If you ask pregnant women whatmost bothered them during pregnancy, 90% of percent will immediately remember heartburn. Moreover, some women quite seriously believe that heartburn is a sign of pregnancy. Heartburn is what we will talk about in this article. We will figure out what this phenomenon is, why heartburn occurs during pregnancy, and - most importantly - how to deal with it. After all, tolerating heartburn for several months in a row, and sometimes throughout the entire pregnancy, is not such an easy thing. Heartburn significantly complicates the normal course of pregnancy, bringing discomfort to the woman. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that heartburn in pregnant women does not pose a particular threat to the health of the mother and baby. Well, perhaps it worsens the course of toxicosis, if any - its symptoms intensify. To begin with, it is worth talking about what heartburn is. Doctors call heartburn a very complex term - "reflux esophagitis". It is deciphered quite simply - the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus, resulting in an inflammatory process that involves the mucous membrane lining the very bottom of the esophagus, which is located on the border with the pylorus of the stomach. As a rule, heartburn during pregnancy most often begins to torment a woman at the end of the second - third trimester. However, in some cases, heartburn can begin in the first trimester and continue until the very birth. Sometimes heartburn appears for a while - from several minutes to several hours, and sometimes it torments a woman day after day, week after week.
Causes of heartburn
So, let's figure out why exactlypregnant women so often become victims of heartburn? Why does it happen so often during this period of a woman's life? After all, the direct connection between pregnancy and heartburn is obvious. For many centuries, there was a popular belief that heartburn most often appears at the time when the baby's hair is growing. However, neither doctors nor the women themselves confirm this theory. Very often, those mothers who suffered greatly from heartburn gave birth to babies with practically no hair. And vice versa - mothers of lush-haired newborn babies did not encounter heartburn during pregnancy at all. And what do doctors say about this? How do they explain such a phenomenon as heartburn in pregnant women? The mechanism of heartburn itself does not raise questions - the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus, which is irritated under the influence of these very contents and the inflammatory process begins. However, doctors do not have a clear answer to the question of why this pathological process is activated during pregnancy. They put forward several hypotheses, each of which is quite reasonable. Let's consider each of them in more detail:
- Heartburn in early pregnancy
As mentioned above, sometimes heartburn givesto know even in the earliest stages of pregnancy. And sometimes even before the delay of menstruation - for some women it becomes one of the first signs of pregnancy. As a rule, in this case, heartburn comes not alone, but accompanied by faithful "comrades" - nausea, vomiting, heartburn. Or, to put it simply, there are symptoms of toxicosis of the first half of pregnancy. So what causes such heartburn? Of course, hormones. As you know, the hormonal background of a pregnant woman changes very much - in the blood of a woman, the level of such sex hormones as progesterone, necessary for maintaining pregnancy, and chorionic gonadotropin, necessary for its successful development, increases sharply and many times. These hormones have a very diverse effect on all organs and functions of the body. Including the gastrointestinal tract, the smooth muscles of which, under the influence of hormones, relax to a significant extent. This is what causes the contents of the stomach to be thrown into the esophagus. And, accordingly, the cause of heartburn during pregnancy. As a rule, heartburn caused by such reasons goes away on its own by the end of the first trimester. However, unfortunately, there is absolutely no guarantee that it will not return in the second or third trimester. However, at this stage of pregnancy, heartburn will be caused by completely different reasons.
- Heartburn for long periods of pregnancy
In the event that heartburn appears on morein the later stages of pregnancy, as the uterus increases in volume and the tummy grows, the reasons for its occurrence are slightly different. Most often, heartburn "activates" after the 36th week of pregnancy. Firstly, at this stage, hormones are produced again that relax all the smooth muscles of the body. Including the pylorus - it does not perform its function as correctly as usual. In addition, the uterus continues to increase in volume. As it rises higher and higher, the stomach gradually contracts. It presses on the diaphragm, causes shortness of breath and provokes the reflux of the stomach contents into the esophagus, which, as we have already found out, is the trigger for the development of heartburn. This condition will be relieved a couple of weeks before childbirth, when the uterus drops down a little. The uterus drops down due to the fact that the baby's head drops as low as possible to the small pelvis - the baby takes the most optimal position before childbirth. By the way, during this period not only heartburn disappears, but also shortness of breath. And the level of progesterone during this period of pregnancy decreases very much. Although these unpleasant sensations are replaced by others - frequent urination and constipation. They, in turn, arise due to the fact that the uterus begins to press on the intestines and bladder. But do not despair - there is very little time left. And you will meet your baby!
How to avoid heartburn?
So, heartburn during pregnancy: what to do?First of all, you need to try to prevent this problem from arising at all. Of course, you can’t completely eliminate the possibility of heartburn. However, it’s still worth trying – by following certain measures, you will, if not completely insure yourself against this misfortune, at least significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of heartburn attacks.
