Best positions to relieve gas while pregnant for immediate comfort

A photo of a pregnant woman in a cat-cow pose representing positions to relieve gas while pregnant.
  • Updated Nov 28, 2024
  • Published

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Created with Natasha Lowe Osho, MD, Obstetrician-Gynecologist, USA

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In a nutshell

Pregnancy gas is a common condition in pregnant women. At different points in the gestational term, it may be caused by hormonal changes, pressure from the growing uterus, and an increased consumption of prenatal vitamins and fiber. Although excessive gas can cause discomfort and light to severe pains, this condition is manageable. Some of the best positions to relieve gas while pregnant include:

  • Child’s pose
  • Knee-to-chest pose
  • Cat-cow pose
  • Side-lying position
  • Squatting or deep squat
  • Happy baby pose

Gas is an absolutely normal process occurring in the human body, known as flatulence. In a typical person, the passing of gas can happen around 18 times a day, causing up to four pints of gas to be produced daily.

In pregnant women, bloating and flatulence can become more frequent. Pregnancy gas typically shows up around week 11 and lasts for most of the pregnancy. The good thing is that, while uncomfortable, excessive bloating and gas passing during pregnancy are manageable.

In this article, we’ll tell you more about the causes of gas during pregnancy and share the best positions to relieve gas while pregnant for instant comfort. You’ll also find additional tips for nutrition, physical activity, and more.

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Why gas pain is common during pregnancy

Throughout pregnancy, your body undergoes many changes that affect it inside and out. When it comes to excessive pregnancy gas, ongoing inner changes affect your digestive tract, causing discomfort and, sometimes, even pain.

Gas pains while pregnant can range from slight cramps to intense abdomen, back, or chest pain. It’s a common condition pregnant women face, but, though it can cause discomfort, it’s rarely a cause of concern. In fact, gas pain during pregnancy can result from three absolutely natural reasons.

Hormonal changes

The hormone progesterone, which is necessary to prepare the tissue lining of the womb to allow implantation and subsequent early embryo nutrition, starts rising during early pregnancy and peaks in the third trimester. This hormone causes smooth muscle relaxation, which often results in slowed digestion.

Pressure from the uterus

During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, your uterus position starts shifting, and the uterus starts enlarging to accommodate the growing baby. As it gets larger, the uterus starts adding pressure on the surrounding organs, hence, affecting your digestive system. It can press on or block parts of the digestive tract, leading to slower movement of food. This can cause more pronounced constipation, which can eventually lead to excess gas and bloating.

Increased consumption of fiber and prenatal vitamins

When you’re expecting a child, chances are that you are following a diet rich in nutrients (including fiber) and taking prenatal vitamins to support a healthy pregnancy. While this is important for your and your baby’s health, it can also be a cause of gas pain during pregnancy. Flatulence is a common side effect of high-fiber diets. As for prenatal vitamins, they contain iron, which helps make red blood cells but may also cause constipation and other symptoms, including gas, bloating, and cramps.

👉Find out more: Is it normal to not feel pregnant? Understanding early pregnancy and what to expect

The role of body positions in relieving gas during pregnancy

Gas pain during pregnancy occurs when excess gas is trapped inside your digestive system and is not moving smoothly through it. To relieve this pain, you need to help the excessive gas leave your digestive system.

Studies have shown that  body position has a massive effect on intestinal gas transit. Some positions can compress the abdominal organs, adding more pressure and further preventing the gas from passing. Other postures, on the contrary, can straighten the digestive tract and reduce pressure on the organs, allowing for faster gas transit and evacuation.

6 Best positions to relieve gas while pregnant

An illustration showing best positions to relieve gas while pregnant.

Child’s pose

To do the child’s pose:

  1. Get onto your hands and knees on the floor, with your palms located straight under your shoulders.
  2. From there, carefully lean backward to rest your hips and lower glutes on the back of your feet.
  3. Stretch your arms in front of your body, keeping your palms on the floor.

This is one of the basic yoga poses meant for relaxation. In this pose, you release your hips and lower back, helping trapped gas through the bowels.

Knee-to-chest pose

To do the knee-to-chest pose:

  1. Lie on your back on the floor.
  2. Bend the knees to 90 degrees and bring the legs up.
  3. Slightly bend your upper back to grab your knees or upper thigh.
  4. Pull your knees to your chest.

Similarly to the child’s pose, this position aims to relax your hips and lower back, which helps reduce pressure on the digestive tract and relieve gas. Due to the growing belly, the knee-to-chest pose may not be possible as the pregnancy progresses. It would probably be most comfortable in the first and early second trimesters.

Cat-cow pose

To perform cat-cow pose:

  1. Get onto your hands and knees on the floor.
  2. Inhale and tilt your pelvis back, arching your spine toward the ceiling, for a cow pose.
  3. Exhale and tuck your tailbone, bending your back and dropping your stomach towards the floor, for a cat pose.

This movement involves flexion and extension of the spine, which improves blood flow in the spine and pelvic area. Additionally, this pose allows you to stretch and release your abdomen, back, hips, lungs, and chest, freeing the gas movement through the digestion tract.

Side-lying position

Doing this position is one of the easiest. All you need to do is lie on your side and get comfortable. Sometimes, you may want to bring one of your knees up, resting it on a pillow for more comfort.

Specialists say that lying on your left side might be especially beneficial. This position allows for a gas bubble to be more easily released, reducing discomfort and bloating.

Squatting or deep squat

To do squatting:

  • Put your feet hip-width apart and stand straight.
  • Inhale, engage your core muscles, and carefully lower as if you’re trying to sit in a chair (remember to keep your knees at 90 degrees).
  • Exhale, and lift back up to your initial position.

