen-and-will-it-hurt) - [Piles (haemorrhoids)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/piles-haemorrhoids/) - [Fit for the Future](https://thepogp.co.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/241419pogpfffuture_1.pdf) --- Reviewed by Dr Clare Bourne, Consultant Pelvic and Digestive Health Physiotherapist | [Medical Board](https://blog.bloume.com/postpartum/medical-board.md) | July 2026