Heartburn during pregnancy means

Indigestion and heartburn in pregnancy

Indigestion, also called heartburn or acid reflux, is common in pregnancy. It can be caused by hormonal changes and the growing baby pressing against your stomach.

You can help ease indigestion and heartburn by making changes to your diet and lifestyle, and there are medicines that are safe to take in pregnancy.

Symptoms of indigestion and heartburn

Symptoms of indigestion and heartburn include:

a burning sensation or pain in the chest
feeling full, heavy or bloated
burping or belching
feeling or being sick
bringing up food

Symptoms usually come on soon after eating or drinking, but there can sometimes be a delay between eating and developing indigestion.

You can get symptoms at any point during your pregnancy, but they are more common from 27 weeks onwards.

Things you can do to help with indigestion and heartburn

Changes to your diet and lifestyle may be enough to control your symptoms, particularly if they are mild.

Eat healthily

You're more likely to get indigestion if you're very full.

If you're pregnant, it may be tempting to eat more than you would normally, but this may not be good for you or your baby.

Find out more about a healthy diet in pregnancy and foods to avoid.

Change your eating and drinking habits

You may be able to control your indigestion with changes to your eating habits.

It can help to eat small meals often, rather than larger meals 3 times a day, and to not eat within 3 hours of going to bed at night.

Cutting down on drinks containing caffeine, and foods that are rich, spicy or fatty, can also ease symptoms.

Keep upright

Sit up straight when you eat. This will take the pressure off your stomach. Propping your head and shoulders up when you go to bed can stop stomach acid coming up while you sleep.

Stop smoking

Smoking when pregnant can cause indigestion, and can seriously affect the health of you and your unborn baby.

When you smoke, the chemicals you inhale can contribute to your indigestion. These chemicals can cause the ring of muscle at the lower end of your gullet to relax, which allows stomach acid to come back up more easily. This is known as acid reflux.

Smoking also increases the risk of:

your baby being born prematurely (before week 37 of your pregnancy)
your baby being born with a low birthweight
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or "cot death"

There's lots of help available to stop smoking. Talk to your midwife or call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044. Find out more about stopping smoking in pregnancy.

Avoid alcohol

Drinking alcohol can cause indigestion. During pregnancy, it can also lead to long-term harm to the baby. It's safest to not drink alcohol at all in pregnancy.

Find out more about alcohol and pregnancy

When to get medical help

See your midwife or GP if you need help managing your symptoms or if changes to your diet and lifestyle do not work. They may recommend medicine to ease your symptoms.

You should also see your midwife or GP if you have any of the following:

difficulty eating or keeping food down
weight loss
stomach pains

Your midwife or GP may ask about your symptoms and examine you by pressing gently on different areas of your chest and stomach to see whether it's painful.

If you're taking prescription medicines

Speak to your GP if you're taking medicine for another condition, such as antidepressants, and you think it may be making your indigestion worse. They may be able to prescribe an alternative medicine.

Never stop taking a prescribed medicine unless you're advised to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who's responsible for your care.

Medicines for indigestion and heartburn

Medicines for indigestion and heartburn during pregnancy include:

antacids – to neutralise the acid in your stomach (some are available over the counter from a pharmacist)
alginates – to relieve indigestion caused by acid reflux by stopping the acid in your stomach coming back up your gullet

You may only need to take antacids and alginates when you start getting symptoms. However, your GP may recommend taking them before symptoms come on – for example, before a meal or before bed.

If you're taking iron supplements as well as antacids, do not take them at the same time. Antacids can stop iron from being absorbed by your body.

If antacids and alginates do not improve your symptoms, your GP may prescribe a medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. 2 that are widely used in pregnancy and not known to be harmful to an unborn baby are:

ranitidine – a tablet you take twice a day
omeprazole – a tablet you take once a day

Causes of indigestion in pregnancy

Symptoms of indigestion come when the acid in your stomach irritates your stomach lining or your gullet. This causes pain and a burning feeling.

