What to do if pregnant women have bloating

With the rapid development of the economy, people's living standards are getting higher and higher, and there are more and more families with only one child. Therefore, in an era when most families have only one child, pregnant women can be said to be carrying all the hopes of two families! In the young new generation family, not only is a new life coming into their own small family, but also new hope for two big families! This baby is the focus of everyone's attention and carries all the hopes of two families! However, as pregnancy begins, pregnant women's bodies will also change. The most common change at the beginning is a bloated belly.

1. Causes of bloating in pregnant women from a Western medical perspective: Hormonal changes cause constipation and bloating. During pregnancy, due to hormonal changes in the body, the secretion of progesterone becomes significantly more active. Although this hormone can inhibit the contraction of uterine muscles to prevent miscarriage, it will also slow down the body's intestinal motility; causing not only morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, and gastric acid reflux into the esophagus in the early stages of pregnancy, but also constipation, which in turn causes discomfort in the entire gastrointestinal tract. After the second half of pregnancy, the gradually enlarging uterus will push the stomach upward and also compress the rectum, causing excessive absorption of intestinal water and making defecation difficult. When constipation is severe, bloating will become more obvious. TCM perspective: Changes in eating habits From the perspective of modern TCM, bloating during pregnancy may not be directly related to the fetus. It is more likely to be caused by changes in eating habits. For example, eating a lot of tonic food during pregnancy may cause difficulty in digestion, or pregnant women may consume more foods that are easy to produce gas due to changes in taste.

2. Prevention of flatulence in pregnant women 1. Avoid drinking tea - the tannic acid in tea will hinder the absorption of iron, and caffeine will also irritate the stomach and intestines. It is recommended to drink tea after meals and between meals, and replace raw tea with fermented cooked tea, and the concentration should not be too strong. 2. Avoid foods that easily produce gas, such as beans, fried foods, soda, glutinous rice, and instant noodles. 3. Reduce the intake of sweets or refined foods - sweets are mostly acidic foods, which can easily cause excessive stomach acid; while refined foods lack fiber and can easily aggravate constipation. 4. Avoid taking coix seed - coix seed has a diuretic effect and is not recommended for consumption during pregnancy unless there is a special edema condition. 5. Do not use laxatives on your own. When constipation is severe, ask your doctor to prescribe some lubricating suppositories. Never use laxatives on your own to avoid inducing uterine contractions and causing miscarriage or premature birth.

3. Pregnant women should do the following when they are bloated: 1. Eat small meals frequently to help the stomach digest food faster. To effectively relieve bloating, you must start with diet. If a pregnant woman eats a lot of food when she feels bloated, it will increase the burden on gastrointestinal digestion and make the bloating worse. Therefore, pregnant women may wish to change their habit of eating three meals a day to eating six to eight meals a day, with smaller portions at each meal. Be careful not to eat too many kinds of food at each meal, and don’t eat too liquid food, because liquid food is not necessarily easy to digest. On the contrary, pregnant women can choose to eat semi-solid foods such as oatmeal. 2. Develop a daily bowel movement habit - eat more vegetables, fruits and high-fiber foods to promote gastrointestinal motility. 3. Appropriate exercise - Intestinal motility can be promoted through whole body or waist muscle activities. Doing proper exercise such as walking during pregnancy can also promote intestinal motility and relieve bloating. Therefore, it is recommended that pregnant women go for a walk outside for about 20 minutes 30 minutes to 1 hour after a meal to help with bowel movements and gas discharge. Please note that some activities that involve impact or require running too intensely are absolutely not suitable.

After you become pregnant, you are no longer alone. Once expectant mothers find any changes in their bodies and feel uncomfortable, they must not ignore it. It is best to go to the hospital in time and let the doctor tell you what is going on and what to do.