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Heartburn In Pregnancy? - Here's How To Cope
By Frank Thornton
Coping with heartburn in pregnancy
One of the negative aspects of pregnancy is having to put up with heartburn. For women who have never had heartburn, it comes as a surprise. Rest assured, it's a normal occurrence and if there's any saving grace, it's that your heartburn is more than likely to vanish when your baby is born.
To understand heartburn in pregnancy, let’s look at a few common terms and definitions used in heartburn discussions.
The starting point is “acid reflux”. This occurs when stomach acid returns from the stomach into the esophagus. The esophagus is simply a “tube” through which food is transported down your throat into your stomach.
Often there is a burning sensation associated with the reflux, and this is heartburn. The burning occurs because the esophagus gets irritated by the acid. Going one step further, chronic heartburn, occurring two to three times per week, is referred to as GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
So what is it about pregnancy that causes heartburn to occur?
One primary cause is the baby itself. When your baby grows, it pushes upwards on your stomach, resulting in the stomach acids themselves being pushed upwards into your esophagus.
This usually occurs in the second half you one’s pregnancy, but as the baby grows the more likely it is to occur. There's simply no getting around this one!
Another cause can be hormonal. As hormones increase during pregnancy, the ligaments around the esophagus sphincter can weaken. This sphincter is the valve through which food passes
from the esophagus into the stomach. So as the sphincter weakens, the more likely it is that stomach acid will escape, entering the stomach.
One's diet during pregnancy can be a major source for heartburn. If you crave heartburn food such as the ones listed below, then you increase the likelihood of heartburn:
Tomatoes
Tomato sauce
citrus fruits or juices
fatty foods
sodas
In addition to the foods, the quantity of food eaten also has an affect. Pregnancy is synonymous with eating larger portions.
And larger meals may result in a larger amount of stomach acid being produced.. Combine that with either a weakening of the ligaments of the esophagus' sphincter or the pushing of the baby and you have a recipe for more heartburn in pregnancy.
So what’s the best plan for heartburn in pregnancy?
Since it’s so common, the best plan is to minimize the ways in which heartburn in pregnancy could happen.
Begin by keeping keep track of what you eat and see if you can identify what causes your heartburn. Avoid the likely suspects such as fatty foods as much as possible.
And if you have chronic heartburn, two to three times per week, then consult your doctor for a solution. Article Source: http://www.article-matrix.com Frank Thornton writes on health issues at www.relieveyourheartburn.com
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