Quite often, many women suffer from heartburn during pregnancy. Some expectant mothers encounter this problem in the second and third trimesters, others - already in the very early stages. We will talk about the causes of heartburn during pregnancy and how to cope with it yourself in the absence of problems from the gastrointestinal tract.
Heartburn is a burning sensation and discomfort that appears behind the breastbone. The sensations can be both moderate and quite pronounced, reducing the quality of life.
Anatomy and physiology
The contents of the stomach normally do not enter the esophagus, but when the protective mechanisms fail, heartburn occurs.
Fine
The environment of a healthy stomach is acidic, which is due to the influence of hydrochloric acid, which is produced by the cells of the stomach and is the main component of gastric juice. The inner walls of the stomach are covered with a film of mucus that protects them from the aggressive effects of hydrochloric acid.
Whereas the acidity of the environment in the esophagus is almost neutral, and protective mucus is not produced.
Between the stomach and esophagus there is a circular muscle (sphincter) that prevents the backflow of food.
For heartburn
For various reasons, the sphincter can weaken and food from the stomach is thrown into the esophagus (reflux). Hydrochloric acid, entering the esophagus from the stomach, corrodes and irritates the mucous membrane of the organ. A chemical burn of the mucous membrane of the esophagus occurs.
Home remedies for heartburn in pregnant women
You can also try using folk remedies for heartburn, the only important thing is that they are safe. For example, milk helps a lot with heartburn ; just a few sips and the unpleasant burning sensation goes away. Grapefruit and carrot juice have the same effect . You can get rid of heartburn with the help of various nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds), but they are more likely to prevent heartburn than eliminate existing ones. seeds help someone cope with heartburn , but here, as with nuts, one must observe moderation. A few nuts or grains are great, but you shouldn’t eat kilos of them, they contain a lot of fat and are very high in calories.
Nadezhda Desnitskaya, a specialist in natural childbirth and a healthy lifestyle while expecting a child, advises:
Get used to eating fractionally, distributing your entire daily amount of food into 5-6 meals. Give preference to everything fresh and natural to get rid of intoxication.
Heartburn and pregnancy
Under the influence of many factors, with the onset of pregnancy, the body of the expectant mother gradually undergoes changes aimed at bearing and breastfeeding the child. Against the background of this transformation, heartburn may occur as a “side effect”.
In the early stages
Hormonal changes begin first, and the main role in it is played by the ubiquitous progesterone, the pregnancy hormone. At the initial stage, it is produced in the corpus luteum of the ovary (the place in which the egg matured), then mostly in the placenta (it is fully formed by 15–16 weeks).
Progesterone is responsible for many processes: attachment and implantation of a fertilized egg into the wall of the uterus, growth of the uterus, relaxation of the muscles of the uterus and maintaining them in this state. The action of the hormone ensures the onset and maintenance of pregnancy.
Under the influence of progesterone, the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and the sphincter located between the stomach and esophagus also relax.
What can pregnant women do for heartburn? Safe medications
During pregnancy, you can use so-called antacid medications . These medicines contain magnesium and aluminum salts. They neutralize the acid that is part of the gastric juice, form a protective film on the wall of the stomach, and increase the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter. Nowadays, Maalox, Almagel, Rennie, Gaviscon are most often used. A side effect of some antacids is constipation (due to calcium or aluminum salts), and magnesium, on the contrary, has a laxative effect. Therefore, you should not use these drugs for a long time. When taking antacids, be aware that they may interfere with other medications. Therefore, some time should pass between taking antacids and other drugs.
First trimester of pregnancy
Many problems that arise with the health of the expectant mother and carrying the baby are easy to identify in advance and prevent their development. What does that require? Register in a timely manner and undergo examinations in accordance with the timing of pregnancy.
Find out more about the features of the 1st trimester
In the later stages
After 24–25 weeks of pregnancy, the effect of progesterone decreases and the expectant mother experiences some relief. However, the growing uterus and baby begin to put pressure on surrounding organs, including the stomach, lifting it upward. That is, mechanical conditions are created to relax the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus.
