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Parentpedia
Heartburn
Heartburn is when you have a bitter, acidy taste in your mouth and throat, and a burning tight feeling in your chest. Common in the general population (about 10% of Americans are bothered by heartburn everyday), heartburn is something that often plagues pregnant women (up to 50% of pregnant women complain about heartburn daily).
Heartburn and indigestion are caused by the malfunctioning of the lower esophageal sphincter (also known as the LES), which is a muscular valve that opens to allow food to enter the stomach or to allow air to be let off from the stomach (in the form of a burp or a belch). It's located under the left ribs, where the esophagus meets the stomach.
Pregnancy hormones, especially estrogen and progesterone, cause the intestines to slow down and the stomach muscles to relax, making the LES less tight and more prone to malfunction. Since your digestive system has slowed down, food and acids take longer to digest and you are more prone to have what is known popularly as heartburn and scientifically as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition that is unpleasant no matter what name you call it. As the pregnancy progresses, the expanding uterus squeezes the stomach into a smaller place, which can aggravate heartburn.
What do you do?
- Avoid chocolate: According to pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, chocolate can exacerbate heartburn in pregnant women due to a substance called theobromines that actually further relaxes the LES.
- Eat small frequent meals so your stomach won't be overfull or have to work too hard to digest.
- Sit up for at least an hour after eating so gravity can help your digestion.
- Avoid rich foods: Fatty foods take longer to digest and might aggravate your heartburn.
- Avoid alcohol: Alcohol increases the production of stomach acid and relaxes the LES allowing stomach contents to reflux back up into the esophagus.
- Sleep with pillows: Maintaining a more upright position while you are sleeping may help to prevent stomach acid from creeping up and causing discomfort.
- Take an antacid: Antacids such as Tums, Rolaids, and Maalox help to neutralize stomach acid which could help your heartburn.
- Take an acid blocker: such as Zantac and Prilosec (be sure to discuss with your doctor.)
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