Acid Reflux And Pregnancy
Saturday, November 8th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Keeping Pregnant Women Away From Acid Reflux Dilemma
It is a known common experience that most pregnant women will have heartburn and this can happen for various reasons.
One of these is the increase of hormones in a woman’s body while they are pregnant. The occurrence of this will result in softening the ligaments which function is to keep the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) firmly closed. As LES relaxes, the tendency is for the gastric acids and ingested foods to reflux back up into the esophagus area and throat.
Another reason they experience heartburn during pregnancy is from the changes occurring within her body as the baby begins to develop and grow, increasing pressure on her stomach. This will cause the stomach to force it’s contents up into the LES and the esophagus.
Fortunately, there are several ways pregnant women can help to elevate some of the painful discomforts from acid reflux. You can use some of the following tips, however, keep in mind they may not completely remove all heartburn.
1. Refrain from foods already known to be causes of heartburn. Examples of this are chocolates, spicy foods, citrus fruits and juices, mustard, tomatoes and tomato based products, fatty foods, fried foods, and highly seasoned dishes. You may also want to consult your physician on what food and beverage items you should or should not be ingesting.
2. Avoid beverages with caffeine in them, such as; coffee, tea and soda. Too much of these will cause the LES to relax and let the acid to return into the esophagus.
3. Stay away from alcohol beverages. This, like caffeine tends to relax the LES thus, creating the same effect of triggering heartburn.
4. Avoid eating large meals. You will find that by eating smaller meals more often through out the day will be a big help.
5. Avoid rush when eating your meals. Make sure to chew your food well and take your time when eating, as this will also help cut back on the amount of heartburn you experience.
6. Get plenty of rest a after you eat each meal and do not get involved in any activity that will interfere with your body digestive system.
7. A pregnant woman is advised to take more glasses of water a day, at least 8 to 10 glasses, though this must be taken not just during meals. Because if this is the stomach will expand and the LES will be under more pressure causing it to open when it shouldn’t. Therefore, you should keep in mind to only drink water and other fluids between meals.
8. When sleeping elevate the head of the bed to be at least six to eight inches high. You should try to elevate both your head and shoulder areas when sleeping. Through this, the gravity will work to keep the acids in your stomach in their place; in the stomach, not in the esophagus. Try to consult physicians to gain additional knowledge on how to relieve night time heartburn.
9. Make sure the clothes you wear are not too tight. If you wear clothes that are too tight around the stomach area, than that can trigger heartburn as well.
10. Be careful how you bend down to pick up things, always use your knees. You do not want to put too much pressure on your stomach.
11. Don’t slouch; rather sit erect in a relaxing chair.
12. Keep an eye on your weight too, because too much fat around your stomach will put undue stress on it. When that happens, it will force the contents within the stomach to go up toward the esophagus much easier. You should always follow your doctors advice on the recommended eating guidelines.
13. Avoid smoking. Doctors stated that smoking could cause several effects to a pregnant woman, and one is that it can add to the possibility of experiencing heartburn. By following all these tips, you will have a much healthier and happier pregnancy.
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