Pregnancy Info

Heartburn and pregnancy often go hand in hand. However, there are medical remedies that can be used to treat heartburn and pregnancy symptoms. More than half of all pregnant women face heartburn and pregnancy together. Read on to find out more about how to ease these symptoms.

The majority of pregnant women who experience heartburn during pregnancy experience it during the second and third trimesters. Heartburn and pregnancy occur because of the changing hormone levels a woman experiences during pregnancy. This can affect the muscles of the woman's digestive tract, which will react differently to different types of foods changing the pregnant woman's tolerance levels for certain types of foods. The pregnancy hormones cause the lower esophageal sphincter to relax, which allows stomach acids to splash back up into the esophagus, which causes the heart burn sensation in the chest and upper stomach. Another way heartburn and pregnancy takes place is when the enlarged uterus crowds the abdomen and pushes the stomach acids upwards causing heartburn.

There are several ways in which these heartburn symptoms can be relived during pregnancy, here are a few: 

• Avoid eating late at night before going to bed.
• Try to eat at least three hours before lying down to sleep to help allow the food to properly digest. 
• Avoid foods like greasy or spicy foods, chocolate, tomato sauce, caffeine, carbonated drinks as well as citrus fruits.
• Wear looser-fitting clothing. Clothes that fit tightly around the waist tend to put too much pressure on the abdomen and lower esophageal sphincter, which can cause that feeling of heartburn. 
• Raise the head of the bed 4 to 6 inches so it can help reduce the acid reflux by decreasing the amount of stomach acids that read the lower esophagus during sleep.
• Do not use alcohol and tobacco. While these substances are not healthy to use while pregnant for several reasons, they also tend to increase acidity in the body. 
• Eat several small meals throughout the day rather than large meals
• Eat slowly
• If heartburn and pregnancy issues are still a problem, consult your doctor to find which types of medications can be taken during pregnancy that will help relieve the pains of heartburn.
• Other natural foods you can eat or drink to help alleviate the symptoms of heartburn and pregnancy include eating yogurt or drinking a glass of milk. Other reports indicate using a tablespoon of honey in a glass of warm milk. 

Fortunately for most women, the pregnancy symptoms involving heartburn typically disappear following childbirth. 

Sources: americanpregnancy.org, sciencedaily.com, webmd.com