When Can You Expect Heartburn During Pregnancy To End
When can you expect the heartburn to go away? If youre worried that the answer to this question is never, do not despair. Unless you had GERD prior to getting pregnant, your heartburn will almost certainly go away after you deliver your baby, says Dr. Qin.
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It doesnt go away immediately after childbirth, but over time, as the pregnancy hormones go down and as the abdominal pressure decreases, she says.
How To Get Rid Of Heartburn During Pregnancy Fast
You never know when or where heartburn may strike. Its a good idea to keep some emergency heartburn-relief remedies in your handbag in case youre caught off guard.
Keep a small stash of the following items on you at all times:
- Oatmeal
- A teabag of your favorite heartburn-relieving herbal tea
- Milk.
Calcium-containing antacids such as Tums or Rolaids .
During pregnancy, the stomach has prolonged gastric emptying times and the gastroesophageal sphincter has decreased tone. Together, these changes lead to reflux and possibly combine with decreased esophageal tone to cause ptyalism, or spitting, during pregnancy as well as reflux and heartburn.
Diet Nutrition And Lifestyle
What and how you eat can make all the difference with heartburn during pregnancy.
Try:
- Eating smaller meals throughout the day
- Making your main meal at lunchtime, which takes pressure off the digestive tract later in the day when the body is tired or ready for bed
- Avoiding food a couple hours before bed or a nap
- Sitting upright after eatinglying down can push stomach contents back up
- Propping your head up with a couple of pillows while sleeping
Avoid:
- Tight fitting clothes. They put even more pressure on your organs.
- Liquids while you eat. This dilutes your digestive juices, making them less effective.
- Eating the following aggravating acidic foods:
- Chocolate
- Caffeinated and sugar beverages, like tea, coffee, soda, etc.
- Onions
- Spicy, fatty, rich, and fried foods
- Fizzy drinks
- Large quantities of meat in one sittingthe body works harder if overloaded or too rich
Again, adding and subtracting certain foods and behaviors daily will help build a more balanced foundation for your wellness.
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Does Pregnancy Cause Heartburn
Pregnancy increases your risk of heartburn or acid reflux. During the first trimester, muscles in your esophagus push food more slowly into the stomach and your stomach takes longer to empty.
This gives your body more time to absorb nutrients for the fetus, but it can also result in heartburn.
During the third trimester, the growth of your baby can push your stomach out of its normal position, which can lead to heartburn.
However, each woman is different. Being pregnant doesnt necessarily mean youll have heartburn. It depends on many factors, including your physiology, diet, daily habits, and your pregnancy.
Relieving heartburn during pregnancy typically involves some trial and error. Lifestyle habits that can reduce heartburn are often the safest methods for mother and baby. The following tips may help relieve your heartburn:
Alternative medicine options include acupuncture and relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, or guided imagery. Always check with your doctor before trying new treatments.
When Can I Expect The Heartburn To End During Pregnancy
Unfortunately, heartburn is a symptom you’re likely to experience throughout your entire pregnancy if you have it at all.
In fact, even if you escaped indigestion early on in your pregnancy, there’s a good chance you’ll have a surge starting around the second or third trimesters, when your uterus takes over your abdominal cavity and forces your stomach upwards.
Fortunately, the burn should clear up as soon as you give birth.
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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.
Opt For A Glass Of Cold Milk
There is nothing better for heartburn during pregnancy than a glass of milk. This is the number one medication prescribed by doctors because it is effective, healthy, and natural. You will likely already have it in the house.
You dont even need to have cows milk. Even soya and almond milk will do the trick. What you want is something thats cold and neutral against the acidic levels in your stomach and esophagus. While balancing the acid, you will get more calcium in your diet to support your growing baby.
Do watch out for the amount of milk you drink. It does have natural sugars and some fats, so you dont want to replace every drink you have with it. Just one glass should be enough for immediate relief. The downside is that it doesnt offer the long-term effects.
Dont add chocolate to your milk to make it taste better. Chocolate is one of the worst offenders for causing heartburn during pregnancy.
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Try Out Tagamet For Longer Term Relief
Another option for longer term relief is a medication called Tagamet. This works in the same way as Zantac 75 and Pepcid, by blocking some acid production but mostly neutralizing the acid that is in the stomach. It is a longer term relief than the likes of TUMS and Maalox.
The benefit is that Tagamet as a category B rating. This is important for doctors as it means that it hasnt shown any signs of causing an unborn baby problems. It is more favorable than Prilosec, which has a category C rating.
