Do you know when the joy and euphoria from the news of pregnancy gradually gives way to signs of early toxicosis? Nausea during pregnancy after eating, aversion to food - every second girl suffers from this. We will tell you how to deal with the signs of early toxicosis and prevent gastrointestinal disorders.
Digestive problems during pregnancy
During pregnancy, the body experiences enormous stress associated with changes in hormonal levels and increased stress on various organs and systems. This also applies to the digestive system. Loss of appetite, aversion to any food, nausea are frequent companions of expectant mothers in the early stages of pregnancy. Later, constipation and increased gas formation may occur. In the later stages, heartburn causes great discomfort after eating, which is associated with pressure from the uterus on the stomach.
Digestive problems can be caused by various factors, but most often they arise due to an incorrect diet, poor diet, or exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Digestive problems can lead to abnormal development of the fetus, premature birth and even termination of pregnancy.
Therefore, if after eating you experience bitterness in your mouth, frequent belching, or a sour taste, you should definitely consult a doctor who will help determine the cause of these manifestations and prescribe safe medications.
Nausea after eating during pregnancy
Many women in early pregnancy experience nausea before, during or after eating. These problems cause expectant mothers a lot of inconvenience in their daily lives, since they can appear not only in the morning, but also throughout the day.
Morning sickness during pregnancy
Morning sickness during pregnancy occurs around the 6th week after conception and continues until the 4th month of pregnancy. Most often it disappears in the 12-14th week of pregnancy. Why this happens: the level of estrogen in the body increases sharply, which helps to slowly cleanse the stomach.
Nausea in the evening during pregnancy
Evening nausea during pregnancy plagues many girls. There are many reasons:
- fatigue,
- unhealthy diet
- stress.
Nausea at night during early pregnancy can also be caused by such reasons as increased anxiety and the body getting used to the fact that a little person is developing inside.
Why do you feel sick during pregnancy?
The most common causes of nausea during pregnancy are hormonal changes, gallbladder dysfunction, or poor liver function. Emotional factors can also influence a woman’s nausea after eating, since stress is a common accompaniment of toxicosis. Sometimes I feel nauseous not only after eating, but also from the smells of various foods, perfumes, cosmetics and other things. All these are signs of early toxicosis.
- If you often feel nauseous even from the sight or smell of food, your doctor may prescribe medications that are safe for pregnant women to help cope with this unpleasant symptom of early toxicosis.
- If you not only experience vomiting after eating (up to 10 times a day or more often), but also your general condition has worsened and you feel weak, you should immediately consult a doctor who will find out why you are feeling sick, prescribe an examination and treatment that is safe during pregnancy.
Digestive disorders can cause great harm to the mother and fetus. If diarrhea or vomiting after eating is a consequence of food poisoning, then it cannot affect the course of pregnancy. But if these phenomena are frequent, there is a risk of pathologies in the fetus.
Heaviness in the stomach after eating
A common problem is also heaviness in the stomach after eating during pregnancy. If you adhere to proper nutrition, you can avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Heaviness in the stomach after eating during pregnancy is usually caused by overeating, eating heavy, difficult to digest food. Therefore, it is very important to follow a diet. You need to eat little and often. Divide your menu into 5-6 meals. In this case, the last meal should be three hours before bedtime. If you stick to this eating plan, you will not feel hungry throughout the day and reduce the risk of overeating.
Stomach hurts after eating
- If your stomach hurts and becomes distended after eating, this may indicate intestinal disorders. Many women suffer from flatulence during pregnancy, which is associated with changes in the position of the internal organs of the abdominal cavity and changes in hormonal levels. A special diet and medications containing lactic acid bacteria and prebiotics will help eliminate abdominal pain after eating, associated with increased gas formation. You can only take them strictly after consulting a doctor.
- If your stomach hurts after eating, gastritis may be the cause. In pregnant women, this disease occurs quite often, which is associated with deterioration of the gastric mucosa. If the pain is chronic, you should definitely consult a doctor who will prescribe treatment.
- If your stomach hurts after a heavy meal or a long break between meals, do not panic. The reason for this is a natural process. The growing uterus puts pressure on the peritoneal organs, which causes discomfort, which usually goes away on its own.
