Tips To Deal With Pregnancy Heart Burns

Monday, November 14, 2011, 9:02

What exactly do we mean by Heart Burn?
A heart burn during pregnancy is that searing burning sensation in your chest. The discomfort starts from just under the rib cage and extends up to your throat. The discomfort is so great that you mistake it for a cardiac arrest although it is relatively harmless. It can however give you sleepless nights and eating problems that are not good for your prenatal health.

Why Do You Get Heart Burns During Pregnancy?
There are certain specific conditions during pregnancy that causes indigestion. There are a variety of causes and here are some of the most potent ones.

Extra Endocrine Gland: When you are pregnant you have an extra endocrine gland functioning in your body. The placenta that holds the foetus, produces hormones too. The main hormone produced by the placenta is progesterone which is supposed to relax the muscles of the uterus; basically prevent the uterus from cramping to bring about menstruation.

Progesterone Production: This excess progesterone has effects on other glands too. It relaxes the valve in between the stomach and the oesophagus. This allows the acidic food churned in the stomach to flow back up into the food pipe causing heart burns during pregnancy. It also inhibits the contracting motion of the oesophagus that is a part of the digestive process and thus slows down digestion.

Space Constriction: In the advanced stages of pregnancy, the baby starts fighting for space in the abdomen. The more it grows, the more it pushes the stomach upwards facilitating the back flow of half digested food.

All these conditions contribute to a tendency of indigestion during pregnancy.

How To Avoid Heart Burns During Pregnancy?
A good pregnancy diet and some minor lifestyle changes can go a long way to help you deal with indigestion during pregnancy.

Eat small meals at a time. Breaking up your meals into small portions will give your stomach that extra time to digest the food and if it is not in large quantities, it won't flow back.
Chew for a longer time and continue to chew on something even after you have eaten. A medicated gum or even mouth freshers like cloves can be chewed to stimulate the contractions of the food pipe to break down the food.
Never eat just before you are going to bed. Lying down is not a good posture to digest food. Eat at least 2 hours before.
Your pregnancy diet should not have very spicy or sour (acidic) foods that are more likely to give you heart burns. Spicy food is anyway not good for the baby so avoid it. It is important to eat what suits you. For example, if you cannot handle milk then don't drink it.
Do not wear tight clothes, especially ones that are tight around the waist. Cast off belts or stringed bottoms that increase the pressure on your abdomen.

Follow these tips to avoid heart burns during pregnancy and stay comfortable.