List of safe drugs during pregnancy
When deciding how to treat a patient, the doctor takes into account the characteristics of the patient’s body, the course of pregnancy, general condition, and the presence of chronic gastrointestinal diseases. A heartburn remedy that works for one woman may not work for another, so choosing a drug on your own is dangerous. Below is a brief description of those medications that are in greatest demand among pregnant women.
Maalox
Maalox belongs to the group of antacids and is safe for almost all pregnant women. Available in two dosage forms - suspension (in sachets for single use and in a bottle) and chewable tablets. Many women, while pregnant, have to regularly avoid heartburn, so they find it convenient to take pills that are always convenient to carry with them.
The active ingredients of Maalox are magnesium and aluminum hydroxide. Penetrating inside, they help reduce the concentration of acid that has entered the esophagus and provokes a burning sensation in the chest. Although according to the instructions Maalox is suitable for long-term treatment, in the case of pregnant women, taking it for more than 2-3 days in a row is dangerous.
Maalox helps to quickly relieve heartburn, for example, after overeating or eating junk food, but it is not used to treat gastrointestinal diseases during pregnancy.
Rennie
Rennie is a tablet widely used for heartburn. The advantage of the drug is a minimal list of contraindications, including those allowed during pregnancy. The tablets are chewable and do not need to be washed down with water, which makes them possible to use in different situations.
Rennie is available in different flavors: orange, mint and sugar-free mint. The latter option is suitable for those whom doctors recommend limiting their consumption of sweets. Rennie's main active ingredients, calcium and magnesium carbonates, are antacids, that is, they help reduce acidity levels.
In addition to eliminating the symptoms of heartburn, Rennie is effective for dyspepsia in pregnant women, stomach upsets, nausea and vomiting. The drug improves digestive processes and eliminates periodic pain in the stomach that appears due to poor nutrition.
Gaviscon
Gaviscon is a drug belonging to the group of alginates. Available in the form of an oral suspension, with anise and mint flavors. The action of Gaviscon lasts about 4 hours, during which time the aggressive effect of digestive juice on the walls of the esophagus is neutralized.
Gaviscon strengthens all organs of the gastrointestinal tract, providing a protective effect against external irritants, including excessive amounts of digestive juice, junk food, and other factors. Thanks to the drug, a kind of film is created that envelops the walls of the stomach. Thanks to this, unpleasant sensations are eliminated.
Gaviscon suspension is sold in glass bottles and sachets for single use. The latter form of release is especially convenient; the drug can always be carried with you.
Almagel
Almagel is intended for long-term use and effectively copes with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract such as:
- gastritis, including chronic during exacerbation;
- gastroesophageal reflux disease;
- duodenitis, gastroduodenitis;
- flatulence;
- enteritis;
- poisoning, food poisoning;
- ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
Almagel helps against heartburn during pregnancy, especially when it is a symptom of one of the diseases of the digestive system. For example, if a woman suffered from chronic gastritis before giving birth, and an exacerbation began during pregnancy, Almagel can be used for long-term therapy, but strictly as prescribed by the doctor.
Iberogast
Iberogast is one of the recently introduced medications for heartburn. It has a minimum of contraindications, including permitted during pregnancy, mainly due to its natural basis. The drug is produced on the basis of medicinal plants.
Apart from Iberogast, very few herbal medications for heartburn are produced, so doctors often prescribe these drops to patients during pregnancy.
Iberogast is available in the form of drops intended for oral administration; there is a dosage of 50 and 100 ml. The active ingredients are extracts of plants such as chamomile, caraway seeds, lemon balm, May celandine, bitter Iberica, and others.
The drug belongs to the group of gastrointestinal motility stimulants; it tones the muscles of the digestive system, which usually lose their functionality after conception and as the fetus grows. And Iberogast also has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect, so it helps with heartburn, which is a symptom of exacerbation of gastritis or other diseases of the digestive system.
Gastracid
Gastracid is a drug that is effective for many diseases of the digestive system. It is used for exacerbation of ulcers, gastritis, reflux esophagitis, and other ailments. During pregnancy, Gastracid is prescribed mainly to combat heartburn. The duration of treatment does not exceed three days.
