Heartburn and pregnancy

Heartburn is a burning sensation felt behind the breast bone when acid from the stomach's digestive juices splashes up into the oesophagus (gullet). Most people experience heartburn from time to time; in pregnancy it can become frequent and over half of all pregnant women experience symptoms. There are a number of reasons why heartburn is more common in pregnancy; the baby is growing which puts some extra pressure on the stomach but more importantly the hormonal changes of pregnancy relax the muscle at the top of the stomach that usually stops the acid from splashing up.

To minimise heartburn try the following suggestions.

	Avoid eating large meals; try and break you food intake into smaller, more manageable portions.
	Avoid having a lot to drink with meals. You swallow more air when you drink with meals and this can aggravate heartburn when it subsequently comes up again.
	Avoid alcohol and drinks containing caffeine (coffee, tea, cola) because these too relax the muscle at the top of the stomach holding the acid in.
	Avoid lying down or stooping immediately after meals and sit in a comfortable upright position rather than slouching.
	Try using a few extra pillows at night so that you sleep a little more upright. Alternatively, put the head of the bed up on blocks.
	Try using some simple antacid mixtures or tablets such as magnesium trisilicate. These are available over the counter at the pharmacist and do not contain ingredients that are absorbed so they cannot harm the baby-they merely neutralise acid in the oesophagus and stomach. Avoid indigestion tablets such as cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine-they are not known to be harmful but are absorbed into the bloodstream.