How to Treat Heartburn When Pregnant

If you're pregnant, then you might also expect to treat an occasional bout of heartburn over the next few months. Why does heartburn occur when you're pregnant? You can blame it on the hormone progesterone. Higher progesterone levels sometimes cause the lower muscle to relax, allowing stomach acid to make a return trip through the esophagus. Obviously, most medications are to be avoided while you're pregnant. However, there are some natural, safe and effective ways to treat heartburn when you're pregnant.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Eat smaller and more frequent meals throughout the day instead of the typical 'three squares.'
2. Wait at least an hour after eating to sleep or lie down. Also, avoid bending forward (if you're able to do so anyway) for an hour after a meal or snack.
3. Increase your water intake during the day to reduce the risk of heartburn occurring. At least eight full glasses is the standard.
4. Soothe away heartburn symptoms by drinking a small glass of warm milk with a dollop of honey blended in.
5. Treat yourself to a helping of plain yogurt to ease your heartburn symptoms. Aside from being delicious, yogurt contains live cultures which can help restore the balance of 'friendly' bacteria in your stomach and intestines.
6. Practice heartburn prevention by avoiding certain foods that trigger it, such as spicy or fried foods.
7. Avoid highly acidic fruits and vegetables that may also bring on an attack of heartburn, such as oranges, grapefruit, pineapple and tomatoes. This means passing up juices made from these culprits as well.
8. Cut all caffeinated (including chocolate) and carbonated drinks from your diet, as these tend to promote bouts of heartburn. Tea is fine, as long as it doesn't contain any leaf from the mint family, such as peppermint or spearmint.

Tips & Warnings

• Take solace in knowing that experiencing heartburn when pregnant is usually temporary.
• Heartburn is more commonly experienced during the third trimester of pregnancy due to more pressure being applied on organs, including the stomach.
• If drinking more water when pregnant presents a problem for you, such as increasing fluid buildup in tissues, talk to your doctor about how to manage this.
• Always check with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications to treat heartburn when you are pregnant. Some of these antacid medications may contain high amounts of sodium or even lead.
• Call your doctor if your heartburn symptoms increase in severity or occur more frequently. Your doctor may prescribe a medication safe to take during your pregnancy, or an antacid made from calcium carbonate.