When you're pregnant, you're more likely to have indigestion because of:

hormonal changes
the growing baby pressing on your stomach
the muscles between your stomach and gullet relaxing, allowing stomach acid to come back up

You may be more likely to get indigestion in pregnancy if:

you had indigestion before you were pregnant
you've been pregnant before
you're in the later stages of pregnancy

Video: Eating well on a budget

In this video, a dietitian gives advice on how to eat healthily on a budget.

Media last reviewed: 13 January 2021
Media review due: 13 January 2024

Pregnancy Myths Exposed - CBS News

The Early Show

August 31, 2009 / 7:40 AM / CBS

Pregnancy is a time when moms-to-be will hear lots of advice. But how much of the information is a pregnancy myth or truth?

Frances Largeman-Roth, the author of "Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide" appeared on "The Early Show" Monday to help clear up a few pregnancy mysteries:

MYTH OR TRUTH: Heartburn means a hairy baby.
Answer: TRUTH!
It's one of the oldest wives tales in the book: if you have bad heartburn during pregnancy, you can look forward to a baby with a full head of hair. Nonsense, right? Well, a study done at Johns Hopkins, published in the journal Birth, found that there is a correlation between severity of heartburn and the hairiness of a newborn.

Heartburn usually strikes in the third trimester and is due to estrogen causing the esophageal sphincter to relax, which allows stomach acid to splash up into the esophagus. Estrogen appears to be responsible for hair growth in the developing baby.

MYTH OR TRUTH: You have to eat for two.
Answer: MYTH!
You only need an extra 300 calories during pregnancy, and that's only during the second and third trimesters. 300 calories is equal to 1/2 chicken sandwich or 1/4 cup of dried fruit plus 1/4 cup of nuts. You need extra nutrients though, which means you need to eat smarter while you're pregnant.

MYTH OR TRUTH: Eating peanuts or peanut butter during pregnancy will give the child peanut allergies?
Answer: MYTH!
The new thinking on this is that unless one of the parents has a peanut or tree nut allergy, it's perfectly fine to eat peanuts and nuts when you're pregnant and breastfeeding

MYTH OR TRUTH: If you have a ravenous appetite you're having a boy.
Answer: TRUTH!
Some research supports the notion that women who are expecting boys do eat more. A Harvard study showed that women carrying males ate more protein, carbohydrates, and fat during their pregnancies. This may be due to higher circulating levels of testosterone.

MYTH OR TRUTH:Sleep positions affect delivery.
Answer: MYTH!
I've never heard of this in terms of delivery, but there's a lot of advice to avoid sleeping on your back to prevent cutting off the blood supply to the baby. Some say it's not necessary.

MYTH : Coco butter can prevent stretch marks.
Answer: MYTH!
It helps to keep the skin moisturized, but doctors say you're either going to get them or not. It's basically a genetic predisposition. Of course, not gaining too much extra weight will also help.

MYTH OR TRUTH: Don't eat seafood during pregnancy.
Answer: MYTH!
There's a ton of confusion out there regarding seafood and pregnancy, causing many women to simply say no to fish for all nine months. While it is true that you should avoid the four that are loaded with mercury -- tilefish, swordfish, shark, and king mackerel -- it's actually smart to eat seafood for your baby's health.

DHA is the mack daddy for your baby's brain and eye development. DHA is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fat that's an essential fatty acid, which means our bodies don't make it and we need to get it from the food we eat. It's found mainly in fatty cold-water fish, like salmon, herring, tuna, trout, mackerel, and oysters. DHA is also now being added to everything from orange juice, English muffins, and soy milk, to chocolates.

DHA plays a key role in the development of a growing fetus' brain and neurological system. And the majority of brain development happens in the third trimester. Your baby is dependent on you to supply her with enough DHA. That means that if you don't get an adequate amount for both of you, your stores can become depleted, especially while you're breastfeeding.

Unfortunately, most pregnant and breast-feeding women only get about 50 mg a day of DHA. Make sure to get at least 200 mg a day while you're pregnant and also throughout breast-feeding.

