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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 - symptoms, causes and methods of treatment of the disease

Contents

• Causes of heartburn during pregnancy
• What to do with heartburn during pregnancy?
• Preparations for heartburn during pregnancy

Heartburn is an unpleasant feeling of burning or warmth behind the breastbone or in the epigastric region. The symptom occurs after eating or on an empty stomach and is associated with food reflux, that is, the reflux of food processed by gastric juice back into the esophagus. Since the mucous membrane of the esophagus is not adapted to the action of gastric juice, it becomes irritated, which is subjectively felt in the form of heartburn.

Heartburn in pregnant women is an independent symptom that appears only during the period of bearing a child against the background of the absence of chronic diseases that cause reflux of gastric juice ¹ . According to statistics, 30-50% of pregnant women suffer from heartburn, there is evidence that more than 80% of pregnant women complain of heartburn, especially in the third trimester ⁴ .

Heartburn in pregnancy is a condition that is caused by the changes that occur to the female body during the period of gestation. All factors that can cause heartburn in women in an interesting position can be divided into physiological (natural) and pathological (disease-related).

Physiological heartburn of pregnant women can occur for two reasons:

• Hormonal - associated with a weakening of the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter. This is the name of the circular muscle between the stomach and the esophagus, which regulates the flow of food into the stomach and prevents its movement in the opposite direction. During pregnancy, the level of progesterone in the blood rises, which relaxes the uterine muscle, simultaneously acting on all other muscles of the body, including the esophageal sphincter. As a result, the sphincter does not close after eating, but remains open. Any change in body position or contraction of the stomach causes food reflux ⁴ . Heartburn also occurs if it is disturbed by the movement of food through the esophagus, for example, if the frequency of "reverse" contractions of the esophagus increases in the direction from the stomach to the esophagus ¹ .
• Physical - due to the increase in the size of the uterus, the location of the internal organs changes and intra-abdominal pressure increases, which is transmitted to the wall of the stomach and contributes to reflux ⁴ .

In connection with such changes in the gastrointestinal tract during pregnancy, all pathologies that cause heartburn can worsen.

Pathological causes of heartburn during pregnancy include the following:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (reflux esophagitis) is a pathology of the esophageal sphincter, which occurs more often with diaphragmatic hernia, when the natural curve between the esophagus and stomach disappears, preventing reverse reflux ⁴ .
• Other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, pancreatitis, diseases of the liver and biliary tract, inflammatory bowel disease ² . With gastritis and ulcers, the acidity of the stomach increases, and pathologies of other digestive organs cause bloating, constipation, enlargement of the liver, which increases intra-abdominal pressure.
• Taking drugs that relax the lower esophageal sphincter - heart drugs, theophylline, anti-inflammatory drugs, progesterone, antidepressants ⁴ .

In the first two hours after eating, hydrochloric acid is produced in the stomach, which is needed for food processing. It is at this time that heartburn is more likely to torment, especially if a woman consumes fatty, fried and spicy foods ⁷ . Burning behind the sternum can last for several minutes or several hours. Heartburn may recur several times during the day. It is characterized by its strengthening in a horizontal position, with torso tilts, as well as when turning to the other side.

To reduce the severity of heartburn, you first need to adjust the diet and some habits. This helps to reduce the increased acidity of the stomach and prevent the reflux of food back into the esophagus.

Pregnant women should follow the following dietary recommendations ⁴ :

• Do not eat excessively high-calorie foods.
• Eliminate night snacks and especially overeating.
• Eat often and in small portions.
• Do not lie down immediately after eating, do not sleep in a strictly horizontal position, it is necessary to raise the head end of the bed.
• Walk for 30 minutes after eating.
• Eat dinner no later than 3-4 hours before going to bed.
• Do not lift weights, do not make strong and frequent torso bends, do not overstrain the abdominal muscles.
• Do not wear corsets, bandages, tight belts that increase intra-abdominal pressure.

From the diet for heartburn should be excluded ⁴ :

• Carbonated drinks (they increase pressure in the stomach and stimulate the formation of hydrochloric acid).
• Cream, whole milk, fatty meats, fatty fish, goose, pork (fatty foods take a long time to digest).
• Chocolate, cakes, pastries, spices (relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter).
• Citrus fruits, tomatoes, onions, garlic (irritate the mucous membrane of the esophagus).

For heartburn, pregnant women can eat the following foods ⁶ :

• wheat bread, dry biscuits, dry biscuits;
• baked pies with apples, boiled meat or fish;
• soups of meat, fish, vegetables;
• lean beef, poultry, fish;
• soft-boiled eggs and scrambled eggs;
• sugar, copper, butter cream;
• tea, cocoa, sweet fruit juices, jams, compotes.

In 80% of pregnant women, heartburn disappears after childbirth, but severe heartburn during pregnancy, especially if it lasts for several weeks, may persist after the birth of a child ⁴ .

Often, proper nutrition and adherence to lifestyle recommendations do not always help get rid of heartburn. If heartburn is caused by any disease, adequate treatment of the underlying pathology with medications helps to eliminate unpleasant symptoms.

The use of folk and non-traditional ways to eliminate heartburn during pregnancy is also not effective enough and even potentially dangerous. Many of the herbs used during pregnancy can harm both the woman and her unborn baby ⁴ .

Therefore, it is advisable to discuss the choice of a drug with a doctor who will help you choose the right remedy for heartburn during pregnancy, paying attention from the standpoint of safety for the fetus and potential impact on the course of pregnancy ⁴

The results of epidemiological studies of Omez ^® 10 mg in the treatment of heartburn in pregnant women show no clinically significant adverse effects on pregnancy and the health of the fetus or newborn ⁵ .

Omez ^® 10 mg is dispensed without a doctor's prescription, but you can take it yourself without specialist advice for no longer than 14 days ⁵ .

THERE ARE CONTRAINDICATIONS, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEDICAL USE OR CONSULT A DOCTOR.

1. Vyuchnova E.S., Yurenev G.L., Mironova E.

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