Food is not digested during pregnancy
Another problem that a woman may encounter during pregnancy is when food is poorly digested. This phenomenon may also be associated with changes in hormonal levels; gastritis and bacterial infections of the inner mucous membrane of the stomach can also affect it.
The fact is that during pregnancy various disorders of the digestive tract can occur. They often manifest themselves as nausea, which is not associated with gestosis in the first half of pregnancy, vomiting, and women also experience heartburn, problems with stool, and heaviness in the stomach after eating. All these manifestations are not the norm and need to restore body functions.
What is the cause of the disorders?
All emerging disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are designated by a single term - dyspeptic disorders. Any of these disorders has a direct cause of its occurrence.
Often, women during pregnancy complain of a burning sensation in the stomach - this is heartburn. This phenomenon occurs as a result of the reflux of gastric contents into the lower esophagus. This happens not because digestion is disrupted, the process of which, in principle, is not affected in this case, but because there are prerequisites for this. These include, first of all, the presence of progesterone, which relaxes smooth muscles, including the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus, and also in later stages, the pregnant uterus increases pressure in the abdominal cavity.
Manifestations in the form of heaviness after eating are also associated with the growth of the uterus and errors in food and the eating procedure itself.
Problems with stool, which most often manifest themselves in the form of constipation, are also associated with the antispasmodic effect of progesterone and errors in nutrition, which reduces intestinal motility, and the uterus creates additional pressure on it, as a result of which feces accumulate and thicken. And the intestines, in turn, cannot push them through.
But when digestion is impaired, the process of physiological existence of the body, especially during pregnancy, cannot be normal. And there are many more signs of such disorders that can be listed, but we should look at how to improve digestion during pregnancy.
Improving digestion, methods
First of all, in order to get rid of digestive problems, you need to reconsider your diet. In this case, you should pay attention not only to the quality of food, but also to the quantity, as well as the frequency of meals per day.
What foods should you avoid?
For example, to get rid of heartburn and heaviness in the stomach, you need to exclude some foods and limit others. A pregnant woman should avoid spicy, overly spicy, fatty and fried foods. Limit the consumption of pickles and canned food, and it is better to refuse them. Even these simple actions will have a positive effect on the function of the digestive tract.
Also, a pregnant woman can pay attention to those foods, after consuming which, dyspeptic symptoms appear. So, these products also need to be excluded from the diet, and if they have a high energy value, replace them with similar ones.
It is worth noting the need to prevent conditions such as bloating as a result of increased gas formation. To do this, you just need to stop eating foods that contribute to this process (legumes, grapes, milk, white cabbage).
Improved digestion
Experts recommend not only avoiding a certain type of food, but also introducing smaller meals. That is, a woman eats food almost every three hours in small portions (about three hundred milliliters). This mode activates rapid metabolism and does not overload the stomach with large volumes of food, resulting in a reduced risk of reflux of its contents into the esophagus. But it is worth remembering that a pregnant woman’s last meal should not be later than three hours before bedtime.
Experts do not recommend taking a horizontal position of the body after eating, much less starting physical activity, since even the most “proper” nutrition may not help, and the symptoms will resume, and digestion will not improve.
In order to help normalize stool, intestinal motility should be strengthened by eating fiber. Fresh vegetables are prominent representatives of fiber. They must be eaten together with meat products.
Doctor for digestive problems
But it is not always possible to solve this type of problem only by adjusting the diet. The true cause may be hidden not only in functional disorders of the digestive tract, but also in structural and organic ones. That is, the presence of a disease in a given area. Such conditions require treatment with medication under the supervision of a gastroenterologist.
It should also be noted that any sensations of a pregnant woman that go beyond the norm require specialist consultation and a competent approach. And the answer to the question of how to improve digestion during pregnancy should be obtained from your attending physician, and in no case should you try to restore the condition yourself.
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Pregnancy and the birth of a child are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful events in the life of any woman, any family. At the same time, doctors often call pregnancy “the great provocateur.” During it, the work of almost all organs and systems is restructured, they begin to experience increased stress. Often new health problems appear and existing ones worsen.
