Feels Like Bubbles Popping In My Stomach On Pregnancy: Why?

My friend had an interesting pregnancy journey. From the eighth week, she started feeling like a dozen butterflies fluttering in her belly or minor muscle spasms.

Are you also wondering, “It feels like bubbles popping in my stomach during pregnancy, is it normal?”

In the article, find out what causes the bubbles-popping sensations during pregnancy with simple tips to make you more comfortable.

Let’s explore.

Feels Like Bubbles Popping In My Stomach On Pregnancy, Why?

You’ll normally feel like balloons popping when your tiny baby makes their first movement in the womb. Often known as quickening, the movements from your little one may seem like tiny pulses – soft, gentle, and mild. As the baby grows, get ready for stronger kicks and punches.

Other factors that may make you experience the sensation include gas bubbles from a gassy stomach, peristalsis, and food intolerance, causing indigestion. These reasons present a similar popping sensation, like quickening, with a slight difference in consistency and timing.

Babies start making movements as early as 6 or 7 weeks. However, they are too small and the sensations are mild. The majority of women notice quickening between 16-20 weeks. Whether you experience it sooner or later, do not panic, as each pregnancy is unique.

What Does It Mean When You Feel Bubbles In Your Stomach during Your Pregnancy?

With a growing baby, hormonal shifts, and body changes, pregnant women experience different sensations. Some liken the feeling to light rolls, muscle spasms, or bubble gums blowing and busting. The good news is that most stomach sensations are normal and go away over time.

In most cases, bubbles popping in your stomach signifies your tiny baby’s first movement (quickening). It indicates that your little one is developing joints, muscles, and bones in preparation for life outside the womb.

The movements start as faint sensations before progressing into more defined, sharp, stronger, and noticeable kicks.

Other factors that may make you feel bubbles in your belly include:

1. Gas Bubbles

Due to hormonal changes, pregnant women are prone to experiencing increased gas. As the digestive system goes about its routine work, you may develop gas bubbles which create the sensation of a gas machine blowing tiny bubbles inside your belly.

Gas bubbles are irregular and occur randomly. Conversely, baby movements (quickening) have a consistent pattern and are easy to track during specific times of the day.

2. Allergy/food Intolerance

In pregnancy, food allergies are not uncommon. Intolerance to specific food types may cause nausea, diarrhea, and indigestion leading to twitch-like sensations similar to bubbles popping. However, intolerances are easy to notice because the reaction occurs soon after taking specific foods.

3. Peristalsis

Peristalsis is a health condition that creates wave-like contractions as food moves through your small intestines. The small waves often feel like bubbles once digestion starts taking place.

Understandably, it’s okay to suffer confusion and panic, but try to keep calm. If you experience pain/discomfort in addition to the popping sensations, talk to your healthcare practitioner immediately.

What Determines When I Start Feeling My Baby Quickening?

Every pregnancy is different. Your baby may start quickening as early as 12 weeks or later in their 16^th week. You’re likely to feel faint bubbles, flutters, pulses, ripples, or popping popcorn in your lower abdomen towards your pubic bone area.

Nevertheless, some factors may determine when you start feeling your munchkin’s movements, such as:

Baby’s activity

Babies have unique personalities. Some are more naturally active than others hence starting to move sooner.

Appreciate your baby as they are and avoid panicking. If you feel like they aren’t as active as they should be, seek medical advice from your doctor.

Placenta’s location

For the placentas positioned in between the uterus and belly, it may take time for you to feel your baby quickening.

Previous pregnancies

For women who have had previous pregnancies, their uterine muscles are more relaxed. Further, it’s easier to notice your baby moving since the uterus is more sensitive than in first-time mothers.

If you’re always worried that it feels like bubbles popping in my stomach during pregnancy first trimester, I assure you all is well. No matter when you experience the sensation, it is a normal phase that shall come to pass.

That said, remember over activity, delayed baby movement, or inactivity may be a pointer to possible health concerns in need of medical attention.

Does Quickening Turn Into Real Punches And Kicks?

Yes! The initial baby movements feel mild and soft due to their tiny size. As they develop, you’re likely to notice sharp, stronger movements.

By 20-24 weeks of development, general movements gradually replace the bubble sensations.

Towards the third trimester (from 28 weeks), you can easily track your baby’s increased activity after every two hours and even see its tiny elbows or feet as it kicks. This is usually a magical moment to share with your loved ones.

Tips To Help Your Little One Move And Kick More

Some babies kick more often than others. It is okay. Just like us, they are unique.

But,

There are ways to encourage your baby to kick more, including:

Increasing your sugar intake – Drinking lots of sugary beverages provide the energy babies need to be active. Making fresh juices from naturally sugary fruits, including mangoes and bananas, is a better way to get additional sugars.

Take brisk walks – When you stay active, it increases your baby’s activity levels too. Other pregnancy-safe aerobics are also beneficial to you and your munchkin.

Do gentle rubs and massage on your baby bump – Babies enjoy feeling your touch. A gentle tap or massage prompts them to respond by kicking and moving.

Relax – In a University of Auckland study, 72.9% of pregnant women reported feeling foetal movements more in the evening than during the day. When you’re busy doing daily chores, your movements soothe the little one to sleep. If you relax, you’ll likely notice the twists and punches more.
Get noisy and loud – Talking to your munchkin or playing loud music wakes them up. Make it as gentle as possible.

