Stomach pain during pregnancy: What you need to know

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master. Doctor II Phan Thi Minh Huong - Gastroenterologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec International General Hospital Da Nang.
During pregnancy, the mother has to face many troubles when the body changes psychologically as well as physiologically, endocrine. Besides, pregnant women are often worried, stressed, and often suffer from morning sickness, so an irregular diet causes stomach pain.

1. Why are pregnant women prone to stomach pain during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, the mother's body changes a lot leading to changes in a series of organs in the body. The phenomenon of stomach pain of pregnant women during this period is also one of those changes.
Stomach pain during pregnancy has manifestations that are easy to confuse with signs of pregnancy such as nausea or vomiting, bloating and indigestion. However, if you only have morning sickness, you will not have other typical symptoms of stomach pain such as heartburn, tingling or burning pain in the epigastrium, severe pain in the middle or upper abdomen when you are too hungry or too full, weight loss, poor appetite.
The reason why pregnant women often have stomach pain during pregnancy is due to:
Morning sickness or worrying thoughts, excessive stress. As the fetus grows, the uterus is pushed higher, making the position of the stomach also change, food entering the stomach will be stagnant, indigestion causing serious effects on the mucosa. . Many pregnant women have a preference for sour foods such as mangoes, plums, apricots, etc. during pregnancy, but these foods contain a lot of acid, so they can easily damage the stomach lining.

2. Effects of stomach pain on pregnant women

Pain in the epigastric region accompanied by bloating, heartburn, burning in the abdomen greatly affects pregnant mothers such as:
Feeling uncomfortable when eating and not eating well, so now the digestion Food digestion will have problems leading to indigestion, nausea. The symptoms of stomach pain make pregnant women extremely uncomfortable, tired, affecting daily activities. The changes in the body associated with stomach pain often make many mothers feel uncomfortable, stressed, sad, and unable to concentrate. More seriously, the poor digestion of food makes nutrition insufficient for both mother and baby, making the health of mother and baby not good. Therefore, pregnant women should not be subjective but must find scientific measures to treat when there are signs of stomach pain.

3. Should pregnant women take stomach pain relievers?

When pregnant, pregnant women should not take stomach pain relievers, because taking the drug will cause side effects, more serious can affect the development of the fetus. Because drugs from the mother's blood can penetrate the placenta into the bloodstream, causing harm to the fetus.
During the first trimester of pregnancy, the organs such as the heart, central nervous system, hands, feet... of the fetus are formed, so the use of some drugs to treat stomach pain during the first 3 months of pregnancy can cause birth defects and birth defects.
The second trimester of pregnancy, although the fetus is less sensitive to the drug at this stage, there are still parts that continue to differentiate such as the nervous system and external genitalia, so the drug can be harmful to the organs. this. Therefore, stomach pain during pregnancy 3 months between the use of the drug needs to be consulted by a doctor.
For fetuses in the third trimester, this is the stage when all parts of the fetus are fully formed but not yet complete, such as the liver not doing well with its metabolic function, the kidneys not eliminating the contract for exporting seafood well. At this stage, the drug also affects the fetus, the newborn and the mother during childbirth.
However, if it is necessary to use drugs in severe cases, pregnant women should not arbitrarily buy and use but must be agreed and prescribed by a doctor.

4. How to handle stomach pain during pregnancy

Increase rest Rest and relaxation is one of the things that you should apply to limit stomach pain during pregnancy. Therefore, you should arrange your work reasonably, avoid overwork, make the stomach work too much and increase pressure on the stomach.
After eating, pregnant women should rest so that the stomach has time to metabolize food, limiting the situation of gastric reflux that we often encounter.
Sleep for 8 hours so that the body has enough energy to recover for the next day, when sleeping, you should lie down with your head high, avoid bending or bending over. Just a little disturbance in the circadian rhythm, the pregnant mother's body becomes more and more tired, sluggish and stagnant.
Build a reasonable diet When eating, pregnant women should eat slowly, do not eat too fast or too full, because this way of eating only makes the stomach produce more acid and more uncomfortable. It is best to chew thoroughly, swallow slowly, eat in several meals to increase the secretion of saliva, reduce acid and acid saturation in the stomach.
Choose soft foods, increase eating starchy foods, eggs, milk, ... not only rich in nutrients but also good for stomach pain. Specifically, these foods have the ability to neutralize acids, limit acid secretion, and help protect the stomach lining more effectively.
Avoid foods that make the condition worse, such as: High-fat foods; Chocolate; citrus fruit juices; Caffeine; mint,... Absolutely do not eat raw, cold, rancid food.
Do not let your stomach be too hungry, because at this time, the increased acid is easy to make stomach pain during pregnancy become more serious.
Avoid alcohol and tobacco smoke Alcohol is very harmful to the unborn baby. If you have a stomach ulcer, it is extremely necessary to stop drinking alcohol, because alcohol will make the condition of the digestive system worse.
Secondhand smoke harms the lungs and developing fetus. Also, if you have a stomach ulcer during pregnancy, ask your male family members to quit smoking right away if they don't have to experience "horrible" health complications that can affect the unborn baby. in the belly.
Proper exercise After eating, limit exercise because at this time the stomach is working. If you exercise, blood will flow less into the stomach, limiting the activity of the stomach, causing bloating, so it is best for pregnant women to exercise only 2 to 3 hours after eating.
Regularly apply gentle exercises, walk... to strengthen resistance, make the mind more comfortable.
Doctor Huong has over 30 years of experience in the field of Gastroenterology, in which with nearly 20 years holding the position of Deputy Department, Head of Department of Hue Central Hospital. Currently, he is a Doctor of Gastroenterology - Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - General Internal Medicine Department of Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.

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