The digestive system is not left out either.
Oral cavity and “strange” taste habits
Often pregnant women are “craving” for salty foods and ice cream - there are many jokes about this. During pregnancy, changes in taste and smell often occur. Because of this, a woman’s taste preferences change. They often get quite strange. If you are drawn to objects that are not entirely edible (for example, clay, chalk, bricks), be sure to tell your doctor about it. This may be one of the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia.
A pregnant woman produces a large amount of saliva and it becomes more acidic. This increases the risk of tooth decay. For many women, the gums swell, become more sensitive, and may bleed.
This insidious progesterone
Some features of digestion in women during pregnancy are associated with the fact that their body begins to produce large amounts of the hormone progesterone. It causes relaxation of smooth muscles located in the walls of internal organs, including the intestines. This leads to two main problems:
- Heartburn. At the junction of the esophagus and the stomach there is a muscle sphincter. Normally, it prevents gastric contents from refluxing into the esophagus. But under the influence of progesterone it relaxes. In addition, the enlarged uterus puts pressure on the stomach from below. When hydrochloric acid, which is in the stomach, enters the esophagus, heartburn occurs. Sometimes during pregnancy, part of the stomach protrudes into the chest - a diaphragmatic hernia occurs.
- Constipation. Under the influence of progesterone, the muscle fibers in the intestinal wall relax, it begins to contract less intensely, and feces move more slowly. The intestinal wall has time to absorb more water, and the stool becomes denser. Because of this, the passage of stool is impaired. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the intestine is compressed by the pregnant uterus. To help cope with constipation in a pregnant woman, you can use Microlax ®, a laxative with a high safety profile, which is available in solution and administered as microenemas. If the problem persists for a long time, you need to visit a doctor as soon as possible - problems with stool can be a symptom of some serious diseases.
A pregnant woman may experience nausea and vomiting. They occur especially often in the morning. As a rule, these are symptoms of early pregnancy toxicosis. If they occur, you need to tell your doctor about it.
How does digestion change in the intestines during pregnancy? Should a pregnant woman “eat for two”?
There is a widespread belief that during pregnancy a woman needs to eat much more - after all, she must provide nutrients not only to her body, but also to the body of the child. Scientists from Imperial College in the UK recently proved that this is not so.
During pregnancy, the intestines enlarge and reorganize their work so that the body can obtain more energy from the same amount of food. By the way, this explains why it is so difficult for many women to return to normal weight after childbirth.
What happens to the liver and pancreas?
Some features of digestion in pregnant women are associated with changes occurring in the liver and pancreas. The load on the liver always increases - it has to neutralize metabolic products produced by the body of the woman and the fetus. If pregnancy proceeds normally, the composition of bile remains virtually unchanged. Typically, it slightly increases the level of bile acids, which play an important role in the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. During pregnancy, there is an increased risk of developing gallbladder disease.
The load on the pancreas also increases. She is forced to produce more of the hormone insulin in order to provide it to the body of the mother and child. During pregnancy, the risk of developing pancreatitis, an inflammatory process in the pancreas, increases.
Many disorders of the digestive system during pregnancy are temporary, functional in nature. And yet, you should always treat any unpleasant sensations that arise carefully and immediately tell your doctor about them. After all, both the health of the woman herself and the health of her child may depend on this in the future.
Pregnancy is a beautiful and unique period in a woman’s life. This is a period full of change and hope. However, pregnancy is accompanied by more than just pleasant sensations. Nausea, vomiting, gas, rumbling, bloating, constipation - these are just a small part of the problems that arise in a pregnant woman. They also bother women who did not have any digestive problems before pregnancy.
Nausea and vomiting.
Many women, especially at the beginning of pregnancy, suffer from nausea. Many of them also suffer from frequent vomiting. These symptoms may be the result of impaired gallbladder function or insufficient liver function. These problems are very unpleasant and cause a lot of inconvenience for expectant mothers in everyday life. For most women, nausea and vomiting occur in the first trimester of pregnancy, but the situation tends to change. Morning sickness can occur throughout the day.
