Get rid of heartburn and indigestion during pregnancy and start enjoying your life
What would you say if I told you that as a pregnant woman you don't have to go through all that heartburn and indigestion and all the other nasty symptoms that hit many pregnant women during the second and third trimester, and instead could enjoy pregnancy in peace and serenity? Just because you're pregnant, you don't have to go through all the downsides of your condition anymore!
Follow these easy tips & tricks that I myself learned while suffering from the same symptoms due to a change in diet, and you will be on the fast-track to feeling light again.
First of all, you might be wondering what is causing all these changes in your body. It's the whole pregnancy, of course, but here are the details to it:
1) First cause: progesterone. This hormone that is meant to relax muscles during pregnancy will inevitably relax the sphincter as well, which is the stomach valve that keeps acid out of the esophagus. Once this muscle relaxes, it allows acid to reach the esophagus and cause an irritation, which results in heartburn.
2) Second cause: the baby, of course! If you haven't noticed yet, there is a living human growing in your tummy, and as lovely as that might sound, it's also causing some trouble to your stomach, due to overcrowding it and thus pushing more acid into the esophagus.
3) Third cause: links back to the hormonal changes your body is going through, which affects the way your digestive tract tolerates certain foods.
Once you understand a little bit more about why this is happening to you, it probably sheds more light on how you can avoid the feeling of heartburn and indigestion. You might have some ideas yourself, but here are some tips and tricks I found worked for me and have worked for other pregnant women.
Tips to follow in order to avoid heartburn and indigestion during pregnancy:
1. Position your body in a way that it prevents stomach acid from easily slipping into the esophagus. This means don't lie down right after eating and keep your head higher than your feet, with the help of pillows and such.
2. Avoid some foods that you feel cause your heartburn and indigestion; some of the most common ones are spicy, fried food, chocolate, caffeine and others such as the ones presented on the graphic below.
3. Eat more frequently rather than bigger meals; eat slowly and chew your food properly; and drink less during meals, rather drink between meals.
4. Wear loose fitting clothes instead of tight ones – this will take off extra pressure from your stomach. When I wear skirts that come up to my stomach, it usually puts extra pressure on my esophagus and creates a burning sensation – so I try to avoid them.
5. Try a natural remedy: many women find ginger to be helpful in combating not only heartburn and indigestion, but also nausea that comes with pregnancy. A nice ginger tea sometimes can make the difference.
In the beginning however, not being very aware of these causes, I was using antacids such as Gaviscon, which work very fast; I still use it in times of emergency, and what I like about Gaviscon in particular is that it comes in small liquid sachets as well, which makes it easier for me to take this medicine while avoiding taking pills.
You can read more about how heartburn and indigestion are related to pregnancy here: http://gaviscon.com.my/pregnancy. But stick to the tips presented above and you should soon start enjoying your pregnancy a lot more!
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