You might be looking down at your pregnant, bloated belly and wondering if you swallowed a beach ball in your sleep. The pants that fits just fine this morning are now alarmingly tight, and the feeling of bloating is almost unbearable - already at week 7!? While it would be nice to blame the baby, unfortunately, that’s not entirely true - at least not yet. Bloating is primarily caused by hormones, which from the very start of pregnancy set off a series of changes in your body. The hormone progesterone, which plays a crucial role in sustaining your pregnancy, also has a side effect: it slows down your digestion. When your digestion slows down, food has more time to ferment in your intestines, leading to increased gas production. And that means one thing: a bloated belly and a body that suddenly has a whole new relationship with farting - a lot of it! If this isn’t your first pregnancy, you may be particularly shocked by how big your belly looks in the evening, simply because your abdominal muscles have already been through this before.
Aside from hormones, your diet also plays a major role when it comes to being pregnant and bloated. So if pregnancy nausea or your very specific cravings have left you surviving on white bread, crackers, and cold soda for a while, you can probably expect even more gas buildup. And not only will you feel like a walking water balloon with legs, but you’ll also notice that all that air needs to come out - one way or another. And let’s be honest - you’re going to fart more often, for longer, and with a slightly stronger scent than usual. Pregnant and bloated, and full of air that needs to escape - it’s totally normal! So lean back, relax your belly, and let it go. Like all other pregnancy symptoms, bloating and gas will eventually pass, so dedicate your evenings to cozying up on the couch, unbuttoning your pants, and giving your belly some breathing room.
