One of the most common concerns of pregnant women is bloating during pregnancy. This is mostly due to the fact that a pregnant woman’s digestion slows up importantly, since the digestive tract spends a lot of time in taking in nutrients from the foods that you eat. Your body fundamentally now has 2 mouths to feed in, so it is but natural for it to try to capture the most out of the foods you consume. Because of this, the nutrient stays longer in your digestive tube to assist in the absorption process. While this is a great thing, this might also result to an irritating feeling of fullness in the abdomen. Pregnant women oftentimes feel bloated, and this can also lead to constipation and other troubles connected with the gastrointestinal tract.
How does bloating in pregnancy happen? The intestine houses a lot of normal flora or non-pathogenic bacteria, which survive from consuming those indigestible foods that move through your gastrointestinal tract. When they digest their own food, however, they develop gas. Since digestion slows down during pregnancy, the regular flora are efficient to feed more and digest more, leaving the pregnant woman with a notion of bloating because of pregnancy gas.
Likewise, prenatal vitamins like ferrous sulfate and folic acid contain iron, which further slows down digestion, contributing to more bloating and swelling during pregnancy. According to professionals, you can actually counter this issue of iron by cutting the vitamin in partial and consuming each piece at distinct times of the day.
The meal that you eat also contributes to the feeling of fullness in stomach. One of the foods that have this effect is French-fried Potatoes, which contains lots of fat and grease. Fats further slows digestion since it can calm down the muscles in the digestive tract, and coupled with the slow digestion experienced during pregnancy, this can by all odds lead to development of excess gas. This also goes the same for other foods that are high in fat content, such as hamburgers and other fried foods.
There are also some vegetables and beans that induce inflammation during pregnancy. This is because of their rich fiber content, which contributes to the feeling of fullness. Examples of these veggies include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Vegetables are very great during pregnancy since they are heavy sources of nutrients; however, to reduce bloating and avoid any uncomfortableness it brings about, it is better to limit consumption of these veggies and alternatively replace them with ones that are not gas-forming.
Extreme intake of fizzy drinks like sparkling water and soda can also cause fullness, because these drinks contain unnecessary air that you absorb as well. Also, sipping drinks and other liquids instead of straightaway drinking them can cause a feeling of being bloated. In order to prevent this, diminish your consumption of carbonated beverages and substitute them with water, since it accelerates the digestion process, thereby reducing gas formation. Also have the right amount of fibre in your diet through fruits and non-gas-forming veggies, so that you do not get constipated.
Bloating in pregnancy can be avoided with specific diet and regular workout. To find out more how to avoid bloating in early pregnancy, visit us today.