Bloating is one of the first and most prominent discomforts of pregnancy. You can face it from the beginning of your pregnancy and the meeting will only get more frequent as your delivery date approaches. The discomforts associated with bloating can vary in each pregnancy. Some women face mild uneasiness and for some, it can cause severe pain and heartburn. Bloating during pregnancy is so common in many women, but not having it doesn’t mean something is wrong.
Bloating occurs due to several factors like hormonal changes, lifestyle, and dietary habits. While hormonal changes are inevitable during pregnancy, you can make some modifications to your food and lifestyle to find ease from bloating. Read on to understand the gist of bloating problems you may face during pregnancy.
In This Article
- What is Bloating?
- When Does Bloating Occur During Pregnancy?
- Causes of Bloating During Pregnancy
- Common Foods That Cause Bloating During Pregnancy
- Home Remedies For Bloating During Pregnancy
- Top 5 Tips to Relieve Bloating During Pregnancy
- When Should You Consider Seeing a Doctor?
- FAQ’s
What is Bloating?
Bloating is a situation where your belly feels tight and full due to excessive gas trapped in your intestine. Gas occurs in our digestive tract for two reasons. You can swallow air with your food or drink or even while laughing, talking, and breathing. On the other hand, the tiny natural microbes in your stomach can release gas while disintegrating food during digestion.
This gas naturally passes through burps and farts but sometimes it gets trapped and thus causes bloating. Bloating can sometimes be painful and can cause a lot of discomfort as the trapped air circles in your digestive tract for finding its way to come out.
When Does Bloating Occur During Pregnancy?
Bloating is one of the primary symptoms of pregnancy. As soon as you conceive your progesterone levels will surge high to secure the pregnancy. And as soon as your progesterone levels surge, your digestion process slows down and you will face bloating problems.
So bloating can occur in the very first week of your pregnancy and could last throughout the first trimester. The second trimester can be a bit relaxing but bloating issues will emerge again in the third trimester as your baby starts growing rapidly and pushes your stomach upwards.
Causes of Bloating During Pregnancy
Bloating problems during pregnancy get elevated primarily because of the hormone called progesterone. As the progesterone levels surge up it causes your muscles, including those in your digestive tract, to relax. As a result, your digestion process slows down, and more gas forms in your intestine. So whenever you take a big meal it creates an uncomfortable sensation marked with bloating, burping, and flatulence. Bloating also occurs when your uterus gets big to make room for the growing fetus and occupy much of the abdomen space.
Here are a few reasons that can cause bloating
- Food intolerance
- Constipation
- Pregnancy weight gain
- Imbalance of bacteria in the colon
[Read : Constipation During Pregnancy]
Common Foods That Cause Bloating During Pregnancy
Some food items are infamous for causing bloating problems and smelly gasses in general. These are
- Vegetables with unabsorbable carbs such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, onions.
- Fruits with unabsorbable carbs such as mangoes, watermelon, apples, peaches.
- Seeds such as poppy, fennel, and sunflower.
- High-fiber food that causes fermentation in the large intestine such as wheat, chickpeas, and lentils can cause bloating in some pregnant women.
[Read : Sunflower Seeds During Pregnancy]
Home Remedies For Bloating During Pregnancy
In the majority, you can deal with bloating problems at home without any medicines. There are multiple home remedies to cure bloating. But you must consult with your doctor before applying any of these home remedies in your first trimester.
- Cardamom (Elaichi) is excellent in reducing bloating. You can either make cardamom tea or simply chew some cardamom seeds when you feel bloated.
- Ginger is also a very good bloating reducer. You can have a teaspoon of ginger juice along with honey to ease bloating.
- Soak fenugreek seeds (Methi) in water overnight. Remove the seeds and sip the water whenever you feel bloated.
- Cinnamon (Dalchini) and coriander (Dhaniya) seeds are also effective in curing bloating discomforts during pregnancy. You can boil any of them in a cup of water and drink it along with some honey.
- Drumsticks with their fibrous content can reduce constipation during pregnancy by clearing stool timely and thus can reduce bloating.
[Read : 10 Natural Remedies For Bloating During Pregnancy]
Top 5 Tips to Relieve Bloating During Pregnancy
Besides applying home remedies for bloating you need to change your eating habit and lifestyle for an overall smooth pregnancy.
Here are some tips you can follow to reduce bloating.
- To emit the trapped gas you can try some yoga, elevate your feet while sitting and do some physical exercises.
- Bring your knees close to your chest when you are sleeping on your sides, and try to do a wide squat (ask your doctor). This can help the trapped gas escape.
- Don’t lie down immediately after meals, try to walk around if you feel full.
- Change your diet by avoiding junk food, not having too much caffeine, breaking your meals, and drinking enough water. Also, eat slowly by properly chewing your food.
- Taking too much stress can elevate digestive problems, especially during pregnancy. So you need to take a deep breath and relax your mind every time you feel stressed. You can try meditation before sleeping.
When Should You Consider Seeing a Doctor?
You need to visit your doctor if you have the following symptoms along with bloating
- Contractions
- Abdominal pains and cramping
- Blood in stool
- Severe constipation
So bloating is a very common problem you will have to deal with during your pregnancy. It is unavoidable but by following these tips and home remedies you can find some relief.
FAQ’s
1. How Long Does Bloating Last in Early Pregnancy?
Early pregnancy bloating can last throughout your first trimester. After the first 3 months of pregnancy, it will take a pause and again emerge in your third trimester.
2. Does Bloating Affect the Baby During Pregnancy?
Thankfully bloating has no adverse effect on the growing fetus inside you. Your baby will be completely safe inside the amniotic sac. The sound caused by trapped gas in the intestine may also seem natural to your baby.
3. How Does Bloating Feel in Early Pregnancy?
Bloating will make you feel like your belly has turned into a gas-filled balloon. The trapped air can cause pain in your abdomen as it finds a way to release from the body.
