What causes abdominal bloating during pregnancy?

Pregnant women are prone to abdominal distension during pregnancy. This is mainly because the gas in the intestines moves back and forth, causing gastrointestinal bloating, abdominal pain and mild bloating. It usually occurs in the early and middle stages of pregnancy, causing great distress to the pregnant woman's body. Abdominal distension can be adjusted through diet. Cooperating with the doctor's treatment, it is necessary to strengthen whole-body exercise. Because pregnant women are oppressed by the uterus during pregnancy, gastrointestinal motility itself is very slow. If combined with exercise, the bloating will become more and more serious. In addition to exercise, simple dietary improvements are very important to avoid long-term bloating, which will cause bad breath, stomach pain and constipation. These not only put a burden on the pregnant woman's body, but also lead to insomnia.

Causes of bloating

There are many reasons for abdominal bloating during pregnancy. In the early stages of pregnancy, the production of progesterone will relax the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and weaken peristalsis, making it easy for the acidic gastric contents to reflux to the lower esophagus. In addition, the time for gastric emptying is prolonged. When food stays in the intestines for a longer time, it will spoil and ferment under the action of bacteria, which will produce a large amount of gas, causing pregnant women to feel full.

Reason 1: The enlarged uterus compresses the stomach and intestines

Dr. Cheng Shaopei, deputy director of Xu Shibin's obstetrics and gynecology department, said that as the fetus grows in the uterus, the gradually enlarging uterus will naturally compress the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to pushing the stomach slightly upward, the intestines will also be pushed upward or to the sides. When the gastrointestinal tract is under pressure, it will affect the normal discharge of the contents and gas therein, making the expectant mother feel uncomfortable.

Reason 2: Constipation caused by reduced activity

Because pregnant women are usually less active than before pregnancy, gastrointestinal motility weakens, and the food they eat during pregnancy also changes. Excessive intake of high-protein, high-fat foods makes the intake of vegetables and fruits relatively insufficient, which can make feces more easily retained in the intestines, causing constipation and making the abdominal bloating more severe.

Method 1: Eat small, frequent meals

To effectively relieve bloating, changing eating habits is the first priority. If the expectant mother already feels bloating, but still takes supplements and eats large amounts of food, the increased burden on gastrointestinal digestion will only make the bloating worse. Dr. Cheng Shaopei recommends that expectant mothers in the middle and late stages of pregnancy can adopt the principle of eating small meals frequently. Remember not to eat too much at each meal, which can effectively reduce the feeling of abdominal fullness. Pregnant women may wish to change from the habit of three meals a day to six to eight meals a day to reduce the portion of each meal. In addition to controlling protein and fat intake, adding some garlic and ginger slices when cooking can also reduce the production of abdominal bloating and gas.

Method 2: Chew slowly

When eating, you should chew slowly, don't talk while eating, avoid sucking drinks with a straw, don't often hold sour plums in your mouth, or chew gum, etc., all of which can prevent unnecessary excess gas from entering the abdomen.

Method 3: Supplement fiber

Pregnant women can eat more foods rich in fiber, such as vegetables, fruits and foods rich in fiber. Vegetables such as wild rice shoots, leeks, spinach, celery, loofah, lotus roots, radishes, etc. are rich in dietary fiber; among fruits, persimmons, apples, bananas, kiwis, etc. are rich in fiber. Fiber can help intestinal peristalsis. Although liquid food is easier to eat, it is not necessarily easy to digest, so pregnant women can choose semi-solid food.