Loose motion is an uncomfortable condition, which can happen to anyone, from any age group. From mothers-to-be to newborn babies, loose motions can occur due to several different reasons.
Loose motions can be described as frequent passage of watery and loose stool. It happens when there is more water content in the stool and it is not absorbed by the large intestine. There can be different causes behind loose motions e.g.
- When your digestive canal gets infected by virus
- If you are allergic to some food items
- If you are having improper absorption of nutrients
- If you are under too much stress
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Is Loose Motions Different from Diarrhea?
You must think how loose motions can be different from diarrhea and dysentery? Let’s remove this confusion.
Diarrhea results in repeated loose and watery stools that can last for 1-2 weeks accompanied by fever and chills, while dysentery happens due to inflammation in intestinal tract or colon. Loose motions don’t present with the symptoms of fever, chills, nausea and vomiting.
What are the Symptoms of Loose Motions?
Loose motions symptoms may include:
- Painful cramps in abdomen
- Soft stools with no defined shape
- Fatigue and nausea
- Dehydration
- Infrequent urination
- Dizziness
- Blood in the stools
- Dry mouth
Weight Loss Due to Loose Motions
You may have another question ‘does weight loss happen due to loose motions’? The answer is, yes. Studies show that it takes food 33 hours to get processed in your body and pass through stool. Loose motions don’t let the food stay in your body much longer to get absorbed properly. In fact, many essential electrolytes get wasted due to loose motions.
In this way, you can lose weight due to loose motions, but this weight loss will not be healthy.
Let’s get to know more about loose motion in early pregnancy, and how we can treat it with simple home remedies.
Loose Motions in Early Pregnancy
Although loose motions aren’t a sign of pregnancy, you may still get them in your first trimester.
The reason is, at the start of your pregnancy, your body goes through a lot of changes, and these can affect your bowel movements, leading to either hard or loose stools. As levels of the hormone progesterone increase, this can cause your digestive system to slow down, often leading to constipation.
There may be different factors behind it, e.g.
Hormonal Imbalance
There is a major hormonal surge during pregnancy. Shifting hormones may cause your digestive system to speed up, which can result in loose motions.
Change in Diet
When you find out you are expecting, you must make changes to your diet, adding certain items you don’t normally eat before. This can upset the stomach, and may cause loose motions.
New Sensitivity to Food
Food sensitivities may be one of the many changes you experience during pregnancy. Foods that you enjoyed before pregnancy may now cause you to have gas, an upset stomach, or loose motions.
Prenatal Vitamins
Taking prenatal vitamins is good for your health as well as the health of your growing baby. But these vitamins may upset your stomach and cause loose motions because the stomach isn’t used to these vitamins.
Loose Motions Home Remedies
If you are skeptical of adding new medications while you are pregnant, it’s a good thing that you don’t have to take new medicines for loose motion. There are some simple home remedies that you can try at home to get rid of this uncomfortable condition.
These home remedies for loose motions are true for everybody, not just for the pregnant ladies.
Hydrate Yourself
When you get loose motions, it tends to remove a lot of fluids from your body. Dehydration can occur quickly, which can lead to complications. It’s essential that you drink a lot of water and keep yourself hydrated. In this way, you replace the fluids you have lost to loose motions. These fluids also contain electrolytes, vitamins and minerals that your body needs while pregnant. Drinking juices and bone broth can restore these. Try not to drink juices with high sugar content.
Eat Potassium-rich Foods
Fruits and Vegetables e.g. bananas and potatoes are high in potassium. They also contain pectin, which is a water-soluble fiber that helps to absorb excess water in the intestines.
Bananas have important electrolytes that your body loses due to loose motions. They also provide your dehydrated and tired body with much-needed energy.
Eat a ripe banana every two hours. If you prefer adding some taste, mash the banana and add rock salt, or eat mashed potatoes with cumin powder.
Eat Citrus Fruits
Citrus rich foods e.g oranges, lemon, gooseberry, grapefruit, and sweet lime, help to clean out the toxins that accumulate in your body due to loose motions.
To cure this, you can eat citrus fruits. Make sure that you don’t eat them on an empty stomach or at night, because it can lead to irritation and bloating.
Ginger Tea
You must have seen your mother using ginger tea for stomach-related problems. Well, that’s because ginger is a miracle spice used for treating loose motions.
Take a one inch long piece of ginger and mince it. Boil a cup of water and add the minced ginger to it. Put off the flame and let it steep for about 10 minutes. Drink this ginger tea two to three times a day, and you will feel much better.
Coriander and Lemon Water
Lemon and coriander leaves contain anti-inflammatory properties and are a good home remedy for treating loose motion. The essential oils present in coriander leaves, will sooth the stomach and aid proper liver functioning.
Take four to five coriander leaves and grind them. Add this coriander paste to a glass of water. Add one or two teaspoons of lemon juice in it and mix it well. Drink this.
You can add mint leaves in place of coriander if it isn’t available.
Carom Seeds (Ajwain Water)
Ajwain is an effective home remedy for an upset stomach. It aids digestion and gets rid of flatulence and bloating.
Boil a glass of water. Take one teaspoon of carom seeds and add it into the boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes on low flame, and your carom seeds tea is ready.
You can also swallow a teaspoon of carom seeds followed by some lukewarm water instead of making the carom seed tea.
Eat Pomegranates
Pomegranate is a great natural fruit to stop loose motion. You can eat the fruit or drink pomegranate juice to treat loose motions. Even it’s leaves are effective for this job.
Drink a glass of pomegranate juice for quick relief, or make a pomegranate leaves tea.
Take a few pomegranate leaves and add it to boiling water. Let the leaves soak in it, and boil on low flame. Strain it and drink the water.
When Should You See a Doctor?
Although these simple remedies for loose motions are enough to cure the problem, they are inexpensive, natural and do not pose any side effects. Loose motions during pregnancy is a common thing.
So NO WORRIES! Most cases of loose motions clear up without the need for treatment or medications. You should just drink plenty of fluids, eat potassium-rich foods and citrus fruits, and add probiotics to your diet, so that it may help settle your stomach and prevent loose motions.
However, if the problem persists for more than 3 days, you should consult a well-known gastroenterologist, to get yourself checked up properly. Because prolonged loose motions can cause severe dehydration. You can book an appointment via Healthwire.pk, or you can call at (042) 32500989.
