One of the most common and embarrassing symptoms of pregnancy is the bloating and a large amount of gas. It is safe to assume that every would-be-mother would like to change that. When a woman is pregnant, thanks to the hormonal changes, this human condition is largely exacerbated. This makes them uncomfortable and at times, in pain.
For a healthy person, it is okay to pass gas once every other hour. Farting or flatulence is a natural and normal part of being a human. It is a display of our intestinal system’s proper functioning. However, if you are farting excessively, you should get it checked from your doctor. There is no agreed-upon a number of times farting is normal. For some people, farting more than 24 times a day might be normal, for others it is not.
Everyone on earth goes through gas and bloating. Even if they don’t know that they have gas, a normal human can fart about 12 to 14 times a day. When a woman is pregnant, there is an increased level of progesterone in her body. This causes the muscles in her body to relax. This means that all the muscles including the ones that help the digestive tract move food out of the baby, relax. Now that there is a decrease in digestion time, there will be increased feelings of bloat and increased gas. During the first trimester, before the baby bump starts to show, the mother would feel like there has been an increase in belching or burping and her pants have become too tight.
Before the food moves on to the small intestine, it is digested by the enzymes present in the stomach. Eventually, this food moves on to the large intestine. If for some reason, the food that left the stomach was not completely digested, the bacteria present in the large intestine should be able to do the job. Now, when this happens, there are certain gaps produced between the digested good. This gap is the gas produced in the large intestine.
We know that an increased level of progesterone can cause the digestive process to slow down in a pregnant woman’s body. This means that now, bacteria have more time to work on the food in the intestine. The more the food breaks down, the more space will be left. This means that more gas will get trapped in the intestine causing the feeling of bloat.
It is very important for a pregnant woman to eat a balanced meal. So, for this, she must choose foods that are easy to digest. If the enzymes present in the stomach are breaking down the food completely before it is able to reach the large intestine, gas will be produced. And more often than not, it is not that big of a deal. You should try eating protein which is not only a great food source but also produces very little gas. You need to avoid foods that might cause gas. Here are some of the foods that are harder to break down and therefore must be avoided for preventing gas:
Another way to fight off-gas is to eat smaller meals, exercise, avoid sugar-free foods, and lower the consumption of carbonated drinks per day.
However, if you are still feeling bloated and gassy, there are some over the counter medications you can take that are safe for pregnant women. However, you need to consult your obstetrician before you take any of the anti-gas supplements of chewable tablets. You should take this option of getting gas relief medications only if exercise and diet changes are not helping you get relief from gas and bloating.
Remember that gas is a natural part of digestion and usually it does not cause any discomfort. However, when a woman is pregnant and her hormone levels are high, gas can become pretty uncomfortable.
