What helps with heartburn during pregnancy

Why does heartburn occur during pregnancy?

About eighty percent of women in an “interesting position” experience discomfort from an unpleasant burning sensation behind the sternum some time after eating. This phenomenon is called heartburn, and expectant mothers who have crossed the so-called “equator” of pregnancy – a period of more than twenty weeks – are most susceptible to it.

In the time of our grandmothers, there was a myth that heartburn was caused by the development of hair and nails in the baby. In fact, the cause of the painful sensations is the reflux of food in the stomach into the lower esophagus. The main reasons for this process are:

• hormonal “changes”, in which an increase in progesterone levels weakens all smooth muscles in the expectant mother’s body (including the sphincter, which prevents the reverse movement of food);
• an enlargement of the uterus, which begins to “press” on the digestive organs, and even the previously usual volume of food can be “pushed” back into the esophagus.

In addition, there are other related issues that aggravate the problem:

• frequent overeating, especially at night;
• consumption of gastronomic “harmful foods” (soda, coffee, spicy, salty and sour);
• taking antispasmodics;
• clothing that is too tight or constricting.

What is heartburn

Many people associate heartburn during pregnancy with the fact that the unborn baby will be born with a shock of hair and long nails. In fact, this has nothing to do with this unpleasant condition.

Heartburn is a symptom of improper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, or more precisely of problems that occur at the border of the esophagus and stomach. The reverse reflux of acidic contents from the stomach back into the esophagus causes irritation of its mucous membrane. At the same time, the expectant mother experiences a feeling of pain, a burning sensation behind the sternum, sometimes unbearable, which radiates to the neck and shoulder blade.

What are the dangers of heartburn during pregnancy?

Heartburn itself does not directly affect the unborn baby. However, potential danger still exists. Since the physical and psychological state of the expectant mother, who is constantly experiencing discomfort, is greatly deteriorating, the baby, even while in the tummy, feels these negative changes.

If heartburn becomes a “frequent companion,” for a woman this is fraught with inflammation of the esophageal mucosa or exacerbation of other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that can adversely affect the development of the unborn child. That is why, if you experience the first unpleasant sensations, you should immediately talk to your doctor in order to avoid worsening the situation.

Useful tips

While carrying a baby, to avoid heartburn, you should follow some rules:

• You should not wear clothes that tighten the stomach and abdomen area.
• It is better to sleep on a pillow, raised higher so that your torso is on it.
• You shouldn’t be nervous, because the nervous system is strongly connected to the digestive system.
• You can’t lie down immediately after eating; you need to walk for about 30 minutes or sit.
• It is better to eat food slowly, chewing well.
• Don't overeat before bed.

These are preventive actions to prevent heartburn. By following them, you can avoid burning attacks and not take dangerous medications.

If heartburn is tormented, then you should use all possible folk recipes before switching to taking medications. Only after consulting a doctor can you take medications.

How and what to treat heartburn during pregnancy

At any stage of pregnancy, remedies that can neutralize and remove hydrochloric acid from the stomach will help resolve the issue of heartburn and alleviate the condition of the expectant mother. Non-absorbable antacids (Rennie, Malox, etc.) are considered to be such drugs.

They are safe for the baby and relieve unpleasant symptoms within a few minutes. However, there is also a “other side of the coin”: along with harmful hydrochloric acid, these drugs remove some useful elements from the body, and can also cause constipation, which is extremely undesirable during pregnancy.

That is why taking any medications must be agreed with your doctor.

Treatment

Now we should tell you how to deal with heartburn during pregnancy using traditional methods of treatment. Not all medications are approved for heartburn in pregnant women. What can be taken is prescribed by the doctor, based on the condition of the woman individually. The list of safe drugs that you can take for heartburn is as follows:

• Smecta is in powder form and should be dissolved in water.
• Rennie - in the form of lozenges.
• Maalox is sold ready-made; you just need to drink the solution.
• Talcid – in the form of chewable tablets.
• Gastal - tablets, washed down with water.
• Gaviscon - tablets are used for severe attacks; they neutralize acid well.
• Almagel is a suspension that prevents the formation of carbon dioxide and acts for a long time.
• Ranitidine - prescribed by a doctor if other drugs do not help.

