Bloating In Early Pregnancy
Facts About Bloating in Early Pregnancy
Bloating in early pregnancy is uncomfortable and it feels unsightly. Of course, you know the feeling that comes along with your monthly menstruation, so in early pregnancy bloating is no stranger. So why is this happening? Well, when you first become pregnant, your hormones are going crazy. That’s the only way to describe it. This is the cause of bloating in early pregnancy because your body forms gas in the intestinal tract more easily than usual.
Why does this happen? Well, the higher amount of progesterone is the culprit. This hormone relaxes the smooth muscle tissue in your body, including the muscles in the gastro-intestinal tract. This slows down the rate of digestion in your body. Since the food is sitting in your intestinal tract for so much extra time, the food begins to ferment and gas begins to build up.
So how to you combat bloating in early pregnancy? Cutting down on the amount of salt you eat is one way. Combine this with drinking a lot of water and you will find the bloating feeling gets better. You might also find that there are certain types of food that cause more gas in your system than other types of food. The best thing to do is avoid these foods. Avoiding large meals and foods that typically take a long time to digest, such as fatty, fried foods, also helps.
Some of the primary culprits among foods are beans, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and asparagus. This is because they contain a sugar called raffinose, which commonly causes gas in people. Other foods to avoid may be onions, pears, artichokes, and starchy foods such as potatoes and pasta. If you are lactose intolerant, then you need to make an extra special effort to avoid foods that contain dairy. If you are only mildly lactose intolerant, you might be surprised at how your body handles dairy in early pregnancy.
Some other tips to help reduce the amount of bloating in early pregnancy include drinking less with your meals, chewing your food more thoroughly, avoiding carbonated drinks, drinking from a glass or a cup instead of sucking through a straw or bottle, getting lots of exercise, avoiding smoking, avoiding the artificial sweetener Sorbitol, avoiding chewing gum or sucking on hard candies, and wearing loose, comfortable clothing as much as possible.
Rest assured that, while bloating in early pregnancy is uncomfortable, it will go away as time moves on. And of course, when all is said and done, the little bundle of joy you end up with will be worth every second of discomfort. Just keep your end goal – a healthy baby – in mind and enjoy every second of your pregnancy.