2 months pregnant - can bloating cause difficulty / straining to pee?

[Sevy571]

Hi all!

I'm 2 months pregnant and since a good 3 weeks I've have this need to strain for a wee most of the times I go. Basically I have to really force and strain for anything to come out and it takes ages and I am worried I'll damage my pelvic floor if I keep at it. There is no pain whatsoever, colour hasn't changed etc.

I'd like to know if that's common?

A Google search tells me that a frequent urge to pee is common but I don't have that. I had a standard sample taken at my booking appointment recently and there is no sign of a UTI.

I asked my midwife and she wasn't conclusive, referred me to a private pelvic floor therapist, since the UTI is ruled out.

I know for a fact that in the last month I have been super bloated (with a huge tummy sometimes as if I was much more forward in my pregnancy!) and I am not sure if it is because of the hormones, or also my diet changed drastically. In the last 3 years I've been eating very clean, no processed foods, no sugars, low carb and many veggies, etc. and all of a sudden because of the aversions and cravings all I could have was carbs carbs carbs (refined not whole!) and a few rare prepared meals were appealling, too. So no more loads of veggies, which for sure is a shock to my system.

Also I'm worried if my tummy gets big like this at 2 months (when I'm not supposed to show for another month or 2) just how big am I gonna get when the baby is more than the current inch long! (It is a big fear of mine, I'm just 5ft3).

I guess I'm just after some reassurance and knowing if this is common or not. My theory is that my digestive system is relaxed with hormones, the bloating due to diet, must somehow put pressure on my bladder and require straining, but it's in my head, I have no clue if this makes sense at all from a biological point of view

Also is there any point in trying to strengthen my core / tighten my tummy with planks etc. while I still can?

I will try a change in diet as much as aversions allow, and hopefully it will curb.

Thanks for reading me - sorry I did go on and on.

Thanks for any input!

[Ladypii]

Hello

Congrats on the pregnancy!

I am 11 weeks of my first pregnancy and had the worst trapped wind ever. I know exactly what you mean, as from 5-9 weeks my stomach was so bloated I looked 7 months pregnant. And sleeping was really difficult because I was so bloated and couldn’t find a position that wasn’t painful. I am also only 5”1 and despite being very fit before pregnancy I thought if this carries on I’m going to topple over if I get any bigger! I too wanted to eat the best I could in those first few weeks and ate as much fruit and veg as I could, despite feeling very sick most of the time.

However just before my 10 week scan my bloating got miles better and so did my nausea. My stomach has gone right down and I hardly feel bloated at all now a days! I am still keeping up light exercise and planking to try to keep up the stomach muscles. I think the hormones basically calm down as the weeks go on and I hope it will get better for you soon. I haven’t had to strain to wee so I can’t give you much advice there, although I must admit I had to learn forward quite a bit whilst on the loo to get it all out my bladder!!!

Xxx

[MissSaoPaulo in reply to Ladypii]

Girls, just wanted to say to both of you to be careful what abdominal exercises you do as your pregnancies develop. Certain ones, including planks and crunches, can worsen diastasis recti - when your abdominal muscles separate. My Pilates teacher, who specializes in pregnancy, spoke to me a lot about this and I'd definitely encourage you to look into it and see what you can do safely.

Hope the rest of your pregnancies are happy and healthy xxx

[Ladypii in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

Thanks! You are right I agree you have to be very careful. I was doing extensive stomach exercises in the lead up to ivf. But I did quite a bit of research and planking for 2 mins a day in the first trimester is the safest stomach exercise to do and also strengthens your back. Midwife agreed also. But I have read that thereafter diastasis recti can develop in later trimesters. Also provided you had strong stomach muscle before which I had (running 10 miles every other day during lockdown) but also would be very careful if I wasn’t this fit before xx

[Sevy571 in reply to Ladypii]

Wow - "Also provided you had strong stomach muscle before which I had (running 10 miles every other day during lockdown)" - amazing! I was a good runner before and I kept at it during half of the lockdown and then it waned off. And the exhaustion for a month and so was really a no-go for me. Are you going to keep that much running? I have heard that too much running can tighten the pelvic floor so it's important to learn to relax it as well - just leaving this here in case it is of interest. In any case, keeping active like tat is quite a feat, good for you ^^

[Ladypii in reply to Sevy571]

Oh hell no! My pregnancy is ivf so I stopped running in the lead up to ivf (around July) as it can increase hormone levels and reduce the womb lining. All I allow myself to do now is walking up hill slightly on the treadmill for 30 mins a day, so very light exercise. A plank and the odd pregnancy HIT class on AloMoves. I do really miss running tho as it’s a great stress reliever and lots of women do continue running whilst pregnancy, but as ours is an ivf miracle I just wouldn’t take the risk xx

[Sevy571 in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

Thank you very much for the reminder! I was aware of it although always thought that it was OK to keep normal abs exercise as long as we don't show - but that is speculation on my part. I have bought Katy Bowman's book Diastasis Recti (for prevention) and I really need to start reading it. All this stuff can be really counter-intuitive ^^ Thanks! Best wishes!

[Sevy571 in reply to Ladypii]

Aw, congrats on your pregnancy too!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience as, as uncomfortable as it is, it is reassuring to know others have gone through something similar and that it is really hormone-realted and it does get better! This is really good news.

Thanks again and take care

[SRA8]

I had really bad constipation and struggled to wee really bad at times to the point I thought I was going to have to put a catheter put in. I just couldn't get any more out than a tea spoon for a couple of days. I had piles by the end of my first trimester. I think it was the position of baby in the pelvis. Once I got bigger and out of my pelvis the symptoms got better until the very last few weeks of pregnancy.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Sevy571 in reply to SRA8]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes sometimes I do feel that way - I feel I'm full but nothing happens unless I strain a lot. It is reassuring to know that it did end up passing and that maybe it's due to how things are organized inside, that would make sense too. I suppose it is a ombination of things - hormones, bloating, uterus changing shape and gradually growing. Thank you and take care ^^

[SRA8 in reply to Sevy571]

Oh forgot to say when it was really bad after some google searching I ended up doing a few inverted positions and slept with pillows under my bum. After a while in these positions I was able to pee. 🙈 the things we do....

[Sevy571 in reply to SRA8]

That's amazing! Thanks for sharing!