For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a sensitive stomach. Anxiety always wrecked my intestines, and I often found myself bloated after eating. I seemed to be more prone to both diarrhea and constipation than most people, and I’d often swing wildly between both states. I almost never had normal daily poops.
But none of that was too disruptive. It was just how I was and I learned to live with it.
All of that changed when I had my first child
I was determined to figure out how to get better
Unfortunately, that was a bit of a bumpy road. The doctors I had seen offered tips like “just relax” or “drink more water.” I tried seeing a chiropractor, who put me on a gluten-free diet, along with a bunch of supplements. Somehow, that only made things worse.
Finally, I came across something called the low FODMAP diet. I looked at all the foods in the “no” column, like garlic, onions, beans, and stone fruits, and I realized that many of those were what seemed to mess up my gut. I ended up finding a wonderful nutritionist who specialized in the diet and she walked me through the elimination and reintroduction phases of the diet.
This diet — along with meditating and trying to catch up on sleep — were the only things that helped. Eventually, my IBS symptoms got much better. I’ve been on the low FODMAP diet for almost a decade now, and I would say that I still have a sensitive gut, but I know much better how to manage it.
I’m still not sure why my digestive system went bonkers after my son was born. I think all of the changes my body had gone through were part of it, along with getting older and the stress and exhaustion of caring for a young child.
I do know that I’ve talked to lots of women who've had this experience
My advice is that if your IBS got worse after you had a baby, definitely go to a doctor to rule out anything more serious. And then look into dietary changes (the low FODMAP diet isn’t for everyone, but it helps a lot of folks with IBS) and consider things like medication and lifestyle changes, if appropriate.
The main thing to remember is that your own health and well-being matters — even as you put your heart and soul into caring for your children — and you should take it seriously.
