Heartburn in Pregnancy
Index
What Is Good For Heartburn During Pregnancy?
What Causes Heartburn During Pregnancy?
What Are the Symptoms of Heartburn During Pregnancy?
What Is Good For Heartburn During Pregnancy?
What Foods Should You Avoid to Avoid Heartburn During Pregnancy?
During pregnancy, especially in the last trimester, expectant mothers may experience some problems due to the burden and pressure created by the growing baby. One of these problems, which is considered normal to be experienced in the natural course of pregnancy, is heartburn. In the first months of pregnancy, mild heartburn may be felt along with nausea. But heartburn is much more common in the second and third trimesters.
What Is Good For Heartburn During Pregnancy?
As the area occupied by the baby in the womb increases, there is a pressure on the stomach of the expectant mother, and this can often lead to problems such as reflux, heartburn and stomach pain. As a result, more than half of all pregnant women experience significant heartburn after the second trimester. However, such stomach problems can be minimized by choosing the foods consumed during the day, adjusting the feeding frequency and making some lifestyle changes. You can continue reading the article for answers to your questions such as what is good for heartburn during pregnancy and how to fight heartburn.
What Causes Heartburn During Pregnancy?
Heartburn during pregnancy can develop due to several different reasons. The first is the effect of changing hormone levels on the functioning of the muscles in the digestive tract. Pregnancy hormones cause the valve in the lower esophageal sphincter, which is where the esophagus meets the stomach, to relax. While this sphincter is normally tight, it prevents stomach contents from escaping into the esophagus. However, when it comes to relaxation, the stomach contents escape into the esophagus, which is called reflux. Stomach acid in the stomach content causes irritation in the esophagus, causing a burning sensation here. This feeling is called heartburn or heartburn.
Another cause of heartburn during pregnancy is the enlargement of the uterus, which includes the baby, and the stomach being exposed to pressure, as a result of which the stomach acid is pushed upwards. Especially when the stomach is full, this pressure will cause reflux and will cause heartburn. These two conditions are the most common causes of heartburn in pregnancy. However, in rare cases, gallstones can cause severe heartburn.
What Are the Symptoms of Heartburn During Pregnancy?
Heartburn is a common problem seen in the vast majority of pregnant women. Symptoms include a number of complaints that are similar in almost every individual. It is possible to list the most common heartburn symptoms as follows:
Pain and burning sensations in the middle of the chest after eating
Feeling of excessive fullness and heaviness in the stomach
Indigestion and feelings of stuck in the esophagus of the consumed food
Mouth gas (burping) problem
Frequent hiccups
Feeling a bitter or sour taste in the mouth and throat
Reflux, that is, the stomach contents coming into the mouth
Cough
Throat ache
What Is Good For Heartburn During Pregnancy?
It is useful to take some precautions that can help you reduce the problem of heartburn during pregnancy. Here are the answers to the question of what is good for heartburn during pregnancy…
FEED LITTLE AND FREQUENTLY
The fuller the stomach, the higher the chance of reflux. For this reason, it is essential to take care to eat little and often during pregnancy. Instead of eating three main meals, you should eat 6-7 meals a day with smaller contents by making snacks.
QUIT SMOKING AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS
Cigarettes and tobacco products are a danger in itself for the health of mother and baby during pregnancy. However, it is also one of the main causes of heartburn. Since cigarettes and other tobacco products relax the lower esophageal sphincter, they cause reflux and accordingly the symptoms of heartburn. Therefore, if you have the habit of using cigarettes and tobacco products, you should definitely quit these habits.
AVOID WEARING TIGHT CLOTHING
Wearing tight and uncomfortable clothes will increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity and thus increase the pressure on your stomach. Since the space in the abdominal cavity is very limited due to pregnancy, it is useful to choose comfortable and flexible clothes in order not to increase the possibility of reflux in the stomach.
MAKE SURE TO EAT SLOWLY
While you are pregnant, you should be careful to take small bites, chew them very well and eat slowly. In this way, you can prevent your stomach from filling up at once, and you can also prevent the foods you chew well to stay longer in the stomach due to mechanical digestion. Since the foods that have a shorter stay in the stomach will progress in the digestive tract as soon as possible, the problem of indigestion will be alleviated, thus the problem of heartburn will disappear.
DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH
Drinks consumed with the meal greatly increase the volume of the meal. In order to prevent heartburn during pregnancy, you should take care not to consume too many drinks with your meal, as it is necessary to make small-volume meals and protect the stomach from excessive fullness. You should completely avoid the consumption of acidic beverages that cause heartburn. You can prefer to consume healthy drinks such as ayran in between meals so that they do not cause bloating in the stomach.
WALK REGULARLY
There are many benefits of walking during pregnancy, and one of them is that it facilitates digestion. You can choose to take light walks every day to prevent indigestion and heartburn problems.
CONSUME FIBER FOODS
Another important problem that aggravates heartburn is constipation. Since the progress of food in the intestine slows down during constipation, upward pressure on the stomach may increase. In order to avoid this problem, it is beneficial to consume fruits and vegetables with high fiber content, legumes and whole grains.
DON’T GO TO THE LYING POSITION IMMEDIATELY AFTER MEALS
Lying down when your stomach is full will force the gastric valve, causing acidic stomach contents to escape into the esophagus. For this reason, you should be careful not to get into a lying position for at least 2.5-3 hours after eating. For the same reason, try not to consume food close to bedtime. In the periods when you have to lie down and rest, you should use a high pillow and lie on the bed at an angle of at least 45 degrees. You can also choose to use specially produced reflux pillows for this. In this way, you can relieve some of the pressure on the gastric valve.
What Foods Should You Avoid to Avoid Heartburn During Pregnancy?
Getting your nutrition plan right can help you drastically reduce heartburn. Here are some measures you can take for this:
By reducing the fat content of your meals, you can reduce the length of stay in the stomach, thereby reducing your chances of experiencing heartburn. In particular, instead of fried and roasted foods, you can prefer foods cooked by methods such as oven, boiled, steamed.
You should avoid foods that contain too much salt, hot and spicy, oily sauces.
You should not consume fatty foods such as tahini, mayonnaise, cream, cream.
You should not drink acidic beverages, coffee and large amounts of tea.
During periods of intense heartburn, you should try not to consume foods with high acidity such as citrus fruits, lemons, fruit juices.
If you are struggling with the problem of heartburn during pregnancy, you can help alleviate this problem by taking the above precautions. Despite these, if you have a severe heartburn problem, you can consult your doctor and get his opinion on solution suggestions, and you can get through this process in a healthier way.