Postpartum Gas: Is It Normal, Causes and Treatment

Despite it being a postpartum symptom that many new mothers are familiar with, postpartum gas and bloating are some of the lesser talked about topics.

Many women experience gas during their pregnancy (and they often experience gas that is painful or uncontrollable), however, excess gas is a symptom that is commonly carried to the postpartum recovery phase as well.

The best way for a woman to deal with postpartum gas, pain, and bloating after giving birth is by first understanding why it is happening.

Based on those reasons mothers can find an appropriate treatment method for passing gas.

Is postpartum gas normal?

Since postpartum gas and bloating are heavily linked to your digestive tract and disrupted bowel movements, it is not uncommon for new mothers to experience these symptoms alongside everything else that is happening with their body that is getting used to life after birth.

During and after birth, whether it was vaginal or a c-section, your body goes through a lot of changes.

Since the body is changing in so many ways at such a rapid speed, it’s no wonder why certain symptoms, such as gassiness and bowel incontinence, may be heightened.

Symptoms of postpartum gas

Some of the most apparent signs that you’re going through postpartum gas is that accompanying the flatulence or farting you can also experience:

• gas and gas bubbles
• belching
• abdominal cramping
• sharp abdominal pain
• bloating that causes you to feel pain
• knotted feelings
• trouble controlling bowel movements

Causes of gas after giving birth

There are a variety of reasons why you may be experiencing postpartum gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and irregular bowel movements during your postpartum recovery period, and they can vary based on the fact whether you had a vaginal or cesarean delivery.

The most common causes of this situation are the following:

Damage of the Pelvic Floor Muscles

One of the biggest reasons why women are prone to experiencing postpartum gas is due to pelvic floor damage.

During labor, the muscles of the pelvic floor work extra hard.

While you’re pushing in the case of vaginal delivery, it is possible to stretch and even tear the anal sphincter muscles, which in turn causes the pelvic floor to be weakened.

When the muscles of the pelvic floor are weak, it can lead to various changes such as:

• loss of control over gas
• anal leakage and anal incontinence
• bowel urgency
• anal incontinence over a liquid stool

Constipation and Issues with Bowel Movements

A side effect of constipation and troubled bowel movements, which is also a frequent postpartum symptom, is that gas gets trapped and can become very painful.

This causes abdominal discomfort and leads to bloating and irregular bowel movement, and trouble passing gas.

Episiotomy

Episiotomy is a procedure that happens during labor, where the doctor cuts the area between the vaginal opening and anus to prevent tearing.

This results in weakened pelvic floor muscles and the inability to control gas.

Especially the first few days until the area starts to heal and recover.

Eating Habits, Diet & Lifestyle

If you experience abdominal gas and postpartum gas that is lasting longer than a few weeks, this could indicate that the issues may be a result of your diet and lifestyle.

Certain foods can be the causes of postpartum gas because they have an impact on the digestive system and the amount of painful gas that is produced in the body.

Keeping a food log will help with this part of the journey, and it will help stop producing more gas thanks to the food you eat.

Diets that contain a high amount of fructose, lactose, sorbitol, or soluble fiber improve the chances of gas development.

Some of those foods that could be causes of postpartum gas include:

• processed foods
• fruits
• green vegetables
• dairy products
• whole grains
• fatty foods
• fried foods
• beans

Try to eat smaller meals several times a day, versus larger meals a few times a day.

This helps to avoid bloating and overtaxing your systems with large quantities of food.

And remember to also eat slowly.

Eating quickly and taking large mouthfuls increases the amount of air that you swallow.

If you take your time and chew your meals completely, this will aid in digestion.

When you eat slowly, you digest better, as digestion begins in your mouth, and helps your stomach to break down foods better.

Another tip is to try to avoid using straws also as this is another way of sucking in too much air.

Treatment

In terms of treatments, there are several options for passing gas that can be considered, which come in the form of supplements.

Depending on the case, these could be stool softeners, enzyme support, or waste and gas-capturing solutions.

Stool softeners are supplements that have a mild laxative effect that helps break down food.

Apart from supplements, one of the best practices for treating postpartum gas is doing pelvic floor exercises, which are often prescribed by the physical therapist or a different healthcare professional for most women.

Pelvic floor exercises, as well as kegel exercises, are a form of light exercise that will help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and help release the trapped gas during the healing process.

They will also help with post-delivery repairs.

Dealing With Gas Pain After C-Section

Gas pain paired with anal incontinence and painful bowel movements is a recurring complaint also from mothers who have gone through a c-section.

In this situation, it is recommended to put a hold on iron supplement intake, since this commonly causes constipation which leads to trapped gas, and anal incontinence.

Some painkillers have also been shown to cause constipation, so switching that up might be helpful.

They also slow digestion and can contribute to constipation and the buildup of gas.

If you are on these narcotics, try to wean off in a safe and manageable time period.

Along with that, you can try to implement more activities such as walking, doing the cat-cow pose, lifting your knees, and even massaging the belly in a clockwise motion.

Home Remedies

There are several home remedies you can try to get your bowel movements back on track and minimize postpartum gas.

For the most part, when treating postpartum gas naturally, you’ll want to consider the following:

• Change your lifestyle & diet
• Drink plenty of warm liquids
• Get enough rest
• Prunes
• Try adding a splash of apple cider vinegar, lemon to water – these help maintain a healthy gut and aid with digestion.
• Probiotics

Conclusion

Lingering postpartum gas during the postpartum period is a common symptom that occurs during pregnancy and is carried into life after giving birth.

Some of the most frequent causes of painful or uncontrollable gas, bloating, and severe abdominal pain after giving birth are constipation, diet, pelvic floor damage, and episiotomy.

Treatment is usually in the form of supplements, depending on the specific case.

However, an essential treatment here is also doing exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.

Even if you do not give birth vaginally, it is possible to experience postpartum gas and pain.

In this case, it is recommended to limit iron supplements and look into painkillers that do not cause constipation.

It is also possible to try several home remedies, from drinking warm liquids to eating prunes.