How Can I Track The Baby’s Progress When It Feels like Bubbles Popping In My Stomach Pregnancy Second Trimester?

When your baby starts moving in the womb and making you feel like bubbles popping, it may be hard to monitor its soft movements. Identifying the baby’s activity pattern gets better as the sensations get sharper.

To make tracking easy, create a document where you’ll note details, including the frequency of movement, timing, and consistency for one week.

If you notice the bubble-like feeling mostly occurring after eating, or on a random basis, the sensation is likely to be caused by other factors and not quickening.

Feels Like Bubbles Popping In My Stomach Pregnancy Third Trimester – Is It Normal?

The feeling of bubbles popping as your baby moves is often prevalent in the first and second trimesters. During the third trimester, babies quit quickening and give stronger kicks instead. Towards the due delivery date, movements gradually decrease as the baby fully develops and has a smaller space to move or turn.

However, if you still feel like someone is popping numerous tiny bubbles in the third trimester, you could be experiencing a gas problem, food intolerance, or pressure from your grown baby. It’s wise to consult your physician for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Is There a Remedy For Bubbles Popping Sensation During Pregnancy?

It depends. If the sensation results from baby movements, you’ll feel different, sharper moves as the little one grows. Therefore there is no need for treatment.

There are numerous remedies to relieve the discomfort if the answer to “why do I feel popping in my stomach while pregnant” is digestive gas, peristalsis, or food allergies.

Let’s explore some practical solutions for pregnancy gas below:

Mind your diet – Make changes in your meals by including more fiber-rich foods to reduce gas and constipation. Additionally, fiber makes bowel movement easier, leaving no room for gas pile-ups. Creating a simple food diary may help you rule out possible foods causing your gas issue.

Take more fresh fruits and vegetables as they aid in digestion. Remember to eat smaller portions spread throughout the day instead of 2-3 large chunks of food taken at once. Plus, avoid foods such as cabbage, beans, and whole grains since they may be naturally gassy.

Hydrate – Take plain water and fluids, including healthy fresh fruit juices. Hydration aids in digestion while preventing gas accumulation and constipation.

The United States National Academy of Medicine advises pregnant women to take a minimum of 10 cups or 2-3 litres of water daily. With increased fluid intake, you’ll also have a softer stool, thus reducing abdominal discomfort and pain.

Exercise – Physical activity is vital for a healthy pregnancy. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), you should exercise for 30 minutes. Take brisk walks or any other aerobic physical activity daily for five days.

Exercises improve digestion and enhance proper blood flow. The rule of thumb is to always seek advice from your doctor before starting any fitness regimen.

Dress appropriately – Clothes that fit tightly around your stomach/belly may put pressure on your intestines, causing gas build-up and discomfort. Wear light, loose clothes that will keep you comfortable while alleviating your gas problem.
Avoid carbonated drinks and beverages – Certain beverages or drinks with carbon dioxide, fructose, or sorbitol as their artificial sweeteners and high ferment easily, worsening bloating.

Fructose intolerance is common and a main cause of digestive gas. It’s best to consume natural healthier drinks instead of cola, sodas, or artificial energy drinks.

Try keeping stress and anxiety at bay – Research confirms stress as being notorious for aggravating pregnancy gas.

While anxiety is unavoidable among pregnant women, I’d advise you to adopt relaxation techniques to curb it.

Stress and anxiety may cause irritable bowel syndrome characterized by gas, cramping, and bloating.

Some helpful techniques for stress include yoga, counselling, massage, light jogging, nature walks, and meditation. Seek assistance from your loved ones.

Always speak up when something is bothering you. Remember, aside from causing stomach gas, anxiety/stress may have far-reaching effects on your unborn munchkin.

To know the best solution for a bubbles-like feeling in your stomach, first, find out the cause. Note how often you feel the sensation and if it’s consistent or not.

Establishing the pattern helps you know if it’s your little one’s first movements or other factors causing gas bubbles in the abdomen. Talk to your doctor when you feel concerned about the weird stomach feelings.

When Is It Time To See A Doctor?

The good news is that bubbles in the stomach – for whatever reason – don’t have any impact on your baby’s growth and development. However, the discomfort associated with digestion-related gas can be alarming.

While you can improve the situation using home remedies, talk to your doctor if, in addition to the gas, you experience the following:

Severe nausea and vomiting.
Unusually dark or blood-stained stools.
Prolonged abdominal pain/cramping, often lasting for 30 minutes or longer.
Chronic, prolonged constipation

The above are common symptoms pointing to an underlying medical condition needing serious medical treatment. Nevertheless, try to keep calm, you’re not alone, and pregnancy gas is treatable. Despite all the struggles, your baby is safe.

Wrapping Up

With the intricacies of pregnancy, many women seek to know why it feels like bubbles popping in my stomach on pregnancy.

Normally, you’ll experience bubbles or a fluttering sensation (quickening) as your baby makes their first movements.

A gassy stomach, food intolerance, or peristalsis are other causes of real gas bubbles due to trapped air.

Quickening lasts for a short time. Pregnancy gas is uncomfortable but treatable using home or medical remedies.

Exercising, drinking water, a healthy diet, and counseling are some ways of alleviating gas pain. If you’re concerned about feeling bubbles in your belly, talk to your physician for a proper diagnosis.