In this article:
What Are Gurgling Sounds?
It is normal for your digestive system to make gurgling sounds. Most times, however, you may fail to hear them. As a pregnant woman, there are some specific reasons why you may start hearing more noises from your digestive system than before. Progesterone relaxes the muscles in your digestive system, so food and gas move more slowly. This buildup of gas creates gurgling sounds. Your growing uterus also pushes your intestines, further changing how food and gas move. Together, these changes cause the strange noises your belly makes.What Causes Gurgling Sounds?
There are different reasons for these sounds, as follows:Gas and Bloating During Pregnancy: Increased production of gas in the body is the most frequently encountered digestive complaint during pregnancy. The increased production of gas in the body causes rumblings and bubbles in the stomach due to the slow movement of the food through the gut.
Movement of Your Baby Inside: Baby movements feel like fluttering, rolling, kicking, or jabbing. Your baby does not make sounds. Sometimes you feel your baby move and hear a digestive gurgle at the same time, which makes you think your baby made the noise. This is just a coincidence. Baby movements feel like physical motion inside you, while digestive sounds are just noise without any movement sensation.
Hunger Growling vs. Digestive Growling: Growling occurs in the empty stomach as a result of muscle contractions within the digestive system that usually work to push the food down, but when there is no food, these contractions cause the familiar growling of an empty stomach. In pregnant women, changes occur in terms of digestion and appetite. Eating small meals often means that the time when your stomach is empty becomes shorter, thus reducing gurgling associated with hunger. Besides, this means that you will eat less at once, and so there will be less bloating.
Pain from Round Ligament vs. Digestive Issue: It is not always the case that abdominal pains relate to digestion. Pain in the round ligaments is a sharp pain due to the stretching of your ligaments because of the growing uterus. Round ligament pain strikes suddenly as a result of quick movements such as turning, sitting, or standing up.
Simple Methods for Reducing Your Stomach Gurgling During Pregnancy
If they make you feel uncomfortable and self-conscious, then there are some easy changes you can make. They include the following:- Eat slowly and chew your food properly.
- Eat small and frequent meals instead of infrequent larger meals.
- Do not lie down immediately after eating.
- Drinking your water between meals instead of with your meals, as too much liquid intake with meals leads to bloating.
- Walk after every meal.
- Avoid carbonated beverages, which will add to the amount of gas in your body.
When to See Your Doctor
The gurgling noises during pregnancy are nearly always benign. You should see your doctor if:- You have painful cramps or sharp pain.
- You are experiencing diarrhoea or vomiting in addition to the stomach noises.
- You are very bloated and can’t fix this through changes to your diet.
- You are seeing blood in your stools.
- Your digestive problems are seriously impacting your eating and nutritional intake.
- You are not sure whether you are suffering from digestive issues or something else.
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FAQs on Why Does Your Belly Make Weird Gurgling Sounds During Pregnancy?
- Can my baby hear my stomach gurgling?
Yes, starting from about 18 weeks, your baby can perceive all the noises inside your body, including the sounds of digestion coming from your belly. The noises produced by your digestive system are included in the environmental sounds your baby hears in the womb, along with your heartbeat and the blood moving through the placenta. - Is excessive gas during pregnancy normal?
Yes, it is. Excessive gas production is one of the most frequent problems concerning the digestive system during pregnancy and is experienced by almost every pregnant woman at some stage of the pregnancy. It is caused by the effects of progesterone on the process of digestion. - Does belly gurgling mean the baby is hungry?
No. All the sounds you perceive coming from your stomach are caused by your digestive tract and have nothing to do with your baby. Your baby gets nutrients from the placenta and umbilical cord.