Pregnancy Gas and Bloating: Causes, Relief & When to Worry

Question
Hello,

I am currently 17 weeks pregnant with my fourth child.  This is the first pregnancy that I have been sooo bloated and have lots of gas.  Last weekend I woke up and was so bloated and had really bad gas pain.  I was in bed all morning and had no desire to eat.  Around 2pm I started having diarrhea.  It has about 10 episode within a 12 hour period.  When I tried to drink anything including water it triggered the diarrhea.  During that time I had backpain that travelled all the way to my butt.  I also had lower abdominal pain.  The next day, I still had no appetite and felt extremely dehydrated.  My ob/gyn appointment was that following Tuesday and I told him exactly what was going on and his response was, "I'm glad that it over."  I was upset because I thought he should have asked me some more questions or be concerned about the welfare of the baby.  I am contemplating changing doctors offices.  Do you think I am overreacting?

Answer
Dear Tina,

You need to see an OB doctor that you are comfortable with. If he had already listened to the baby's heart tones, then he knew there was no issue with fetal health. But many doctors don't have the type of bedside manner that meshes with every patient. He obviously has a dry, unsympathetic sense of humor - or at least did that particular day. But it really is a personal decision on your part.

It sounds as if you may have had an episode with a virus or a bout of food borne illness/infection. Most foods are safe, however there are some foods that you should avoid during pregnancy because your immune system is not as strong. Some of these foods include:
-Rare or raw meats
-Uncooked hot dogs or lunch/deli meats
-Shell fish
-Any raw or uncooked fish
-Raw eggs
-Lox (cold-smoked fish)
-Raw, unpasteurized milk and raw milk cheese (such as queso fresco)
-Soft cheeses (such as feta, Brie, Camembert, roquefort
-Unpasteurized apple cider/juice
-Alfalfa or bean sprouts
-Unwashed or uncooked fruits/vegetables

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well and good luck in your decision.

Brenda