How heartburn can occur during pregnancy and how it can affect you

Heartburn and chest pain can occur anytime during your pregnancy especially in the first trimester. It is important to know how they come about, what causes them and especially how they can be avoided or cured.

During pregnancy the placenta secrets a higher quantity of progesterone in order to relax the uterine muscles; that is how the uterus can keep the baby. Progesterone also relaxes the valve between the stomach and the esophagus which is meant to keep food and acid in the stomach after every meal. This allows the gastric acid to travel backwards and create the burning sensation. It is known as acid reflux.

As your baby begins to grow it exercises a higher pressure on the internal organs and the acid reflux and food reflux from your stomach into your esophagus increases. You must follow several steps for relieving these symptoms, ease the pain they cause and prevent as much as possible their reoccurrence:
1.Stay away from food that causes these kinds of problems: fried food, carbohydrates, caffeine, citrus fruits, fats, chocolate. However you must know heartburn can also be caused by other kinds of food.
2.Eat smaller amounts of food and have more then 3-4 meals a day so your body has enough time for food digestion, and the chest burn will stop.
3.Try to avoid eating in the evening before going to bed. Have your meal a few hours before going to sleep so your body can digest the food properly. This will decrease the chance of acid reflux from your stomach.
4.Avoid wearing tight clothing which increases the pressure on your child as well as on the other organs causing them to react through gastric reflux.
5.Smoking and alcohol can and will harm you anytime especially during your pregnancy time. Give it up! And think how these can cause upsetting heartburn and damage your childs health.
6.If the symptoms dont concede you can also appeal to an antacid during your pregnancy but not before asking about it. Your medical doctor can tell you more about its effects on your evolution as a pregnant woman.

Try to remember every woman and every pregnancy is different. Sometimes heartburn is caused by all kinds of food and sometimes it never occurs. If you really suffer from heartburn you should ask a doctor or a nutritionist about it; they may be able to suggest any kind of treatment to help you loose these problems once and for all.