Burping is natural, but it's also rude to do it in public. During pregnancy, women usually burp more often. This can cause embarrassment and discomfort. While there is no way to stop burping during pregnancy, there are ways to reduce the effects of gas.
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Part 1 of 3: Changing Your Diet
Step 1. Consider eating light but frequent meals
Large meals can cause you to burp more often and even feel bloated. Instead of eating three meals a day as usual, you can change your diet to six meals a day with light portions and proportional time intervals.
- Besides being able to reduce burping, eating six meals a day can also overcome morning sickness. Many women admit that eating small amounts of food reduces nausea.
- Avoid eating three hours before bed. Give your body time to digest food, whether it's a large meal or a light meal.
Step 2. Find out what triggers burping
Your body's hormones will change during pregnancy. Your reaction to food will change too. A food journal is one way to study the body's response to certain types of food. If eating a food causes burping, find out if avoiding that food can reduce burping.
- Foods that commonly trigger burping during pregnancy are fruit juices, chocolate, or fattening foods.
- Drinking a glass of milk can help with gas, especially when there is also heartburn.
Step 3. Try to eat a balanced diet
Fill your diet with lean protein, starchy carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables. Lean protein is a great way to add nutrients and cause less gas.
- Eating small meals will provide you with the vitamins, minerals, protein, antioxidants, fiber and other nutrients you need.
- Eating too much or in too much of a hurry will make you burp. Eating slowly, chewing each mouthful perfectly will prevent burping.
Step 4. Avoid foods that cause gas
There are several types of foods that contain a lot of gas, such as chickpeas, broccoli, cabbage/cabbage, brussels sprouts, asparagus, and rice bran. Avoid these types of food if you want to reduce burping.
- You should also stay away from sugar-free foods as they contain gas-producing maltitol and sorbitol.
- Fried and fatty foods usually trigger burping and heartburn. It is better to choose baked, steamed or grilled foods.
Step 5. Drink plenty of water
Water will help your body digest food efficiently and will reduce burping. When you are pregnant, your muscles are more relaxed than usual. Muscle relaxation will slow down the digestive process and cause gas. Water will help reduce and remove gas that has built up in your digestive tract.
- Try to drink at least 2 liters of fluids per day, especially water. Drinking water helps prevent edema (swelling due to fluid retention), which is also an effect of pregnancy.
- Tea, coffee, and other caffeinated beverages should be limited to 200 mg per day.
- Water also helps distribute nutrients to your baby, as well as prevent dehydration. If you don't like drinking water, you can add a slice of lemon or lime, or a few mint leaves.
Step 6. Cut down on carbonated drinks
Fizzy and other carbonated drinks contain solid gases that trigger burping. Stay away from this drink if you don't want to burp too often.
- Be aware that fizzy drinks are high in calories and caffeine. If you still want to drink fizzy drinks, drink them occasionally.
- Diet sodas should also be avoided during pregnancy. Research shows that there is a link between consuming diet soda and premature birth.
Step 7. Try herbal teas
Peppermint is an herbal plant that prevents the formation of gas in the digestive tract or helps expel gas. Drinking peppermint tea can reduce burping.
- Chamomile tea also has the same effect on the body.
- There are many substances that can expel gas/air, and some of them – including cinnamon, garlic, and ginger – are easy to incorporate into your diet. Before consuming this, first consult with your doctor to make sure which one is safe for consumption during pregnancy.
Part 2 of 3: Reducing the Amount of Air You Swallow
Step 1. Eat slowly
If you eat in a hurry, you will also swallow air along with the food. This causes burping. Eating in a hurry can also indicate that you are under stress, which causes gas production in the body to increase.
- Avoid this by sitting up straight, eating slowly, and chewing your food thoroughly.
- You are also not recommended to eat while talking, because you unconsciously swallow air when talking and chewing.
- If you have recently eaten a food that causes burping, take a walk after eating. Walking will launch the digestive system and reduce the urge to burp.
Step 2. Reduce the amount of air you swallow while you drink
You can practice good posture and sit up straight while drinking. Drinking straight from the glass can prevent you from swallowing air.
- You should also avoid consuming cold and hot drinks (and vice versa) quickly, as the rapid changes in temperature in your body will cause you to swallow more air.
- Bending down to drink from running water (such as spring water) causes you to swallow air, and will cause burping. Bring a water bottle, then fill it with water when you need it.
Step 3. Avoid alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages trigger an increase in stomach acid, causing you to swallow a lot of air. Consuming alcoholic beverages can also cause birth defects. Medical experts advise not to consume alcohol at all, especially in the early days of pregnancy.
- If you're having a hard time removing alcohol from your menu, ask for help. If you don't feel comfortable consulting a medical professional, there are many anonymous help/service numbers you can call.
- Some studies show that consuming small amounts of alcohol in late pregnancy is not harmful. By a little bit is about 1-2 units of alcohol per week (1-2 small glasses of wine).
- More than 6 units can result in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, a lifelong developmental disorder of the infant.
Step 4. Quit smoking
Smoking makes you swallow air, increases gas and causes you to burp. In addition, smoking is a major cause that can have a negative impact on your baby.
- Cigarettes contain more than 4000 chemicals, and these chemicals are toxic to you and your baby. Since the baby's main source of oxygen is only the air you breathe, these substances will have a huge impact on your baby's development.
- Ask a medical professional to help you quit smoking.
Part 3 of 3: Changing Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Remain calm and carry on with your normal activities
Feelings of tension and restlessness are not good for you and your baby, and can increase gas and burping.
- Take this opportunity to do simple activities that you enjoy, such as watching a movie with friends, reading a book, or giving yourself a massage, which are both therapeutic and fun.
- Taking deep breaths/sighs can also cause you to swallow more air than usual, which of course causes air/gas to enter.
Step 2. Meditate mindfully
In addition to being calming, meditation will help you breathe more relaxed and effectively, and remove excess air that you have swallowed.
- Meditation has many benefits. Meditation has been shown to reduce rapid mood swings, increase self-awareness, and reduce stress, which is associated with burping.
- You can do mindfulness meditation wherever you are.
Step 3. Enroll in a special meditation class for pregnant women
Yoga helps breathing, strengthens the abdominal muscles which will help reduce excess air and burping.
- Yoga also promotes restful sleep, reduces anxiety and headaches.
- Avoid hot yoga (yoga in a hot room), prone or supine movements, and other movements that put pressure on your stomach.
Step 4. Exercise regularly
You may feel tired, but light to moderate exercise is very beneficial for releasing hormones, enzymes, digestive juices (saliva, bile, small intestine juice, etc.) and stomach acid. If you exercise regularly, you won't burp too often. And this will also provide good circulation in delivering blood supply to your baby.
- Take a walk and do simple activities in the park. Even just standing while washing dishes after eating can help reduce burping.
- Talk to your doctor about your exercise plan during pregnancy. Some doctors advise pregnant women to avoid strenuous activities. It all depends on the health of each individual, so you should consult a doctor.
Step 5. Get enough sleep
During pregnancy, you should have enough sleep. Getting eight hours of sleep every night can reduce bothersome pregnancy symptoms. When you sleep at night, sleep on your left side with your legs folded/propped up by pillows and bent. This position will make it easier for your digestive tract to do its job, reducing the amount of gas your body produces at night.
- Avoid exercising close to bedtime.
- Practice relaxation techniques to treat insomnia and reduce stress.
