Heartburn Relief During Your Pregnancy

By Pat Greyson in Pregnancy on March 18th, 2008

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by Louise Bell

Even if you’ve rarely experienced heartburn before, the chances are very high that you will have it quite often during pregnancy. A lot of the changes your body goes through at this time almost guarantee that you will experience heartburn.

During pregnancy, the placenta produces a hormone called progesterone to relax the muscles of the uterus. This same hormone also relaxes the valve between the esophagus and stomach and lets the gastric acids to come back up.

During digestion, the intestines and esophagus are contracting. These contractions are reduced by progesterone which slows down the digestive process. The growing baby crowding the abdomen also causes acids to be pushed back up through the esophagus.

There are several changes that can be made to your diet that will act as heartburn remedies. Don’t eat foods with a lot of seasoning or foods that are spicy. Highly acidic foods such as tomatoes and ketchup should also be avoided.

Instead of eating large meals, spreading them out into smaller ones can also help with heartburn. Any use of alcohol should be stopped during pregnancy and alcohol as well as caffeine can contribute to heartburn.

Natural heartburn remedies can be found through changes to your food and drink intake. After that, if you’re still experiencing heartburn there are some over the counter medications that will help with heartburn relief.

Your first choice should probably be chewable antacids. They are usually reliable and should provide fast heartburn relief. There are also liquid antacids that may be used, but be aware that any liquid may naturally cause your stomach to produce even more acids which is counter productive.

During pregnancy taking antacids that include aluminium isn’t a good idea. Most women are prone to constipation while pregnant and if consumed in large amounts, aluminium leads to constipation and is toxic as well.

Also, when choosing heartburn remedies, never take any that have sodium bicarbonate or aspirin. Most women suffer with swelling during pregnancy and sodium bicarbonate will greatly add to that symptom.

If you can’t seem to find heartburn relief with any of the remedies you’ve tried, you should consult your doctor. And, don’t forget that even though these are just medications for heartburn, they are still drugs and the recommended dosages should not be exceeded.

About the Author:

Banish your discomfort safely and discover more about heartburn during pregnancy and heartburn remedies, herbs or correct posture to make your pregnancy more pleasurable.