Digestion in Pregnancy
The biology bit!
The digestive system is transformed, during pregnancy. And - as you may already have experienced - not in a particularly good way!
Many women experience nausea, to a greater or lesser extent, in the early weeks. And not just in the morning. Your sense of smell can become heightened; making food preparation difficult and rendering certain foodstuffs completely off-limits. In fact, some women find that they actually lose weight, in the early days of pregnancy. And then the strange cravings, heartburn, constipation and unpleasant sensations of heaviness kick in.
During pregnancy, the uterus has to expand quite dramatically in order to accommodate your rapidly growing baby. And all this expansion can leave your other organs jostling for space; your poor stomach being one of them. And progesterone - a hormone that is essential during pregnancy, particularly during the first six months - softens muscles and ligaments, making them more flexible and responsive to this expansion of the uterus. And, you guessed it, helping to make digestion more difficult.
Don’t worry, though! There’re lots of things that you can do, to keep things moving.
