What it is
Acid reflux pregnant, indigestion, a burn behind your breastbone after meals: this is pregnancy heartburn. Progesterone relaxes the valve between your stomach and throat, so acid slips up. Later, the growing uterus squeezes your stomach. About half of pregnant women get heartburn. In the third trimester it is closer to 3 in 4.
What's typical
It usually gets worse after week 27. Big meals, lying down after eating, spicy or fatty food, chocolate, coffee, and citrus are the usual triggers. Many mothers get it worst at night. It fades within days of birth. The tale that heartburn means a hairy baby has one small study behind it and not much else.
What's known
ACOG lists diet and position changes first, then antacids, then stronger medicines if needed. Ask your provider which ones are fine for the whole pregnancy. In Ayurveda, heartburn is read as excess heat, and cooling foods like milk, coconut, and fennel are the custom.
What helps
- Smaller meals, more often. Stop before you feel full.
- Stay upright for an hour or two after eating. Eat dinner early if nights are bad.
- Raise the head of your bed with a wedge or blocks, not just extra pillows.
- Loose waistbands. Anything that presses on your stomach pushes acid up.
When to call someone
- Nowchest pain with sweating, shortness of breath, or pain that spreads to your arm or jaw. Do not assume it is heartburn.
- Todaypain under your right ribs with headache or vision changes, which can be preeclampsia. Also vomiting blood or black stools.
- At your next visitheartburn that keeps you from eating or sleeping despite the basics.
Who helps
Tools: Postpartum Meal Planner
Related
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancyPregnancy: Your Body
- High blood pressure and preeclampsiaPregnancy: Your Body
- What to eat in pregnancy: the short versionPregnancy: Eating
- Can't sleep: pregnancy insomniaPregnancy: Your Body
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Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Patient FAQ on problems of the digestive system during pregnancy
- NHS — Indigestion and heartburn in pregnancy
Sources are named, not yet linked. The steward verifies each one and adds the link.
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