Gas and bloating during pregnancy

Gas and bloating during pregnancy 

Medicines and other useful products for your kit the products you need in pregnancy.

Why do I have so much gas now that I'm pregnant?

All persons, pregnant or not, expel gas. You will be surprised to learn that, on average; a person produces between 1 and 4 pints (0.5 to 1.8 liters) of gas per day and expels gas about 14-23 times a day. However, now that you're pregnant, can you blow out more gas than usual and you feel that you stomach swells after a while eating.

Why is this happening? 

The first reason is that during pregnancy you have much higher levels of progesterone, a hormone that relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your digestive system. This relaxation slows digestion, which can cause you gas, bloating in the stomach, belching and flatulence, and create usually unpleasant sensations in your belly, especially after a hearty meal. During the last months of pregnancy the uterus is larger and fills the abdominal cavity, which further slows digestion, and to put pressure on the stomach, makes you feel even more bloated after eating. It can also produce you heartburn (heartburn) or constipation, even if you had never had this trouble.

Where do the gases?

Gas is formed in the digestive system in two ways: when you swallow air and when bacteria in your colon (large intestine) break down undigested food. Most stomach gas produced by swallowing air and usually released to burp. Most gases that cause flatulence occur when bacteria in the large intestine break down food that was not completely digested by enzymes stomach and small intestine. Certain carbohydrates are primarily responsible. Proteins and fats are not the most gas produced. Besides fat, because that slow digestion can help you feel bloated stomach. Certain foods cause gas to some people and not others. For example, people with lactose intolerance do not produce enough? The enzyme that breaks down lactose (the sugar in milk and dairy products)? So it can swell and have lots of gas if you take too much milk or ice cream. The variation of each person in the balance of bacteria in the colon, can also affect the amount of gas it produces. Find out how you can cope seven sorrows and pains common in pregnancy.

Will you help me to modify my diet?

The most effective way to decrease gas is reducing those foods that are most likely causing them. But if you remove everything that cans producer’s gases, it will be very difficult to follow a balanced diet. 's why, you can start by removing the cause of most common gases and, if it relieves you, again begins to include in your diet, by one, those foods that you had removed, so that you can determine which one will generate problems. Keeping a food diary can help you see the relationship between eating certain foods and gas production.

Foods that produce safer gases are beans, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and asparagus. They all contain sugar raff nose, which causes gases to a lot of people. Others have problems if they consume too much fructose, a type of sugar found in many foods. A relatively high amount of fructose in its natural form can be found in onions, leeks, pears, apples, artichokes, dried fruits and in honey and wheat. Many sodas (soft drinks or soft drinks) and fruit drinks are sweetened a type called fructose syrup (or honey) Corn high fructose. It is not advisable to take sodas and sweetened drinks because they have empty calories and carbonation in sodas can cause gas. 

A large number of processed foods contain corn syrup high in fructose. Certain starches? Such as pasta and potatoes, but rice? Can cause gas in some people. And some high-fiber foods? As oat bran, beans and many kinds of fruit? Cause gas because normally broken down in the large intestine. Exception is wheat bran, which passes through the digestive system without breaking down. This makes it ideal if you have constipation and need more fiber but can also cause flatulence. Individuals who have lactose tolerance may find that dairy products give them gas. 

If you are highly intolerant to dairy products, you probably know before your pregnancy, since milk you may have produced diarrhea and abdominal pain. But if you have only one bit of intolerance and are not aware of the effect of milk have on you, a dramatic increase in the consumption of these products during pregnancy may cause you some discomfort. To avoid this problem, search the supermarket milk without lactose or soy milk fortified with calcium. If you do not drink any kind of milk, you probably need to take a calcium supplement. Finally, try to avoid foods high in fat and fried. No cause gas, but make digestion slower, and this produces a sense of abdominal heaviness.

What else can I do to find relief?

The following suggestions can reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms:

Rather than eating large meals, make several small meals throughout the day.

Eat slowly and chew food well. Do not talk while eating to avoid swallowing much air.

It limits the amount of fluid you drink during meals. You can compensate for the rest of the day.

Drink a cup or a glass? No bottle or with a straw? And drink slowly; do not take drinks in one gulp.

Avoid carbonated drinks.

Stand up straight while you eat or drink, but only take a small snack.

Wear loose, comfortable clothing, and prevents you tighten the waist and belly.

Do not chew gum or eat hard candy.

Avoid anything sweetened with orbital, an artificial sweetener.

Exercise, even a brisk walk can help speed digestion.

Avoid constipation as this can contribute to flatulence and abdominal bloating feeling.

Do not smoke, snuff, and contribute to a host of serious health problems, stimulates heartburn. Ideally quit before becoming pregnant. If you still smoke, ask your doctor to recommend a smoking cessation program or read our tips to stop smoking).

Practicing yoga or a similar discipline, teach you relaxation techniques and breathing properly, it can be of help. Some people who are prone to hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing) tend to swallow more air when you are nervous.

If these measures do not help, ask your doctor if you can take a drug for nonprescription gases containing simethicone. Do not take charcoal tablets, because they are not safe during pregnancy.

Is it possible that the pain caused by gases is a symptom that something is wrong?

Call your doctor if at any time the inconvenience of the gases most resemble abdominal pain or cramps, or if they are accompanied by evacuating blood, severe diarrhea, constipation or increased? Or new episode? Nausea and vomiting. Notified what are the seven rules for eating well during pregnancy.