Being pregnant is not an easy job as it involves a lot of patience. There an number of discomforts that you face when you are pregnant. One among them is indigestion. Constipation is defined by abdominal pain, bowel motions that are difficult and infrequent and hard stool flow.
Constipation during pregnancy is believed to be related to the following reasons:
- Hormonal causes: When you are pregnant, there will be more production of the hormone progesterone which will help in the growth of your baby. It relaxes the muscle which in turn slows down the digestion process.
- Growing baby: The uterus presses against your stomach so that the quantity of food which you can consume at a time is limited. So, when you consume more than the capacity your intestines can shut down your digestive system.
- Heartburn: There is a string relation between indigestion and heartburn. The acid from the stomach comes near the food pipe as the stomach and gullet muscles relax which causes a burning sensation in the abdomen and chest.
Generally, it not advised to take pregnant digestion medicine every time you have indigestion as you might be facing that problem sometimes on regular basis in the last few weeks. But there are a few steps which you can follow to overcome indigestion.
- Your eating habits have a lot of effect on your pregnancy in total. Consumption of high fibre diet can prevent and relieve constipation. Make sure you don’t overeat and at the same time get all the supplements needed to keep you healthy. Eat often and in less quantity. Avoid smoking, drinking and wearing tight clothes.
- Taking too much of iron supplements also causes constipation. So one need to keep a tab on their nutrient intake level.
- Maintain hydrated. Every day drink plenty of water and fresh juices.
- Inactivity and sedentary lifestyle creates indigestion when you’re pregnant. It is very essential to walk, stretch and bend. Minimum movement rate enables the intestines to relax. It is always better to be physically active, which also helps in ordinary delivery, unless your doctor asks you to take bed rest.
If none of the above changes the process of indigestion, one can immediately consult their physician. More importantly if you vomit or have abdominal pain, accompanied by fever and chills or no bowel movement for more than 4 days it is better to immediately visit the clinic. There are many meds for pregnancy digestion. Even if you know what medicine to take, especially when you are pregnant it is always better to take it with doctor’s prescription. Taking meds like paracetamol or headache tablets should be taken under doctor’s supervision.
And everything you do counts a lot when you’re pregnant. Your child is also affected by the manner you sleep and your stress level. Getting the full understanding of pregnancy is always better. Read a lot about your baby’s growth as soon as you know about your pregnancy and what the do and don’t do to take better care of your child.