To avoid the unpleasant sensation of nausea, it is necessary to eat light food in small quantities 4-5 times a day. According to the observation of some women, it is better to do this in a reclining position. There are also homeopathic remedies that are safe for pregnant women to support liver function and reduce symptoms of nausea. When using such drugs, it is advisable to consult a doctor.
In cases where vomiting is too intense or frequent, you should consult a doctor, as this may adversely affect pregnancy.
Heartburn.
Heartburn is another common pregnancy-related factor. Heartburn is usually associated with impaired motility of the gastrointestinal tract and in the first months of pregnancy it occurs quite rarely. In this case, a disruption and outflow of enzymes from the pancreas occurs. In the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, as a result of the growth of the uterus and its pressure on the stomach, heartburn occurs more often. Heartburn usually occurs after eating, but can also occur when wearing tight clothing. Therefore, it is better to choose loose models that do not put pressure on the stomach. As a preventative measure, it is recommended to eat small, frequent meals and avoid foods that upset your stomach. If you have heartburn, you must exclude fatty, spicy and smoked foods from your diet. Radishes, radishes, and green onions should also not be eaten. If you suffer from heartburn and nothing helps, contact your doctor for help.
Constipation.
Any pregnant woman must at least once have a problem with bowel relief. Constipation is a very common occurrence due to hormones and physical changes during pregnancy. If, in addition to this, a lack of physical activity and poor nutrition are added, then you cannot avoid constipation. The best treatment for constipation is prevention, which includes proper nutrition and regular exercise (such as walking). Eat less starchy foods. Eat more vegetables and fruits. A good laxative effect is provided by fermented milk products and bran, as well as prunes, flax seeds, and adherence to a drinking regime. If all else fails, see your doctor. Do not take laxatives under any circumstances, as this may harm your baby.
Remember, all unpleasant sensations will pass as quickly as they arose, because pregnancy does not last forever. With the advent of a child, you will forget about all these little things that now cause you so much inconvenience.
It is important to understand that how a pregnant woman’s digestion works determines not only her well-being, but also how the nutrients necessary for the formation of the fetus are absorbed, how the child’s digestive system will be formed and will work in the future, whether he will have gas or allergies. reactions, diathesis, whether he can properly absorb certain foods.
There are several main signs that will indicate that something is wrong with the digestion of pregnant women. These symptoms are easy to recognize, but most importantly, with the help of simple measures you can prevent the development of more serious problems in time and maintain your health and the health of your unborn baby.
So, what signals does the expectant mother need to pay attention to from her body and what digestive disorders can cause them?
1. If every time after eating you feel heavy, you want to lie down or want to sleep, then this may indicate insufficient or not entirely correct production of digestive enzymes. If even after 4-6 hours the feeling of heaviness does not go away, it means that the food has not yet been digested, which is also often associated with a lack of enzymes.
2. If you experience bloating or gas during the day after meals or between meals, even though you have not eaten foods that contribute to excessive gas formation (cabbage, beans, etc.), this usually indicates problems with digestion: acidity disorders, fermentation, irritation of the gastrointestinal mucosa and others.
However, this not the most pleasant condition can also occur due to an increased level of the pregnancy hormone progesterone, which helps to reduce intestinal motility, which, in turn, can cause increased gas formation, as well as in late pregnancy, when the uterus is already greatly enlarged and compresses intestines and stomach.
4. If regularly after eating you immediately feel the urge to run to the toilet to empty your intestines, this is also a sign of a disorder in the gastrointestinal tract.
5. Bad breath can occur due to the fact that food is not digested as it should; this often speaks of other organs as well. For example, this may be associated with liver disease and impaired outflow of bile from the gallbladder, gastritis or ulcers of the stomach and duodenum. It happens that the smell is associated with other reasons, for example, with (caries, periodontitis), with chronic tonsillitis (it is accompanied by the formation of purulent plugs and smell).
6. Pain in the upper abdomen, burning sensation in the stomach, belching, heartburn, sour taste in the mouth - all these symptoms are often found in pregnant women. All or one of them may be indicators of digestive disorders.
