This article is sponsored by MiraLAX®

Once you become a mom, you don’t really get to ‘go on vacation’ anymore. Instead, you plan the itinerary, sit between the kids on the plane, and spend your trip corralling family members to show up to places on time (and smile for the photos you’ll need later to prove that everyone had fun!).

The combination of parenting while traveling can be stressful, particularly for moms. According to a recent survey commissioned by MiraLAX®, 86 percent of millennial moms report feeling more stress than their partners due to parenting responsibilities, and more women (28 percent) are likely to report travel-related stress compared to men. In fact, women often feel the pressure before their vacation even begins, with 70 percent of women reporting added stress when it comes to trip planning.

Spearheading your family’s vacation is challenging enough on its own — the last thing you need is to get sidelined by travel constipation. And with stress being a contributing factor to constipation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that women are more than twice as likely as men to report pooping less than three times a week. The higher levels of stress and constipation that American women experience is what MiraLAX® has coined The Gut Gap™. With 9 in 10 millennial women reporting that their stress impacts their gut, MiraLAX® is committed to closing The Gut Gap™, helping moms get the relief they need.

After all that careful planning, you deserve better than to spend the majority of your vacation in discomfort, whether from constipation or from being stuck in the middle seat between screaming kids. Below, we’ve shared the need-to-know details about travel constipation — and how you can make it a thing of the past.

Travel Constipation Is A Very Real Thing

Travel constipation, also known as vacation constipation, occurs when your body’s normal routine is disrupted. (Think: the dehydration, diet changes, and increased stress levels that come with being in an unfamiliar place.)

According to Dr. Jessica Clemons, a board-certified psychiatrist and medical consultant for MiraLAX®, women are particularly susceptible to travel constipation because of the unbalanced proportions of trip planning that often fall on them.

“The link between mind and body has been well documented,” Clemons explains. “Stress activates the body’s fight or flight response, which can disrupt the digestive system, leading to constipation, among other issues. Women, in part due to societal pressures and burdens, but also hormones, are particularly susceptible to stress-induced constipation.”

MiraLAX® Is Here To Help

The #1 doctor-recommended brand for effective, gentle, occasional constipation relief can easily accompany you on vacation. MiraLAX® works naturally with the water in your body to hydrate, soften, and ease stool through the colon, providing comfortable and gentle relief without harsh side effects.

While travel constipation is as annoying as it is uncomfortable, the real villain of this story is stress. MiraLAX® data reveals that more women (42 percent) are likely to experience constipation compared to men (36 percent) when stressed.

If the idea of being backed up on vacation stresses you out, or it’s happened to you before, be sure to leave room in your carry-on for MiraLAX®.

Treat Yourself To A Travel De-Stresser

We can’t think of anything more stressful than being stuck in the middle seat, managing, entertaining, comforting, and feeding (we could go on) your tiny humans while your partner snoozes away across the aisle. Sound familiar?

To help on-the-go moms destress this summer (and do our small part in closing The Gut Gap™), Scary Mommy teamed up with MiraLAX® to create the #StuckInTheMiddle Sweepstakes. We’re awarding five lucky moms with a $750 gift card to upgrade their flights on their next family vacay, so they can get out of the middle seat and into a cabin with more legroom, better snacks, and the chance to soak up some actual R&R before the real work begins.

Enter for a chance to win!

*Use MiraLAX® as directed for occasional constipation

**NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. The sweepstakes begins on July 8, 2024, and ends on August 8, 2024. Open to legal residents of the United States and D.C. who are aged 18 and older. Total approximate retail value of all prizes awarded: $3,750. Odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received. Void where prohibited. Subject to complete Official Rules. Sponsors: BDG Media, Inc., 315 Park Avenue South, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10010 and Bayer HealthCare LLC.