When You Should See A Doctor For Heartburn
Wellenstein tells Insider that heartburn is “rarely a cause for major concern in pregnancy, especially if a woman didn’t have an issue with it prior to pregnancy.”
However, if symptoms become more frequent or severe despite lifestyle and dietary attempts, or “if she develops nausea and vomiting due to the severity of the heartburn, she should promptly alert her doctor. And it is a medical emergency if she begins vomiting blood, since this may indicate a more serious condition related to heartburn,” Wellenstein says.
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Which Diet And Lifestyle Changes Relieve Heartburn During Pregnancy
The management of heartburn during pregnancy involves many of the same principles as management in the non-pregnant state. Lifestyle changes may include:
How Can I Prevent Heartburn During Pregnancy
They say prevention is the best medicine, so knowing common heartburn triggers can help you keep the acid at bay.
Of course, pregnancy itself is a major trigger for heartburn. As your growing uterus puts pressure on your stomach, this pushes stomach acid up your throat.
Those lovely hormones are no help either. They tend to relax the valve between your stomach and esophagus, which makes it easier for acid to make its way upward.
While theres nothing you can do to stop this entirely, there are a few things that can help prevent heartburn from flaring up during pregnancy:
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Is It Safe To Take Tums During Pregnancy
According to Rami Khatib, RPh, CDE, manager and owner of Sechelt Pharmacy in British Columbia, Canada, “It is safe to reach for TUMS at any point when there is discomfort from indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn, or in cases of stomach ulcer flareup.”
Khatib notes two possible side effects of using TUMS while pregnant, constipation and flatulence, which can be known to come with the pregnancy territory already.
Taking TUMS to relieve symptoms of GERD, while pregnant, is generally safe and effective. But Clark does caution those who have known kidney disease to discuss with a healthcare provider before taking TUMS. Antacids can disrupt the body’s electrolyte balance if you have chronic kidney disease.
Otc Medications May Also Help
If changes to your lifestyle and diet don’t work, that’s when doctors may recommend medication.
- Antacids: “Most antacids are considered safe in pregnancy and are compatible with breastfeeding,” Sridhar says. Antacids are OTC medications like Rolaids, Tums, and Maalox. And while they may be OTC, if you’re pregnant, you should consult your doctor before taking them.
- H2 blockers: If antacids don’t work, a doctor may prescribe H2 blockers like Pepcid. H2 blockers can relieve heartburn because they help you produce less hydrochloric acid in your stomach, thereby preventing heartburn before it even starts.
- Proton Pump Inhibitors: If antacids and H2 blockers don’t work, your doctor may prescribe proton pump inhibitors like Nexium or Prevacid.
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Get Zantac 75 When Theres No Pepcid
If you run out of Pepcid and you cant get anymore, Zantac 75 is an option. This is another heartburn medication that works on neutralizing the acid in the stomach. It doesnt work on blocking the acid production in the way that the above medication does.
You can get the Zantac 75 without a prescription in both liquid and tablet form. It can be effective for on the spot heartburn relief, but its not the best option. It is one of those for the longer term benefits.
Zantac 75 can also help to relief stomach pains and coughs. It also helps to limit the production of ulcers in the stomach by keeping the acid levels neutral.
When Will It End
Heartburn symptoms are usually mild and manageable. Tell your healthcare provider if your heartburn is severe, if you spit up blood, or have dark-colored bowel movements. This is a sign of blood in your digestive tract. Fortunately, heartburn usually ends with the birth of your baby and your body goes back to its nonpregnant state.
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What Medications Are Safe To Take During Pregnancy
Over-the-counter antacids such as Tums, Rolaids, and Maalox may help you cope with occasional heartburn symptoms. Those made of calcium carbonate or magnesium are good options.
However, it may be best to avoid magnesium during the last trimester of pregnancy. Magnesium could interfere with contractions during labor.
Most doctors recommend avoiding antacids that contain high levels of sodium. These antacids can lead to a buildup of fluid in the tissues.
You should also avoid any antacids that list aluminum on the label, as in aluminum hydroxide or aluminum carbonate. These antacids can lead to constipation.
Finally, stay away from medications like Alka-Seltzer that may contain aspirin.
Ask your doctor for the best option. If you find yourself downing bottles of antacids, your heartburn may have progressed to gastroesophageal acid reflux disease . In that case, you may need a stronger treatment.
Look Out For Medication With Magnesium Oxide
The heartburn medicines that include magnesium oxide are good for pregnancy. They will increase the amount of magnesium in your system to help limit the production of stomach acid and reduce the flare up of your heartburn.
Look out for those in tablet form and use as little water as possible. When you swallow any type of liquid, you will start the acid production in your stomach. By keeping the water to as little as possible, the tablets can just get to work on your system.
