Having gas during pregnancy is a fact. It happens to everybody from time to time, but in case of pregnant women it happens more often than usual. Although it is something quite embarrassing to talk about, it is still a fact. Normally a person passes gas about 14 times every day.
What causes pregnancy gas?
There are a lot of factors that could cause gas and bloating. We might be talking about something simple, such as swallowing air when eating or chewing gum. Also some of the foods could support the gas production during digestion, causing a feeling of discomfort in the abdomen.
Also you have to consider that the growing weight of your belly also affects the digestion. All this makes you pass gas more often than usual.
Although you may think that there is nothing to do about passing gas when being pregnant, you should know that there are several different ways to make the situation better, and in the majority of the cases all you need to have is initiative.
Foods
The kinds of foods you are having have an effect on passing gas while being pregnant. The most important thing is to be careful about gassy foods. Make sure that you don’t have artificial sweeteners such as the ones that can be found in diet soda.
You may have seen that these foods have a warning on their label saying that they could cause diarrhea. Gas during pregnancy should also be included in the warning.
There are some foods that cause gas in case of every person, pregnant or not. Such foods include beans, cabbage, Brussels’ sprouts, onions, broccoli, cauliflower corn and asparagus.
Some fruits could also cause pregnancy winds, like apples, pears, peaches and plums. Oats and whole grain products have the same effect, not to mention cheese, milk and ice cream.
Keeping a journal
In order to know what causes winds during pregnancy you should keep a journal of everything that you eat and the volume. Also include the gas that you pass within 6 hours after eating. In case you pass gasses at dinner, see what you had for lunch.
In case you have winds while being pregnant then you shouldn’t blame the snack that you just had, but the meal you had before. To find the culprit eat the food that you suspect of causing gas and check the theory.
Move it
In order to deal with the winds when being pregnant and to burn some calories you might want to take a walk after a meal. Take a long walk, walk the dog or simply do the dishes. In case you sit down the gas will get trapped in the bowels.
Having gas during pregnancy isn’t the end of the world; you just have to make sure that not everybody will find out about it at the dinner table.
