By: aaron adish
Submitted: 2010-10-26 01:36:54 | Word Count: 661
Heartburn in Pregnancy - Helpful Tips
Heartburn in pregnancy is caused by a muscular weakness. The muscle concerned is that the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a ring of muscle between your stomach and esophagus. The LES is designed to relax once you swallow food thus that the food can enter the stomach. Once the food is in the abdomen, the LES is to tighten, keeping food and stomach acids from flowing back to your esophagus. If the LES invariably worked properly, no one would ever suffer heartburn in pregnancy.
Like many alternative elements of the body, but, the LES is littered with pregnancy. Heartburn in pregnancy may be a frequent complaint.
Common Question concerning Heartburn in Pregnancy
[ advertisement ]
When does heartburn start in pregnancy? How soon in pregnancy does one get heartburn? When should I expect heartburn in pregnancy? The query varies, but the solution is always the same. Heartburn in pregnancy usually begins round the fifth month. From that point forward, it could come and go until you offer birth.
How do you treat heartburn in pregnancy?
Pregnancy Heartburn Treatment
Pregnancy heartburn treatment begins with an understanding of the connection between heartburn and pregnancy. Why is it that at this point when you're therefore happy to be expecting, you suddenly have heartburn?
With pregnancy, the placenta produces progesterone, a hormone that relaxes the uterus' smooth muscles. It relaxes some other muscles, too, one in all which will be the LES separating the esophagus and stomach. As progesterone relaxes the LES, it fails to close and/or stay tightly closed. This permits acids to flow back to the esophagus, inflicting heartburn. Progesterone conjointly affects the contractions of the esophagus, slowing the wavelike action. This, too, contributes to heartburn in pregnancy.
As your pregnancy progresses and your baby grows, your abdominal cavity will become crowded. The limited space can be taken up increasingly by the growing, moving infant. This puts pressure on the stomach, which in flip pressures the LES to open. Heartburn will quickly result as stomach acids are pushed into the esophagus.
Steps of Pregnancy Heartburn Treatment
Your healthcare provider can warn you not to require medications that might damage the baby. There are steps you can take, but, to treat heartburn in pregnancy.
1. Watch your weight gain. Ask your physician how much you must fairly gain, and use caution to stay your weight to that limit. Excess weight will place more pressure on the LES and increase heartburn.
2. Avoid tight clothing, especially around your waist and abdomen. Tight clothing also contributes to pressure on the LES muscle ring.
3. When bending, bend at the knees rather than at the waist. Bending at the waist could be a common cause of heartburn in pregnancy.
4. Eat several tiny meals throughout the day in place of three larger meals. Eat slowly and chew your food well.
5. Have your last meal or snack at least two to three hours before bedtime. Permitting food to digest before you lie down will scale back heartburn.
6. Though you may need to drink eight to ten glasses of water daily, you ought to Avoid drinking massive amounts of liquid during meals. Strive to recollect that a distended stomach can pressure the LES and cause heartburn.
7. Chase away potential heartburn by chewing gum after eating. The chewing action can facilitate unleash air bubbles that contribute to heartburn and also the gum stimulates the assembly of saliva, which can help neutralize acid.
CAUTION: The author isn't a professional physician, and offers this data about heartburn in pregnancy for instructional functions only. Please look for advice from your health care provider.
Author Resource:-
Cecelia Peterson has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Pregnancy, you can also check out latest website about