7. If in the morning for 3-5 hours after waking up you have no appetite, there is often a coating on the tongue and a general feeling of heaviness in the body, this is also a signal from the body that digestion is impaired, the previous food has not yet been absorbed and the body is polluted leftover undigested food. This condition often occurs if the expectant mother regularly eats very heavily before bed. It is important to understand that a person with healthy digestion usually feels hungry in the morning.
8. Women are primarily an indicator of poor nutrition. It is important to remember that for the gastrointestinal tract to function properly, you need to consume enough dietary fiber. They are found in whole, unrefined foods. Even seemingly healthy porridges may consist of refined grains that do not contain the necessary fiber. Preference should be given to porridges made from whole grains with a shell; it contains the fiber necessary for normal intestinal function. There is also a lot of dietary fiber in vegetables and fruits. If your stool is irregular, add beets and prunes to your menu.
9. Teeth marks on the tongue indicate inadequate chewing of food, when a person eats quickly, on the go, doing other things while eating (reading, watching TV, etc.), so the food is poorly absorbed.
What affects digestion during pregnancy?
Many expectant mothers are subject to strong emotional swings, and mood, as is known, can increase the acidity of the body, which cannot but affect digestion. It is noteworthy that our mood has an impact on maintaining the normal pH level of the body: a good, cheerful mood normalizes the acid-base balance, and a bad mood can provoke an exacerbation of gastritis, and the digestion and absorption of food will be disrupted. Therefore, it is very important for loved ones, especially husbands, to treat a woman with love and tolerance. After all, the expectant mother feels comfortable when her partner can listen to her and shows attention and care towards her.
Dyspepsia is a collective term for manifestations of digestive disorders such as pain, heaviness, a feeling of fullness in the stomach, rapid satiety, burning, nausea, vomiting, belching, heartburn, flatulence, diarrhea and constipation. A person suffering from dyspepsia often does not tolerate fatty, fried, spicy foods. So all these complaints intensify in a state of psycho-emotional stress.
It is also important to maintain your internal biological clock. It is advisable to go to bed on time - before 23:00. Depending on how you feel, you can sleep a little during the day; sleep will restore the internal strength of the body. Desynchronization of internal biorhythms disrupts digestion processes, thyroid function, and causes metabolic failure.
In order for a pregnant woman’s digestion to work smoothly and to avoid stagnation of fluids in the body and pelvic organs, pregnant women definitely need to move, walk more, and it is useful to do calm exercises, yoga or swimming.
It is important to reduce the amount of work and devote yourself completely to the process in which you are in. Often pregnant women continue to work, but in this case it is very important for them to properly organize their meals at work, and if previously they could afford to have a dry snack or not have lunch at all, but eat heavily at night or quickly throw food into themselves on the go, not wanting to waste working hours for normal chewing of food, then now such an attitude towards oneself is unacceptable, and it is important to change incorrect eating habits.
How to prevent digestive problems during pregnancy?
How should an expectant mother organize her diet to avoid disruption of the gastrointestinal tract?
During pregnancy, it is important to avoid overeating - it complicates digestion, especially in the last months of pregnancy.
You should not skip meals or allow yourself to feel very hungry. During pregnancy, the intervals between meals should be 2-3 hours. Remember that fasting, cleansing diets and procedures are unacceptable during pregnancy. The main thing during this period is to listen to your own body, eat regularly and at its request, use those foods that you want, the thought of which makes you hungry. After all, through biochemical processes, through the desires of the mother, the fetus is able to send a signal about what microelements it needs for formation.
Most digestive problems in pregnant women begin with consumption, so it is important that the products are well combined. Remember about complex combinations - melons and watermelons should be eaten separately. Milk does not combine with fermented milk products, fruits, meat and fish. Yogurts and fermented milk products cannot be combined with sour fruits, only with dried fruits. Fruits do not go well with vegetables. Take into account the peculiarities of your own digestion, and if something is poorly digested (long-term heaviness occurs after consuming the product, gas formation, etc.), it is better to exclude the culprit of the problem from your menu.
It is important to chew food thoroughly and not swallow it. While eating, you should not be distracted by the TV or any other activities.
