Controlling Heartburn in Pregnancy
July 5, 2010 by admin
Filed under Acid Reflux Remedies
When you are expecting, you want to do everything right to protect your baby and make sure it is growing safe and strong. You want to put your baby’s needs before you own.
However, if heartburn is keeping you up at night and keeping you from eating right, it is time to do something about it.
Some women experience heartburn in early pregnancy. Your body is going through unusual hormone fluxes accompanied by the stress, even good stress, of finding out you will be a parent.
It can leave the stomach churning. Morning sickness practically guarantees that you will not have enough food in your stomach to counteract the acid. Logically, heartburn is the result.
Fortunately, many of the things you do naturally for your pregnancy can counteract this kind of heartburn during pregnancy. Calcium, which helps you baby’s bones grow, restores a natural Ph balance to your stomach.
Healthy anti-morning sickness foods like scrambled eggs and ginger, also calm the stomach down.
Not Your Average Heartburn
To call what happens later in pregnancy heartburn, is really a misnomer. An accurate description is acid reflux during pregnancy.
Acid reflux is when the contents of your stomach, including stomach acid, move upward and back into your esophagus. This causes the burning sensation.
If you went through most of your first trimester heartburn free, this is your clue. Especially if your heartburn showed up about the time you first felt your baby move.
This is because your baby has gotten noticeably bigger. It is taking up more and more of your abdominal space. All of your organs are being pushed out of the way to make way for baby, especially your stomach.
This pressure and pushing on your stomach begins to stifle the flow of food through your digestive track. It takes longer for food to move through your, backing up in your stomach.
The contents of your stomach stay there longer. Furthermore, the movement out of its normal position can weaken the esophageal muscles which were already undermined by constant morning sickness, making it easier for reflux to occur.
You Can’t Use Your Average Heartburn Remedies
Heartburn relief during pregnancy is totally different than any other form of heartburn. A year ago, before your pregnancy, you may have not thought twice about reaching for a pill or tonic to remedy your stomach. Now, you cannot afford to be as casual.
Unfortunately, many of the medicines and over the counter products out there cannot be taken during pregnancy.
These medications cross the womb and can get into your baby’s bloodstream while they develop. Even a mild dose for an adult can be extremely risky for a gestating child.
Safer Ways to Cure Heartburn in Pregnancy
It is important that you keep in mind the circumstances which caused your acid reflux. Too much acid is not the problem. In fact, you do not want to reduce stomach acid. You need the acid to quickly digest food.
To keep the baby from pushing on your stomach, the first thing you should do is try to stand as long as you can after a meal.
This can be difficult, carrying around extra weight and dealing with swollen feet, but it is important that you try. Standing will help the baby “drop” to a lower position which does not push on your stomach and lets gravity aid digestion.
You should drink plenty of water, which aids digestion, when you are pregnant. However, avoid drinking during meals.
Water is taking up space that needs to be used for food. A safe window is to not drink from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after a meal.
Skip the late night snack. When you are lying in bed, the baby is going to have a natural resting position right on top of your digestive track.
This is why nighttime is one of the worst times for heartburn in pregnancy and robs many an expectant mother or precious sleep.
It is important that you have as little food as possible in your stomach, to minimize food being pushed upward. Furthermore, having less food in your stomach will require less stomach acid, reducing heartburn further.
Of course, what you eat is also important. Because the food you eat is essential to nourish you and your baby, this makes an anti-acid reflux diet more complicated. Despite being complicated, there is hope. The Heartburn No More program can teach you how to eat and prepare foods that will prevent acid reflux, nourish your body, and help your baby thrive. Furthermore, you will learn many other techniques to safely eliminate your heartburn and keep your baby healthy.
The good news is, once you have your baby your heartburn will most likely go away. The effects should be almost immediate. However, you cannot wait 9 months or you risk being malnourished, overly stressed, and tired when your new baby arrives. Now is the time to enjoy your pregnancy, do not let heartburn stand in your way.
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