Why it happens
Progesterone relaxes smooth muscle throughout the body, including the gut wall. Food moves more slowly, gut bacteria have longer to ferment it, and the growing uterus physically compresses the intestines from the second trimester onwards. Iron supplements add constipation, which traps gas further.
The ten changes that help most
- 1. Six small meals, not three large ones. A smaller volume empties faster and puts less pressure on a compressed stomach.
- 2. Chew properly and eat unhurried. Swallowed air is a major and entirely avoidable source of gas. Put the phone down and take twenty minutes.
- 3. Drop fizzy drinks, straws and chewing gum. All three deliver air straight into the stomach. Sodas add sorbitol as well.
- 4. Prepare pulses properly. Soak rajma, chana and chhole for eight hours, discard the water, and pressure-cook with a pinch of hing and half a teaspoon of ajwain or jeera. This breaks down much of the fermentable sugar before it reaches you. Do not skip dal — you need the protein and iron.
- 5. Use traditional carminatives. Ajwain, jeera, saunf and hing genuinely reduce gas. A cup of warm jeera or saunf water after meals is the simplest version.
- 6. Walk for ten minutes after eating. Gentle movement stimulates gut motility more effectively than anything you can swallow.
- 7. Increase fibre slowly, with water. Fibre without enough fluid makes constipation worse. Aim for eight to ten glasses of water a day and add oats, papaya, pears and cooked vegetables gradually.
- 8. Identify your own triggers. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onion, maida, fried food and dairy are common culprits, but they differ by person. Keep a one-week food and symptom note rather than cutting whole food groups.
- 9. Check your dairy tolerance. Lactose intolerance is common in Indian adults and worsens when digestion slows. Curd and buttermilk are usually tolerated when plain milk is not.
- 10. Do not lie down straight after eating. Wait two to three hours before bed, and prop your upper body up if reflux is also an issue.
Positions that release trapped gas
Cat-cow on hands and knees, a supported child's pose with knees wide, and a gentle seated side twist above the waist all help gas move. Do them slowly, and avoid any deep twist through the abdomen.
When it is not gas
Gas pain shifts, comes in waves and eases after passing wind or a bowel movement. Call your doctor for pain that is constant or severe, pain concentrated in the upper right abdomen, vomiting, fever, blood in the stool, no bowel movement for three days, or any abdominal tightening that comes at regular intervals before 37 weeks.