Doctors have opened up about why offering new mums chewing gum after having a caesarean section could help kickstart their bowels again after the major surgery.
The conversation was sparked by Dr Zion Ko Lamm, who shared a video of herself after giving birth. In the eight-second clip, a hand reaches out and passes her a strip of gum while she sits on a hospital bed cradling her newborn.
The video is overlaid with text which reads: “The first thing my gastroenterologist husband did when I came out of my c-section.
“Chew gum starting two hours after surgery. During the daytime, chew gum for 30 minutes every two hours to avoid constipation and ileus [where your intestine can’t push waste out of your body].”
Since then, several doctors have spoken about why this works.
In a TikTok video, Dr Joe Whittington – an emergency medicine doctor known as Dr Joe – described the trick as “next level recovery science”.
“Sometimes after surgery, your intestines can go on strike – like nope, we’re done for now. This can lead to bloating, discomfort and wondering if you delivered that baby or if it was supposed to be twins and the other is still inside,” he explained.
“And this happens not just after c-sections, it’s other abdominal surgeries as well.”
In another video, Dr Kunal Sood said there is “actual research” to support this.
One study of women after a c-section showed that “those that were chewing gum had less constipation”, explained the doctor.
Another study found that women who chewed gum after a c-section passed gas quicker, and went for a poo sooner, than women who did not.
The researchers concluded: “Chewing gum in the immediate postoperative period is a simple intervention that may be effective in enhancing recovery of bowel function in other types of abdominal surgeries.”
Discussing why this might happen, Dr Sood said: “There are two proposed mechanisms. One, you are stimulating your jaw muscles, increasing your saliva production, which activates your parasympathetic nervous system, increasing intestinal motility.
“The second is that chewing gum will send a message to your brain that it’s time to eat, activating your intestinal muscles and reflexes.”