To avoid heartburn during pregnancy, it is recommended to follow some simple changes in food, such as avoiding fried foods, foods rich in pepper or too spicy and avoid drinking liquids during meals, which should be made in small quantities. To quickly relieve burning, you can try to drink 1 cup of milk, preferably skim milk, since whole milk fat takes longer in the stomach and may not help.
Heartburn is a burning sensation that starts at the end of the middle bone of the ribs and goes up the throat, and it is common to appear in the second or third trimester of gestation, but some women may experience the symptoms sooner.
What to do to avoid heartburn in pregnancy
Although heartburn is a typical pregnancy change, there are some precautions that help to combat this problem:
- Avoid foods such as mustard, mayonnaise, pepper, coffee, chocolate, soda, alcoholic drinks and industrialized juices;
- Avoid drinking liquids during meals;
- Regularly consume fruits such as pear, apple, mango, well-ripe peach, papaya, banana and grapes;
- Chew all food well, to facilitate digestion;
- Stay seated for at least 30 minutes after eating, avoid lying down;
- Do not wear tight clothing on the stomach and stomach;
- Eat small portions at a time, several times a day;
- Place a 10 cm wedge on the head of the bed to prevent the body from lying completely horizontally, favoring reflux and heartburn;
- Do not smoke and avoid exposure to cigarettes;
- Avoid eating 2 to 3 hours before bed.
It is popularly believed that when the pregnant woman feels a lot of heartburn her baby will have a lot of hair, but there is no scientific proof that this can actually happen.
Remedies for Heartburn in Pregnancy
In most cases, heartburn improves with changes in diet and lifestyle, but in cases of constant and severe heartburn, your doctor may recommend magnesium or calcium-based medicines, such as Magnesium Bisura or Milk Magnesia, or remedies like Milanta Plus, for example. However, it is important to remember that any medicine should only be taken under medical guidance as it may be harmful to the baby's development.
Other options are home remedies that relieve heartburn, such as peeling a small piece of potatoes and eating raw. Other options include eating 1 apple with peel, 1 slice of bread or 1 cracker cream cracker because they help push the gastric contents back into the stomach fighting heartburn naturally. Also see how to treat gastritis in pregnancy.
Why Heartburn Appears During Pregnancy
Heartburn occurs in pregnancy due to excess progesterone, a hormone that relaxes the muscles of the uterus to allow it to grow and support the baby. However, the progesterone ends up decreasing the intestinal flow and also relaxing the esophageal sphincter, which is the muscle responsible for closing the division between the stomach and the esophagus, which allows the gastric acid to return to the esophagus and throat more easily .
In addition, with the growth of the baby, the organs end up with less space in the abdomen and the stomach is compressed upward, which also facilitates the return of food and gastric juice.
When the heartburn will pass
In general, heartburn occurs after giving birth, when the stomach returns to have more space in the abdomen and the female hormones return to normal. However, women who gained a lot of weight during pregnancy may still have symptoms of heartburn for up to 1 year after giving birth.
Watch the video below and see more tips on coping with heartburn in pregnancy:
Heartburn can be a symptom of reflux in pregnancy, so see more about this disease and its treatment in pregnancy here.