- Diet
A surefire way to get heartburn for anyonea person is to not care about their diet. And a pregnant woman is no exception to this immutable rule. Moreover, expectant mothers should be especially careful about what they eat. Firstly, it is necessary to completely exclude from the diet those foods that tend to irritate the gastric mucosa, or at least simply provoke increased production of gastric juice. Such products include all fried foods, smoked foods, canned goods, pickles, spicy and salty foods. In addition, expectant mothers are strongly discouraged from eating sour fruits, berries, sweets in large quantities, fresh pastries. Watch what you drink too - it is unacceptable to drink carbonated drinks, sweet and sour juices, any kind of coffee and strong tea. The best drinks for expectant mothers are still mineral water, compotes, fruit drinks, fermented milk products.
- Meal time
A huge number of people have one"amazing" habit - to snack all day, and when you get home - to eat your fill, and right before bed. So - such a diet is strictly contraindicated for a pregnant woman! The only acceptable option is fractional nutrition. In no case should you overload the body with such food "attacks". Try to eat often, but in small portions - 8 - 10 times a day. By the way, such a diet will also help to avoid such a problem as constipation. They are also very relevant for a pregnant woman. By the way, constipation can also cause heartburn. This is due to the fact that constipation provokes tension in the entire digestive system, and therefore, the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus.
How to get rid of heartburn?
Many women believe that treatmentheartburn during pregnancy is a useless exercise. They say that until the baby is born, there is no point in trying. However, this is not true at all - safe but very effective remedies can help with heartburn during pregnancy. Moreover, there are both medications and folk remedies. By the way, if you are suffering from heartburn, be sure to tell your doctor - gynecologist about it. Perhaps he will consider it necessary and prescribe you some pharmacological drug. You should not take anything on your own. After all, even the most harmless medicine for a pregnant woman can lead to the most unpredictable consequences. But you can try to treat heartburn with home, safe methods. And right away I would like to say that soda is far from the best assistant. Soda can only temporarily alleviate the symptom of malaise. Many women "buy" into this apparent effectiveness - because soda really helps for some time. However, you should not do this. Don't believe me? See for yourself! For this you will need soda, water, vinegar and an empty glass. Pour water into a glass, pour in a tablespoon of vinegar and add a pinch of soda. See how soda (alkali) reacts with gastric juice? (acid)? Do you really want such a chemical reaction to occur in your stomach? Otherwise, you are guaranteed at least gastritis. So let the soda continue to stand on its shelf. And now we will tell you about other, much safer, ways to eliminate heartburn. Heartburn remedies
- Grated carrots
So, you have the first symptoms of heartburn.Don't rush and grab the pills - while the heartburn is not yet severe, ordinary raw carrots can help you. Peel it, wash it and grate it. Never add sugar to the carrots, otherwise the effect will be the opposite. Such treatment will only worsen the situation, as the heartburn will become more pronounced. Just a little grated carrot helps to forget about heartburn for at least a few hours. Such treatment is absolutely safe. Moreover, carrots have the most beneficial effect on the body of the mother and baby - because they contain a large number of useful substances.
- Honeycomb
It can also be very effective in combating heartburn.help such a beekeeping product as honeycombs. However, such treatment is effective only for isolated and not very severe attacks of heartburn. Just chew the honeycombs, like regular chewing gum. The wax will gently coat the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus with wax, relieve the inflammatory process. If you have previously had cases of allergic reaction to honey, this treatment is not suitable for you. And you should not abuse all the others - subsequently the child may be allergic to honey. In fairness, it should be noted that this information has not been officially confirmed by doctors, but you should not risk it. After all, the treatment should in no way harm the baby!
- Alkaline mineral water
If heartburn bothers you in the first weekspregnancy, ordinary alkaline mineral water can help. As soon as you feel at least one sign of incipient heartburn, immediately drink a third of a glass of alkaline water. After that, be sure to lie down for a few minutes - otherwise there may be bloating and flatulence. And these are unnecessary problems and inconveniences that the expectant mother absolutely does not need, right?
- Juice of raw potatoes
Heartburn during pregnancy can also be helped bypotato juice. To do this, wash and peel one large potato. Grate it on a fine grater, then squeeze out the juice using gauze. Drink a tablespoon of juice immediately after the onset of heartburn. This remedy is especially helpful in the later stages of pregnancy - 35 - 40 weeks. By the way, do not prepare potato juice for future use - after just 20 minutes it completely loses all its healing properties. Moreover, it becomes dangerous for the body of any person.
- Flax-seed
No less effective than drugsflax seed infusion. To prepare it, pour five tablespoons of flax seeds with one glass of boiling water. Let it brew for about an hour, then strain and drink in small sips throughout the day. The disappearance of heartburn after the first two hours is a very good sign. This means that the remedy is ideal for you. Such treatment can be carried out in courses - this will allow the expectant mother to forget about heartburn for at least several months. The essence of the treatment is extremely simple - a woman should take such an infusion of flax seeds three times a day - in the morning before breakfast, at lunch and immediately before bed. The duration of the course of treatment is only one week. Try it, find your own recipe, because what is effective for one person may not help another. And let your pregnancy not be overshadowed by anything! Especially now, if you are overtaken by heartburn during pregnancy, what to do, you know perfectly well! We advise you to read:
