It is almost inevitable to get heartburn during pregnancy. Even for women who have never experienced the burning and irritating discomfort also known as acid reflux will have to experience it while pregnant.
The stomach produces acids to help break down and digest foods. When food is eaten, it travels down the esophagus, passes through the lower esophageal sphincter, and enters the stomach. Then the stomach acids begin the digestion process.
The food and acids are supposed to remain in your stomach until digested and passed on. Heartburn is what happens when enough pressure is built up in your stomach to send some of the acid and partially digested foods back up through the lower esophageal sphincter and into your esophagus.
The symptoms of heartburn can vary for each individual, and you may experience one or more of the following:
A burning sensation in your throat and chest
Aches and pains in your chest, back and sometimes arms
A sour acidic taste in your mouth and throat
Difficulty swallowing or a feeling of food being caught in your throat
Feeling of hoarseness or dry throat sometimes accompanied by a dry cough
Halitosis otherwise known as bad breath
Heartburn during pregnancy occurs for several reasons. Changes in hormones can make your system react differently to foods than you normally would. Foods that can cause heartburn are ones that have a high acid content, high fat content, and spicy foods. These include citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, tomatoes or tomato based foods like spaghetti sauce, chocolate, fried foods, spicy foods like chili and hot wings. Beverages that can cause heartburn include orange or grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, lemonade or lemon wedges in water, tomato or vegetable juice, coffee, sodas, and alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol both relax the muscles of the lower esophageal sphincter to allow it to open easier and release the acids back up into your throat.
Increased weight as your belly grows, which is unavoidable during pregnancy, puts added pressure on your stomach. This increased pressure can aid in pushing the acids up into your esophagus causing you heartburn during pregnancy.
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.