These medications cannot be taken together or even with some other drugs, so the prescription is made by a doctor. All anthocides contain calcium, magnesium and aluminum. Therefore, they can be used in extreme cases, because their components can negatively affect the course of pregnancy. For example, magnesium at the end of pregnancy can cause premature birth. These remedies for heartburn in pregnant women have the following side effects:

• Their effect is short-lived - it helps for only 2 hours.
• Preparations with magnesium can cause diarrhea, and with aluminum - constipation.
• Medicines do not eliminate the causes of heartburn, but only eliminate the symptoms.
• The drugs may affect the effect of other drugs.

Products containing aluminum and magnesium contribute to the loss of phosphorus, which can lead to delayed mental development of the fetus.

The use of combination drugs is considered safer. Taking them reduces the risk of side effects. These drugs normalize acidity in the stomach, calcium strengthens bones, and magnesium heals ulcers and eliminates constipation. These drugs include Almagel Neo, Gastal, Rennie.

Which heartburn medications are strictly contraindicated during pregnancy?

Each pregnancy is unique, so only a doctor who knows all the characteristics of the expectant mother’s body can recommend a drug that will not only help get rid of unpleasant symptoms, but also will not harm the baby. You absolutely cannot prescribe treatment for yourself, since only a specialist can know all the intricacies of taking a particular drug.

In the first three months of pregnancy, taking Almagel is strictly contraindicated, which, although considered a safe antacid, contains magnesium oxide, which is harmful to the fetus and can lead to serious disruptions in its development.

There is also not enough information about the complete safety of drugs containing bismuth nitrate (Vicalin) for the future baby. Therefore, they should also be abandoned.

Heartburn during pregnancy: how to get rid of unpleasant sensations?

Heartburn is a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux, in which gastric juice flows from the stomach into the esophagus, thereby causing irritation and inflammation of the esophageal mucosa. This condition manifests itself as a burning sensation and pain behind the sternum of varying intensity.

Heartburn during pregnancy is an unpleasant symptom that almost every expectant mother faces. The causes of heartburn during pregnancy are simple and clear.

1. From the very moment of conception until childbirth, the main sex hormone in the female body is progesterone. When the level of this hormone increases, all smooth muscles relax slightly, and therefore the sphincters, which the woman cannot independently control, also relax. Thus, a relaxed pyloric sphincter does not prevent the reflux of digestive juice, especially after eating fatty or rich foods. This is the mechanism of heartburn in early pregnancy.
2. In later stages, heartburn occurs for mechanical reasons. Since the pregnant uterus enlarges and reaches the level of the costal arch, it puts pressure on the stomach from below. Therefore, the stomach flattens and its volume decreases. This leads to the fact that when a large amount of food is consumed, it is thrown into the esophagus.

Almost no one manages to avoid such a condition as heartburn during pregnancy; how to get rid of this unpleasant symptom?

Folk remedies for heartburn and what to avoid

Along with drug therapy, there are many “folk recipes” to combat heartburn:

• chewing nuts, sunflower seeds, oat or barley grains;
• fresh milk;
• mineral still water;
• carrot or grapefruit juice;
• raw cabbage (white cabbage);
• a crust of black bread;

• black chocolate;
• liquid porridge;
• jelly;
• herbal lemon-melissa tea (lemon and lemon balm are mixed in equal parts, a teaspoon of the mixture is poured with boiling water, filtered and drunk throughout the day);

extreme caution should still be exercised in their use. Some herbs should absolutely not be used during pregnancy, as they can have a detrimental effect on its development, or even cause a miscarriage.

so beloved by the people, can not only aggravate the problem of heartburn, but also cause swelling and worsen the condition of the intestinal mucosa.

Heartburn during pregnancy: how to get rid of it at home?