MYTH OR TRUTH: Stay on the couch in last trimester.
Answer: MYTH!
Many people think that the last trimester is time to just kick back and get your feet rubbed. And while I highly recommend getting rest and as many pedicures as you want, it's also important to keep moving. If you've been exercising throughout your pregnancy, there's no reason to stop now -- unless your doctor recommends it. You can cut down on the intensity of exercise -- maybe scaling back from running to walking -- but you can exercise as often as you did in the first two trimesters. These days we know that staying active during pregnancy will help you feel better, manage your stress, and even prevent pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes. It may also help shorten the duration of your labor and definitely helps you snap back in shape post-partum.

Just remember to stay hydrated because dehydration can lead to premature contractions. Try for 2.4 liters (10 cups) each day. Keep a pretty glass or pitcher of water on your desk to encourage you to fill up more.

To find out if sex can trigger premature labor, go to Page 2.

MYTH OR TRUTH: Sex can trigger premature labor.
Answer: MYTH!
Many couples tell tales of last minute romance leading to the birth of their child, but having sex does not cause preterm labor. There are a few cases when your doctor might caution you against sex in the third trimester. If you have a history of premature labor, if you have experienced vaginal bleeding, placenta previa (when the placenta covers the cervix), or if your water has already broken, you should not engage in sex. Otherwise, go for it!

Trending News

First published on August 31, 2009 / 7:40 AM

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How to get rid of heartburn during pregnancy

Boltovsky Vladimir Anatolievich

Pediatrician, Nephrologist

Children's clinic "Mother and Child" Samara

If, after some time after eating, the expectant mother has a feeling of warmth or burning behind the sternum, then this is heartburn.

Not all antacids can be used during pregnancy. For example, preparations containing bismuth nitrate ( Vikalin , etc.), should not be taken by expectant mothers due to the fact that the effect of bismuth on the development of the child is unknown.

Heartburn usually appears after the 20th week of pregnancy and torments the expectant mother until the birth of the child.

what she looks like

If, after some time after eating, the expectant mother has a feeling of warmth or burning behind the sternum, then this is heartburn. And most often these unpleasant sensations occur in the evening. Heartburn usually appears after the 20th week of pregnancy and torments the expectant mother until the birth of the child. According to popular belief, she worries the expectant mother when the baby's hair grows. In fact, heartburn occurs due to the fact that the acidic contents of the stomach are thrown into the lower esophagus. This happens because during pregnancy, the muscular sphincter, located between the esophagus and stomach, relaxes under the influence of the hormone progesterone. Another cause of heartburn is an enlarged uterus (and it just increases greatly after the 20th week) presses on neighboring organs: the stomach, intestines. As a result, the volume of the stomach decreases and even the usual amount of food leads to its overflow and the reflux of food back into the esophagus.

what will help

If heartburn occurs infrequently and does not bother you much, then in order to reduce its symptoms, you just need to eat right and change your lifestyle. The simplest thing that helps with heartburn:

Fractional meals: eat often 5-6 times a day at intervals of 1.5-2 hours and in small portions. Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly.
Healthy food: Avoid fatty and fried foods and chocolate. All these products provoke additional relaxation of the esophageal sphincter.
Heartburn usually occurs within the first two hours after eating, so do not lie down immediately after eating.
Sleep with the head of the bed raised by adding another pillow.

simple remedies

The simplest thing that helps with heartburn is some foods. For example, a burning sensation behind the sternum perfectly removes low-fat milk, just a few sips - and heartburn goes away or is significantly reduced. Ice cream works the same way, as well as grapefruit and carrot juices. You can get rid of heartburn by eating nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds), but they are more likely to prevent heartburn than to eliminate an existing one. And ordinary seeds help someone cope with heartburn. In general, the expectant mother can only choose the right product for herself, but here, as with food in general, one must observe the measure. No need to eat a block of ice cream or a package of seeds every day, drink glasses of juice or endlessly eat nuts. Of course, they will help, but ice cream and nuts are high in fat and calories, and juices in large quantities hit the pancreas and increase sugar levels. A small amount of one of some product will completely cope with an attack of heartburn.

be careful

Some medications, especially antispasmodics (drugs that relieve spasms of the smooth muscles of the internal organs), such as No-shpa , Papaverine , relax the esophageal sphincter and thus contribute to heartburn. Some herbs, such as mint, also work. Tight clothing under the chest (elastic bands, belts), a change in body position (tilts, turns) can also cause heartburn.

