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Heart Burn and Indigestion During Pregnancy
As many as 8 out of 10 women face this problem during pregnancy and some during their early stage. Have you wondered why? Hormones relax the muscles of the digestive tract, and the pressure of the growing uterus on the stomach thereby causing heart burn.
Also called dyspepsia, indigestion is a feeling of fullness or discomfort during or after a meal. It can be accompanied by burning or pain in the upper stomach.
Heartburn is a strong, burning pain in the chest that is caused by stomach acid passing from your stomach into oesophagus (the tube that leads from your mouth to your stomach).
You can help ease the discomfort of indigestion and heartburn by making changes to your diet and lifestyle, for which the treatments are available that considered safe in pregnancy.
You can try to avoid these triggers that may increase your indigestion:
· Citrus fruits
· Fat, oily or spicy foods
· Too much of Chocolates
· Caffeinated drinks like coffee, carbonated beverages
· Smoking and Alcohol
Here are few more practical tips to help you reduce the occurrence of heartburn and indigestion:
Eat small frequent meals - Don't eat big meals, especially late at night. Lying down with a full stomach can keep you awake and will only make heartburn worse.
Don't eat close to bedtime. Give yourself 2 hours for the food to digest.
Slow down -When you eat too quickly, there are chances for you to swallow air, which can form gas in stomach. So, take your time to eat and chew food slowly and thoroughly.
Keep your pregnancy weight gain gradual to minimize the amount of pressure on your digestive tract.
Drink fluids after rather than during meals.
Do not exercise with full stomach. Exercise before a meal or at least one hour after eating a meal.
Don't wear clothes that constrict your belly.
Pregnancy-induced indigestion is also nothing to worry about. If indigestion is not relieved after making these lifestyle changes, your doctor may prescribe medications to alleviate your symptoms.