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Women, globally, have complained about stomach bloating in pregnancy. In this article, we uncover the causes and management of bloating during pregnancy.
If you talk to many women, they will tell you that pregnancy comes with lots of challenges, especially in the first trimester.
One of these many issues is abdominal bloating which certainly makes the pregnancy period become nearly unbearable.
This article is for everybody – women and men alike. Though men don’t carry the pregnancy, they share in the suffering of their wives, girlfriends, mothers, or other female relatives as they walk the tough journey of pregnancy together.
Please pay attention to the entire article to know what causes stomach bloating during pregnancy and how the same can be mitigated to give you an easier time.
Is Stomach bloating during pregnancy a problem?
Is it a serious problem? Firstly, let’s get to know what abdominal bloating means. Abdominal bloating is a feeling where your stomach feels too full, too tight, and is full of gas.
Some people say it’s not a serious problem but I want to pose a question to you so we can agree on whether it is a serious problem or not:
- Is a problem that can make you fail to report to work a non-issue?
- What about one that makes you spend the whole day in bed because of discomfort or pain?
- And one that can make you suffer psychologically for wondering if the entire nine-month period will become that difficult?
Your answer to these questions underscores the importance of this topic.
Causes of Stomach bloating in Pregnancy
There are many reasons why you may experience bloating during pregnancy and we shall discuss them here, one by one:
Hormonal Changes
During pregnancy, there are significant changes in hormones. These changes are certainly important as they support the pregnancy. The hormonal changes may cause bloating in pregnancy.
One such hormonal change is the increase in progesterone which causes relaxation of smooth muscles around the gut. Relaxation of the muscles causes digestion of food to slow down.
As expected slow digestion will cause constipation and bloating among other symptoms that cause discomfort in your stomach.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The other reason why you may have bloating during pregnancy is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). If you already have been diagnosed with IBS, you may have more bloating in pregnancy than other people.
This disease is exhibited by recurrent stomach pain, bloating, and diarrhea. Flatulence may also be more frequent than the average for a normal person.
Flatulence or farting will certainly bring you inevitable embarrassment. But you can do something about it, right? Read on to discover what you can do later in this post.
Remedies for Bloating in Pregnancy
This will reduce constipation and make pregnancy more bearable.
Reduce Constipation
Since one of the common symptoms is constipation, you can use stool softeners to reduce it. Constipation can make you suffer and be worried especially when in addition to bloating it causes blood-stained stool.
Use Probiotics
Probiotics can help you a lot. These are food supplements that contain good bacteria that have been proven to reduce stomach bloating.
The most common probiotic is yogurt. This probiotic comes in many flavors and sizes. Go for what you can afford and what looks appetizing to you. I love the 500ml strawberry, what about you?
The good bacteria in yogurt will help you beat the bloating during pregnancy and enjoy your remaining period of pregnancy.
See Your Physician
Remember to always discuss this matter with your physician when you visit them for antennal clinic services. They will mostly discourage you from taking over-the-counter supplements or drugs. However, a discussion between the two of you can help you on what you can do to get relief.
Do Physical Exercises
We advise you to do a bit of non-vigorous physical exercise during pregnancy. As you do them remember that you are pregnant – Be gentle to protect your unborn child.
The essence of the exercise is to help you improve digestion and keep away the gas. What are the exercises that you should undertake? Here are a few examples:
- Walking moderately
- Stretching while standing upright
- Light household chores
- Indoor stationary cycling
- Non-vigorous swimming
- Trained low profile aerobics
Food and Water
Avoid foods that are known to obviously increase gas in your stomach. Drink plenty of what is daily, especially during the first trimester of your pregnancy.
On average about 8 glasses of clean water should be enough. Water will help you improve your slow digestion.
In addition, you will have to increase your intake of fiber-rich foods like fresh fruits and whole-grain meals. A person who enjoys eating fruits naturally will mostly have nutritional status okay at all times.
If you don’t, you can begin to establish a culture of eating fruits that you enjoy.
Allow Flatulence
To beat bloating in pregnancy, you may want to allow farting as much as possible. Of course, this will have to be done strategically and away from people to avoid embarrassment.
Flatulence relieves bloating very fast. Take a walk away from your friends and relatives. Do enough farting that will make you feel relieved.
You may want to pretend that you are taking a walk to make or receive a private phone call. When you get to a safe distance begin to do your thing. Be modest. Do not allow high-speed, loud farting. You may even feel pain if you do this. A relief will follow shortly.
Conclusion
Bloating during pregnancy can make the journey of pregnancy a night mere for you and your spouse. A moderate lifestyle change can provide much-needed relief.
If the bloating is not responding to your actions, share the experience with your physician or nurse. They will help you and see if there could be another underlying issue that needs specialized care.