Antacids with magnesium in it will neutralize the acidic effects. It doesnt affect any other part of your body, so your baby isnt going to be affected.
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Heartburn Medicines When Your Are Pregnant
All the medications that you would usually take become questionable when youre pregnant. There are some that thin the blood and others that cause problems for the cell growth and structures of your growing little one.
Now you must think twice about what to take and what to avoid regarding heartburn medicine. It can be tricky, especially when it comes to the symptoms of pregnancy. You have to put up with pain, sickness, and heartburn medicine.
The good news is that many heartburn medicine and medications are safe during pregnancy. Here are 15 that you can definitely take, with some over the counter options and some herbal remedies to soothe and treat your acid reflux.
What Are The Causes Of Heartburn During Pregnancy
Pregnancy increases the risk of heartburn or reflux
Many women suffer from heartburn during pregnancy. These questions may arise in this case: What can be done to eliminate this discomfort? Does not treat this condition harm the fetus? And is heartburn a serious problem during pregnancy?
What are the causes of heartburn during pregnancy?During the normal process of digestion, food goes from the esophagus to the stomach, in the meantime the food passes through the muscular part at the end of the esophagus called the snuff and then enters the stomach. The sphincter is the valve that allows food to enter the stomach. This valve opens when eating and food can enter the stomach, after which the sphincter closes to prevent stomach acid from returning to the esophagus. When you have heartburn or gastric reflux, the sphincter does not close completely and some acid returns to the esophagus. The return of acid may cause pain and burning in the chest area. During pregnancy, hormones are released in the body that may cause the sphincter muscle to relax. As a result, some acid returns to the esophagus, especially when you eat a lot or lie down. In addition, as the fetus grows in the seventh month onwards, the uterus puts more pressure on the stomach. The same pressure may cause stomach acid to return to the esophagus.
Eat smaller meals and do not drink liquids with food. Instead, drink water between meals.
Eat slowly and chew each bite thoroughly.
Avoid eating just before bed.
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Why Exactly Does Pregnancy Cause Heartburn
Heartburn during pregnancy will plague most moms-to-be at some point because progesterone, the hormone that relaxes muscles in pregnancy, also relaxes the stomach valve that keeps acid out of the esophagus. In addition, the growing uterus crowds the stomach, forcing acid into the esophagus.
But there are safe, effective ways to stop it. “Pregnant women really don’t need to suffer with heartburn anymore,” says Adrienne Einarson, RN, assistant director of clinical services at Motherisk, a Toronto-based program that investigates the effects of prenatal exposures on maternal and fetal health. Here, experts recommend 12 different ways to soothe heartburn during pregnancy.
Heartburn Acid Reflux And Gerd During Pregnancy
Its called heartburn, although that burning feeling in your chest has nothing to do with the heart. Uncomfortable and frustrating, it bothers many women, particularly during pregnancy.
The first question you may have is how to make it stop. You may also wonder if treatments are safe for your baby. Learn what causes heartburn during pregnancy and what you can do about it.
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What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the stomach`s content returns to the esophagus (the muscle tube that transports foods and liquids from the mouth to the stomach. GERD is also known as acid reflux or acid regurgitation, because the digestive juices contain acid.
The acid fluids of the stomach may damage the lining of the esophagus.
Heres What Other Mamas Have To Say About Relieving Heartburn During Pregnancy Naturally
I asked the moms on my Facebook page about their go-to natural remedies for pregnancy heartburn, and here is a sample of their responses.
- Apple cider vinegar, pickle juice, digestive enzymes! Katie Keepman
- An apple in the morning and right before bed. Elsa Silva
- It may sound weird, but I would either drink a little pickle juice, or eat a spoonful of peanut butter and within about 5-10 minutes was gone. Jessica Fields
- Baking soda in a little bit of water helped! Was it gross? A little, but still more enjoyable than heartburn! Erin M. Strand
- Maybe not the healthiest, but I always had ginger snaps next to my bed. I ate one or two at night for the heartburn and another one or two in the morning for the nausea. Sarah Gilroy
- I didnt treat my heartburn with any natural remedies, but did learn that bad heartburn can often present itself as nausea/morning sickness! Women who experiences bad nausea/MS should consider your remedies as well! Renee Jillian
- So far, wearing hazelwood helps some. Not perfect, but helps a little. Susan Miller
- I had heard to eat a few green olives. So when a pregnant friend was needing relief, I suggested her to try itand it works!!! Shawna Beaubien
- Liquid slippery elm works instantly! Ashly Burke-Goike
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