Women are more likely to develop more gastrointestinal problems because of the anatomy of their gastrointestinal tract. Although there is no significant change between men and women from the anatomical aspect but women have a stronger pyloric sphincter, the valve that connects the end of the esophagus with the stomach, and weaker anal sphincter, the one that controls the defecation. Also women have slower intestinal and cecal motility than men so they are more likely to develop constipation. All these factors multiply exponentially when a woman gets pregnant because with the size of the fetus getting larger the abdominal space gets smaller. This requires certain precautions to be taken during this period to avoid affecting the woman’s gastro health.
The first thing you need to do starting the second trimester is to elevate your pillow or the head of your bed entirely. Try adding couple of books under the two legs of the bend situated near your head. This will position your body into an inclined position to avoid gastric acid reflux. It is important to avoid acid reflux while you are pregnant because most of the acid reflux treatments in the market are not recommended with pregnancy because they can pass through the placental barrier.
Eating your meals in the same way that you used to do before getting pregnant will develop annoying feeling of fullness because the stomach is pressed by the fetus to the wall of your abdominal cavity. Try consuming smaller portions and increase the number of meals throughout the day.
Keep away from the spicy food or extra fatty food because both of them may induce diarrhea or vomiting and you do not want to suffer from both of these ailments while you are pregnant because they may lead to early abortion of the fetus. Keep it to the simple, healthy and well cooked food and you will avoid both of them for good. The food should be well cooked to avoid salmonella infections which also cause diarrhea.
When you tend to eat smaller portions instead of your larger meals remember that your intestine is not working as usual so you need to distribute your meals every two to three hours. This will give a chance to your intestinal tract to make use of the vitamins and ingredients in your meal and move the waste material outside.
Include a green salad meal and lot of boiled and grilled fish in your diet these items are easier to digest and relives a lot of stress from your GIT and improves your gastro health.