Pregnancy for most women is a time of joy, anticipation and excitement, but along with the pleasure of looking forward to the arrival of a new family member come certain health problems that can be exacerbated by pregnancy. One of the conditions sometimes caused by--and often aggravated by--pregnancy is heartburn. Progesterone levels are elevated during pregnancy, contributing to many parts of the body becoming more lax, including the esophageal sphincter. When the sphincter, whose role is to keep stomach contents in the stomach, relaxes, acids back up into the esophagus, causing reflux and painful burning feelings in the chest. According to a monograph "Pregnancy in Gastrointestinal Disorders" released by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), there are safe treatments available for relieving heartburn during pregnancy.
Step 1
Avoid eating within three hours of going to bed. This allows food previously eaten to be mostly digested when you do retire, and leaves little remaining in the stomach.
Step 2
Use an acid reflux wedge pillow to prop yourself up at an angle when sleeping, or raise the head of the bed four to six inches to avoid acids backing up into the esophagus.
Step 3
Eliminate heartburn triggers, including greasy, spicy foods, acidic foods like tomatoes and sauces, citrus fruits, peppermint, chocolate, caffeine and carbonated drinks. These foods create an acid-forming state in the stomach which irritates the lining of the stomach and esophagus.
Step 4
Loosen clothes around your mid-section, especially early on during pregnancy, to relieve pressure on the stomach.
Step 5
Eat smaller meals and more frequently--five or more small meals a day.
Step 6
Avoid smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, which aggravate reflux symptoms. These substances are harmful to the fetus, so kill two birds with one stone.
Step 7
Drink a mixture of ½ tsp. organic apple cider vinegar (ACV) mixed with 8 oz. water for relief of acid reflux symptoms. Repeat throughout the day, if needed. This helps the digestive process by stimulating both stomach acids and bicarbonate secreted from the pancreas, allowing for acid-forming foods to be neutralized and thus soothing the stomach lining.
Step 8
Eat a slice or two of sweet red apple or have a cup of unsweetened applesauce. Apples in any form, including unsweetened apple juice, are soothing to the stomach and help prevent acid reflux.
Step 9
Use over-the-counter antacids as a last resort to help acid reflux. Before taking any one in particular, speak to your doctor to be sure you are using an antacid that does not contain too much sodium.
Tips and Warnings
- Ask your doctor about using baking soda mixed in water to relieve acid reflux. If you are not at high risk for excess sodium in your diet, she may give you the go-ahead.
- This information is for educational purposes and is not meant to replace medical advice. You may read elsewhere on the Internet to use honey for acid reflux. Ordinarily that is OK, but during pregnancy honey should be avoided. Some raw honey contains botulism spores that may cross over the placental barrier and harm the fetus.
Things You'll Need
- Acid reflux wedge pillow
- Organic apple cider vinegar
- Sweet red apples
- Unsweetened apple sauce
- Unsweetened apple juice
References
- American Pregnancy Association
- Science Daily
- "Alkalinize or Die"; Dr. Theodore A. Barrody; 1991
