Heartburn and Pregnancy
Heartburn and pregnancy can occur when there is a leakage of acid into the esophagus by the stomach. Many pregnant women suffer from heartburn during pregnancy and nutrition battles. One out of every four pregnant women suffers from heartburn, generally in the third trimester. The main reason for this is as your baby grows the uterus moves up applying pressure on the stomach. The digestive tract is then compressed allowing the acid to travel back to the esophagus.
You can avoid heartburn during pregnancy in many ways. The first thing to do is to eat slowly, this will help with your pregnancy heartburn. This helps you to enjoy the food better and the stomach does not have to overwork for the food to digest. Have your food a minimum of two hours prior to sleeping at night, to give your body enough time for digestion. Have smaller meals 5 or 6 times a day to allow better digestion.
Try to keep solid food and liquids separately, too much mixing of solids and liquids can give you heartburn. Make sure you eat in a sitting position and not lying on your back. If your having a snack in bed use a pillow to keep straight.
Heartburn is also connected to your weight. There is more pressure on the splinter of esophagus of women who have put on more weight then necessary. It is important to gain the proper amount of weight as suggested by your doctor. Do not use being pregnant to over eat, listen to your doctor.
Identify that give you heartburn. When you are able to identify, them remove them from your diet. There are certain foods and beverages that can cause heartburn like soda, tomato sauce, spicy foods, chocolate, and some citrus fruits. You can also develop heartburn from eating oily food. Learn the proper foods to eat during pregnancy.
Hans K Anderson