In general, every expectant mother can carefully observe herself and identify her personal cause of heartburn, then it will be much easier to deal with it.

old remedy

Baking soda is often used to treat heartburn. It really helps to relieve the unpleasant burning sensation very quickly, but at the same time it does not last long. In addition, when soda interacts with gastric juice, carbon dioxide is formed, which irritates the stomach - as a result, new portions of hydrochloric acid are produced and heartburn resumes. It turns out that a teaspoon of soda in a glass of water instantly relieves heartburn, but in response to taking soda, the next time the heartburn attack will be even stronger.

safe drugs

During pregnancy you can use the so-called antacids (Maalox, Almagel, Rennie, Gaviscon) . They contain salts of magnesium and aluminum, they neutralize the acid of gastric juice, form a protective film on the wall of the stomach, increase the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter. True, sometimes some antacids cause constipation (due to calcium or aluminum salts), and magnesium, on the contrary, has a laxative effect. Therefore, long-term use of these drugs is not worth it. Antacids can absorb other medications, so there should be some time between taking antacids and other medications.

Despite the fact that heartburn is quite unpleasant for the mother, it does not affect the child in any way. Start the fight against heartburn with proper nutrition, and you may not need medication.

Make an appointment

to the doctor - Boltovsky Vladimir Anatolyevich

Children's Clinic "Mother and Child" Samara

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Heartburn during pregnancy. How to get rid of it?

One of the constant companions of pregnancy (in more than 80% of cases) is an unpleasant burning sensation behind the sternum - heartburn.

The feeling of heartburn occurs when the acidic contents of the stomach enter the esophagus. Normally, this is impossible, since there is a narrowing between the esophagus and the stomach - the so-called lower esophageal sphincter, the muscle tone of which is regulated by the nervous and hormonal systems.

2 main causes of heartburn during pregnancy

In early pregnancy, during the first trimester of pregnancy, heartburn occurs due to a sharp increase in the level of the sex hormone progesterone. Progesterone relaxes all smooth muscles, incl. and muscles of the lower esophageal sphincter. This results in backflow of acidic contents into the esophagus. Usually this type of heartburn goes away by 13-14 weeks of pregnancy.

At later stages of pregnancy, in the third trimester, due to the displacement of the internal organs, the stomach is squeezed and lifted, and thus the acidic contents more easily overcome the barrier between the stomach and esophagus and provoke a feeling of heartburn.

This must be understood!

Folk remedies for heartburn during pregnancy: milk, soda, seeds are unacceptable treatments. With their continued use, complications can occur.

Milk is not an adult dietary product. Most people develop physiological lactose intolerance after the age of 2 years, and excessive consumption of milk (more than 1-2 glasses per day) can cause diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain.
Taking soda to suppress heartburn during pregnancy provokes an increase in the amount of gases and causes a "mirror response" of the stomach to a sharp alkalization of the contents - an increase in the acidity of the stomach and an increase in the alkalinity of the blood. This can provoke a feeling of heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

How to get rid of heartburn during pregnancy?

What can and cannot be done during pregnancy with heartburn? First of all, it is necessary to avoid taking foods that can increase the increase in stomach acidity - these are fatty, spicy, heavy foods. It is also not recommended to consume chocolate, coffee, freshly squeezed juices.

It is recommended to eat more vegetables and cereals in case of heartburn during pregnancy. Eating should be fractional - about 5-6 times a day in order to evenly distribute the load on the stomach during the day, so that the gastric juice is always with food, and not in a free state.
Try to avoid stress, adhere to a normal mode of work, rest, sleep. After eating, walks are required (in no case do not lie down). The position of the body during the day should be such as not to increase intra-abdominal pressure - while sitting, do not cross your legs, the level of the knees should not be higher than the level of the hips. It is recommended to lie with a slightly raised upper body.