The drug is available in the form of lozenges that have a pleasant mint flavor. One of the main effects is enveloping; after ingestion, Gastracid envelops the walls of the stomach, protecting them from excessively secreted digestive juice.
According to the instructions, the maximum permissible daily dose of Gastracid is 12 tablets, but during pregnancy it is adjusted by the attending physician.
Self-help, or How to cope with heartburn
There are no universal methods, but some tips are quite effective.
What to do?
* Try to identify the foods that cause heartburn and eliminate them from your diet. The most common causes of heartburn are smoked foods and marinades, salty, fried and fatty foods, spices, sour fruits/berries or juices, carbonated drinks, fresh bread and pastries, kvass. Alcohol and coffee can provoke heartburn, although most expectant mothers do not drink them anyway.
* Eat small meals and often (up to 6-7 times a day). It is undesirable to overeat, especially try not to overeat at night.
* Immediately after eating, do not bend over or take a horizontal position.
* Sleeping position is important: it is advisable to sleep on your side, not on your back. You can also sleep half-sitting with pillows under your head and shoulders.
* If you smoke, give up this bad habit.
* Mineral water helps many people - it creates an alkaline environment.
* There are helper products that reduce heartburn: raw carrots, fried seeds, milk, cream, low-fat cottage cheese, chamomile tea, porridge, dry cookies. The condition is alleviated by weak tea, jelly or cocoa with milk, almonds or walnuts. It is important that you independently select the products that help you. While some expectant mothers are literally saved by milk or cereals, others do not feel any relief when consuming them.
* You can use medications that neutralize the effect of hydrochloric acid in gastric juice and coat the gastric mucosa. Most of them are approved for use during pregnancy - for example, Rennie or Phosphalugel . The active substances are not absorbed from the intestines and do not enter the blood of the expectant mother, but are concentrated in the digestive system and excreted naturally in the stool. Medicines help to quickly alleviate the condition, but you should not abuse them over a long period of time. The main thing is to follow the diet and general recommendations.
Use with caution
It is advisable for the expectant mother, if possible, not to take antispasmodics (drugs that relieve spasms of smooth muscles of internal organs) unnecessarily, for example, No-shpu, Papaverine, as they relax the esophageal sphincter and thus contribute to the occurrence of heartburn. Some herbs, such as mint, have the same effect.
Baking soda is often used for heartburn. It really helps to relieve the unpleasant burning sensation very quickly, but at the same time it does not last long. In addition, when soda interacts with gastric juice, carbon dioxide is formed, which has a strong soda effect - as a result, new portions of hydrochloric acid are produced, and heartburn resumes. It should be borne in mind that the sodium contained in baking soda is absorbed in the intestines and can lead to the appearance of edema, and this is completely undesirable for expectant mothers.
Important!
Olesya Molodkina, a gastroenterologist of the 1st category, warns:
You cannot regularly take soda for heartburn, as this disrupts the ratio of salts and water in the body.
Other recommendations from doctors
In order for any of the medications used to bring relief from the burning sensation, you must follow the following recommendations from doctors:
- Avoid overeating, eat small portions. Even if your appetite increases, try to increase not the amount of food you eat, but the frequency of your meals.
- Take your time and chew your food thoroughly. Don't watch TV, don't have conversations while eating. During such activities, an excessive amount of air enters the esophagus along with food, which provokes a burning sensation.
- Choose the correct thermal method for processing food. You should not eat fried foods; it is better to boil, stew, or bake them.
- Avoid junk food, especially fast foods, processed foods, spicy, salty, fatty foods.
- Add fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and other fiber-rich foods to your diet daily.
- During an attack of heartburn, drink a teaspoon of soda diluted in a glass of water. However, remember that this product is suitable for one-time use.
- Do not wear tight clothing that compresses your body.
Heartburn during pregnancy is a common occurrence, so it is better for every expectant mother to become familiar with the causes of its occurrence and possible ways to combat it in advance. Medicines should be selected in consultation with your doctor. They must be safe for both the woman and the child.