We have already answered the question of how to get rid of such an unpleasant symptom as heartburn during pregnancy with the help of medications, how to get rid of it at home using folk remedies? So, first, try to follow some dietary rules:

1. Try to exclude as much as possible from your diet the foods that most often provoke heartburn, namely fatty sausages, lard, fried pies, fried potatoes, pasties, mayonnaise, smoked meat, fatty fish, cakes and pastries with rich oil-based cream. An important role in the occurrence of a burning sensation behind the sternum is played by sour citrus fruits, salty and spicy foods (horseradish, radishes, garlic, spices), as well as carbonated drinks.
2. Accustom yourself to fractional meals from the early stages of pregnancy. By eating 5-6 times a day in small portions and chewing food thoroughly, you will prevent overdistension of the stomach and food will not be thrown into the esophagus.
3. Do not lie down immediately after eating, but rather sit quietly or even take a calm walk in the fresh air.
4. While sleeping, try placing another pillow under your head. Elevating your body position will help prevent heartburn.
5. The presence in the diet of products such as dried fruits, herbs, fresh green vegetables, kefir, yogurt, whey, cottage cheese, cereals, cereals, potatoes will significantly reduce the incidence of heartburn.

Preventing heartburn during pregnancy

• Proper nutrition. The expectant mother should eliminate all harmful foods from her diet, since they provoke the release of hydrochloric acid. The menu must include a variety of milk porridges, vegetables, steamed fish and meat, milk, butter, cream, etc.
• “No” to overeating! The larger the portion size a pregnant woman has, the higher the risk of heartburn. It is better to make meals more frequent (up to six times a day) by reducing portions. Then the load on the stomach will not be so strong, and the food will have time to be fully absorbed.

• Control over body position. After eating, you should absolutely not lie down immediately, since a horizontal position with a full stomach will almost instantly provoke an attack of heartburn. You should stay upright for at least thirty to forty minutes. You should also avoid bending forward to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on your stomach.

Reasons for appearance

Why does heartburn occur during pregnancy? It appears due to the fact that the lower esophageal sphincter does not function fully and the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus.

Due to the fact that hydrochloric acid is needed to digest food, irritation of the mucous membrane and painful sensations occur.

A sour taste appears in the oral cavity, and painful sensations appear in the stomach area. During pregnancy, it can appear at different times: both during the initial stages of pregnancy and at the end.

But the most manifestations occur just before birth. Sometimes even in pregnant women, a burning sensation causes insomnia.

Causes:

1. During pregnancy, a significant release of the hormone progesterone occurs. Initially, this hormone is secreted by the corpus luteum, a little later by the placenta. Another name is “Pregnancy Hormone”. What is it for? During pregnancy, this hormone helps maintain the smooth muscles of the uterus. But the “minus” of the hormone is that progesterone acts in the same way on other muscles, for example, the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract. Between the stomach and the esophagus there is a sphincter, which must close after food enters the stomach. It functions at the subconscious level, and it is impossible to consciously control its work. During pregnancy, progesterone helps relax muscle tissue, and the sphincter does not close the passage completely. Because of this, unprocessed foods return to the stomach along with hydrochloric acid.
2. Weight gain. If during pregnancy a woman has gained several extra pounds, then in this case it not only overloads the spine, joints, heart, but also causes an increase in blood pressure in the abdominal cavity, and this is the reason for the appearance.
3. Mechanical compression. The larger the fetus during pregnancy, the more pressure it puts on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, bronchopulmonary system and pelvic organs. The location of all internal organs changes. Due to compression of the stomach, food and hydrochloric acid are thrown back into the esophagus.
4. The acidity of gastric juice increases due to the influence of hormones and heartburn intensifies.

Heartburn in pregnant women may occur less in the last month of pregnancy. At this time, the body reduces hormone production in preparation for childbirth.

The abdomen goes down and the pressure on the internal organs decreases.

But by following a number of simple rules and using traditional medicine, heartburn can be reduced at an earlier date.