How to do deep squatting:

  • Put your feet hip-width apart and stand straight.
  • Inhale, engage your core muscles, and carefully lower, trying to get your pelvis as close to the floor as possible. Spread your knees to the sides for comfort.
  • Exhale, and lift back up to your initial position.

Both types of squats help stretch and contract your core muscles, helping support your digestive function and release gas. However, keep in mind that doing deep squats might be much harder, especially with no past experience, so you might want to choose regular squats or ask for someone’s help in the process.

Happy baby pose

To do the happy baby pose:

  • Lie on your back on the floor.
  • Face your knees to the sides of your body and bring your feet up (knees to 90 degrees).
  • Grab the feet with your hands (if you can), relax your back, and slightly pull your feet to create some stretching.

This position contracts your abs while also letting you release your lower back and stretch out a little, allowing excessive gas to pass through more easily. Due to the growing belly, the happy baby pose may not be possible as the pregnancy progresses. It would probably be most comfortable in the first and early second trimesters.

Unsafe positions for pregnancy gas relief

If you are seeking immediate relief from gas during pregnancy, it’s important to understand that not all positions might be safe for you. Pregnancy puts additional strain on different parts of your body, including the muscles and ligaments of your abdomen, pelvis, and back. Certain positions might place even more pressure on these body parts, causing discomfort and increasing the risk of injury. 

On top of this, some positions may not suit pregnant females, as they compress major blood vessels, causing reduced blood flow, lowered blood pressure, and dizziness. Lastly, when seeking pregnancy-safe gas relief, you want to avoid poses that add pressure on the uterus, because these can provide further discomfort or digestive issues.

To be more specific, here is a list of positions that aren’t considered safe:

  • Lying on your back for prolonged time (especially in your second and third trimester)
  • Lying on your stomach
  • Deep forward bends
  • Any positions that involve extreme twisting

Additional tips for immediate relief from gas during pregnancy

Apart from using the aforementioned poses, you can also try the following gas pain pregnancy tips for getting rid of discomfort:

  • Staying active. Regular exercise is one of the ways to promote digestion naturally. During pregnancy, you can stay active by choosing low-impact activities such as light walking, yoga, pilates, swimming, etc.
  • Avoiding carbonated drinks and high-gas foods. Carbonated drinks are fizzy thanks to carbon dioxide gas, which is one of the intestinal gasses that cause bloating and flatulence. Hence, avoiding such drinks can help decrease how often you experience gas pains while pregnant. Also, there are some foods that naturally cause worse gas and bloating, such as beans, broccoli, onions, wheat, garlic, and others. You may want to avoid these as well if they cause bloating and flatulence.
  • Using a warm compress on the abdomen. The warmth from such compresses relaxes the muscles in the gut and abdomen, helping gas to move more freely through your digestive tract. Additionally, warm compresses can relieve the pain.

👉Find out more: Safe and comfortable sex positions during pregnancy: A guide for couples

Pregnancy-safe gas relief methods to complement positions

If you need additional management options, there are a few extra remedies for pregnancy gas relief:

  • Over-the-counter remedies. There are certain medicines you can take at home to relieve bloating and gas. These include simethicone, activated charcoal, alpha-galactosidase, lactase, and other remedies. Although these remedies are generally considered safe, it’s crucial to take them only with a doctor’s approval.
  • Herbal teas. Some natural teas (such as those containing peppermint or ginger) are known to have anti-inflammatory, digestive, and antispasmodic properties, allowing you to use them to relieve gas pain during pregnancy.
  • Proper hydration and smaller, frequent meals. When you’re hydrated, you’re less bloated, and gas should be able to move more freely. As for your meals, keeping them small and frequent can help you keep your slowed digestive system moving throughout the entire day. As a result, it can help you reduce abdomen swelling and bloating, which may also cause excessive gas.

When to consult a doctor for gas pain during pregnancy

Experiencing gas pains while pregnant is rather common and shouldn’t be a cause for concern in most cases. However, you may want to talk to your doctor if your gas pain is so severe or persistent that it interferes with your daily life and traditional relief methods don’t work. In this case, a healthcare provider might give you personalized recommendations for relief.

There also might be some cases when gas pain may indicate more serious conditions. Consider seeing your doctor if you notice the following additional symptoms:

  • Change in consistency or frequency of stools
  • Bloody stools
  • Weight loss
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Persistent or recurrent nausea or vomiting
  • Prolonged abdominal pain
  • Chest pain
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Questions from the Femia community

  • Can certain prenatal vitamins cause more gas?

    Yes. Prenatal vitamins can include a wealth of nutrients and elements important for fetal development and health. Some of them, especially those containing iron, can cause constipation and excess gas.

  • Are there any yoga poses to avoid for gas relief while pregnant?

    Yes. While some poses are completely safe for you and your baby, others might cause excessive pressure and even injuries. It’s recommended to avoid poses that require lying flat on your back or stomach for extended periods or involve deep twisting, especially during the second and third trimesters.

The bottom line

Pregnancy gas is a normal occurrence that a large number of pregnant women face. Sometimes, it can cause discomfort and even fairly strong abdominal and lower back pain. Luckily, this condition can be easily managed.

Certain body positions, especially those that involve stretching while contracting your abs and releasing your back, help decrease the tension inside your gut and let gas move more freely. After reading this guide, you have a list of the best positions to relieve gas while pregnant, as well as additional relief tips that you can try. Try making small lifestyle adjustments and practicing pregnancy-safe positions, as recommended in our article, to feel instant relief and prevent future discomfort!

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