Taste preferences among different women can be completely different. However, whatever you want, the food must be of high quality and freshly prepared. You only need to eat what was prepared today, or at most yesterday.
If possible, use farm products or products from your garden that do not contain large amounts of chemicals, because exposure to such harmful substances invariably affects the condition of the digestive organs and their functioning. In addition, remember that growth hormones contained in low-quality meat and milk can harm the fetus and cause premature birth. This is especially important, since pregnant women are recommended to consume large amounts of dairy and fermented milk products; they have a good effect on the development of the baby’s musculoskeletal system.
It is recommended to introduce spices into the diet - coriander, cumin, dill seeds, fennel. They will help improve the absorption of nutrients. Also use asafoetida or garlic, they regulate digestion in pregnant women and have carminative properties.
A large number of heavy foods should be excluded from the menu - pasta, white bread, pastry products, as they are mucus-forming, poorly digestible, pollute the body and complicate the digestion process. It is better if the flour products are made from whole grain flour or with the addition of, for example, buckwheat flour or bran.
It is recommended that legumes be soaked in advance and consumed with spices, for example, cumin (cumin) or coriander, which will help your digestive system absorb these products without increased gas formation. It is useful to know that mung bean and lentils are best digested, while chickpeas, beans and peas are quite heavy foods that the expectant mother should not consume them often.
Try to avoid semi-finished, canned and stale foods; they lack vitamins, are poorly digestible and clog the body.
In the last months of pregnancy, heaviness in the stomach can also occur due to the fact that the fetus has grown and takes up a lot of space, including due to the volume of the stomach. In this case, women are advised to eat often, but little by little, in small portions, this will help avoid unnecessary pressure on the stomach.
It is not recommended to indulge in spicy foods, or eat too many tomatoes, eggplants, or tomato juice, unless these foods are familiar to you since childhood. These products can overstimulate the production of digestive juices and irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa.
You should not consume large quantities of fermented products (kefir, yogurt, yogurt and old (aged) cheese, especially in the evening. They can increase mucus formation and disrupt acidity.
It is advisable to use unrefined brown sugar and unrefined salt with a large amount of minerals, this can be either sea salt or any rock salt: Kostroma salt, Himalayan pink salt, etc.
It is very important to eat according to the season; in winter you need to eat more cooked vegetables, and in summer try to eat a lot of raw vegetables and fruits.
Avoid very cold and very hot drinks, they can upset digestion. Pregnant women are recommended to drink only warm liquids, and always without gases. You need to wash down your food with warm water or warm teas made from cumin, fennel, dill or anise seeds (1 teaspoon of seeds is poured with a glass of boiling water and infused for 10–15 minutes). Such infusions are very useful for digestion; they can be drunk both prophylactically and when bloating and other symptoms described above occur. Drink ginger water more often - 3 times a day (pour 1/2 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger into a glass of boiling water, leave for 5 minutes, add honey, jam or sugar to taste). But in order not to provoke heartburn, such a drink should not be strong, so you should not add more than the specified amount of ginger. Ginger water will help with indigestion. And if the expectant mother is worried about heartburn or increased stomach acidity, gastritis or ulcers, then during the period of exacerbation of these problems, this drink should be abandoned, replacing it with water with cumin or fennel (pour 1 tsp of fennel or cumin seeds with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 10–15 minutes.
It is recommended to additionally include barley or wheat sprouts in your diet, as they contain a large number of elements necessary for the body at all stages of pregnancy. These substances also promote digestion and better absorption of food.
Healthy energy drink for pregnant women
To maintain tone, you can use natural energy drinks. Take 3-5 almonds, 2-5 dates, 2 figs, half a teaspoon of cardamom and fennel and pour 250 ml of water overnight. In the morning, peel the almonds, remove the pits from the dates and grind everything in a blender. You can add milk to taste, raisins and other dried fruits. This drink is useful throughout pregnancy. In addition, there is another pleasant bonus - this remedy helps normalize stool, promoting the activation of intestinal motility. There is only one limitation: it is not recommended to drink it at night, as it tones the body and may cause problems with sleep.