Before addressing the issue of heartburn during pregnancy, it is important to understand heartburn as a general problem. In other words, it is crucial to know what causes, perpetuates and helps heartburn overall in order to comprehend why it plagues so many pregnant women. This comprehension includes the differences between every day heartburn and pregnancy heartburn as related to diet, physical, chemical and stress related causes. Also the issue of heartburn relief during pregnancy can then be addressed after its generalities are known.
Heartburn is also known as pyrosis and acid indigestion. It is characterized by a burning in the chest and esophagus area which can rise to the neck, throat and jaw. The burning sensation, of course, is caused by the acid that is produced by the stomach in order to properly digest food.
There are many health conditions and problems that are the supposed cause of heartburn. Everything from improper diet, stress, sleeplessness, heart problems, physical obstruction, and stomach issues can be the causes of pyrosis (more on each issue in a bit).
First let’s address diet. Certain foods are said to perpetuate heartburn or make it worse than it other would have been. It may seem intuitive already but many people do not realize that as far as specific foods go, any form of citrus will greatly aggravate the heartburn condition. This, of course, because citrus fruits (such as lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines) are highly acidic in nature. Pyrosis is the uprising of acidic fluids into the esophagus so addition of more acidic ingredients will simply make matters worse. A similar thing can be said of tomatoes. Although this is a little less intuitive (tomatoes do not seem to be very acidic), tomatoes are definitely a food to avoid especially if one is looking for heartburn relief during pregnancy. Garlic, onion and spicy foods also perpetuate heartburn because they need extra stomach acid to be properly digested. Cheese, avocados and nuts are high in fat. For this reason, they are also known to cause or increase pyrosis. These foods take longer to digest giving more time for a big and distended stomach which puts pressure on the pyloric sphincter allowing acid to enter into the esophagus.
Caffeine, wine, beer and other forms of alcohol are also triggers for heartburn. However, this is generally less of an issue for women seeking heartburn relief during pregnancy.
Having said all this, there are certain foods which are very safe to eat for those suffering from constant heartburn. Most vegetables such as, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, peas and potatoes, fall in this category.
The same can be said for most types of meat, especially ones that are lower in fat and higher in protein content. Grains are also a safe bet for heartburn sufferers who do not have trouble digesting grains, gluten and carbohydrates. For women who are looking for heartburn relief during pregnancy, the “safe” foods should become a staple part of their diet. Sometimes, this becomes an issue if the pregnant woman is craving certain foods that are known to trigger heartburn. However, there is a solution to this problem as well. Women who want heartburn relief during pregnancy should do a little research about the content of the food they are craving. For example, if a pregnant woman is craving lemons, there is a good chance that she is deficient in Vitamin C. So, taking Vitamin C may decrease the cravings and in turn serve as heartburn relief during pregnancy.
Besides food, other things may cause, perpetuate and (on the other hand) help relieve heartburn. Sleeplessness and stress (something common in pregnant women) are huge triggers for pyrosis. Women who are seeking heartburn relief during pregnancy should really focus on this category. Before I get further into explaining how and why stress and sleeplessness serve as heartburn triggers, it is important to note something. I have not said, anywhere the article that “too low of a pH” in the stomach (therefore greater acidity) are causes of heartburn. In fact this is a common misconception. In a healthy stomach pH should be very, very low (pH of around 2). While this is true, blood and cellular pH are usually kept body the body at a constant range of 6.8 – 7.2 (much less acidic). For the organism to maintain an extremely low pH in the stomach (a pH that would be deadly elsewhere in the body) it takes a lot of energy.
When an individual is going through extra stress of any kind (sleeplessness, personal issues, depression, alcohol consumption, trauma etc) the first thing the body “stops paying attention to” is maintaining the extremely low pH of the stomach. This, because, at the moment it has other, more important survival issues to take care of. Recent studies show that the pyloric sphincter (a small “gate” between the stomach and esophagus, is controlled by the pH of the stomach. If the pH of the stomach rises above what it should be (as happens during various types of stress), the pyloric sphincter is unable to shut as tightly as it should, and stomach acid will get into the esophagus, chest and mouth. One might ask how is this possible since during stress the stomach acid is not as acidic. The answer is that even if the stomach acid is a pH of 4.5 it is still highly acidic and can cause the burning sensation. At the same time, the pH of 4.5 is too high to keep the pyloric sphincter tightly shut.
So, for women seeking heartburn relief during pregnancy, it is crucial to get lots and lots of sleep and stay in a stress free environment as much as possible.
Heart problems can also be a cause of heartburn and the exact mechanisms of this issue are not fully understood. Some physicians believe that certain heart pains may mimic that of heartburn. So distinguishing one type of symptoms from another can be difficult. Generally speaking, having a healthy heart is a good way to insure differentiation between heartburn and serious heart problems. So good diet (as mentioned above) and exercise are a good idea.
Finally, physical pressure on the stomach may be the biggest cause of heartburn in pregnant women. Of course a growing human being presses up on the stomach and displaces the stomach from its proper location. The location of the stomach is incredibly important in proper acid production and compartmentalization. Even people who are not pregnant often discover that through various everyday activities that stomach has shifted out of its place. There are chiropractors who can adjust this problem with simple techniques and easily restore the stomach to full function, thus reducing heartburn. For women seeking heartburn relief during pregnancy, the displacement of the stomach is a bigger issue than for others, and is a bit harder to fix since the cause is a baby. Heartburn relief during pregnancy becomes essentially impossible in this case. The good news is that babies frequently shift so this type of heartburn may be very temporary and one may simply need to wait it out. Even in this case, however, there are things that the pregnant women can do to encourage the baby to shift. Exercise is the best thing of all options. Yoga (especially designed for women who are carrying), works to safely help the baby to move about the mother’s stomach. Flexibility and muscle endurance of the mother will also help the baby be more mobile while inside the womb. Other things women can do to relieve heartburn during pregnancy is to follow the above tips on diet and get plenty of sleep.
Other things women can for heartburn relief during pregnancy is adjust the way they sleep. Sleeping with the head and shoulder propped up (so the lower parts of the body are slightly lower than the top of the body) will encourage the acid to recline back into the stomach and not rise into the esophagus. Another thing to do for heartburn relief during pregnancy is to space out dining and sleeping. Waiting at least an hour after a meal to lie down to sleep will help reduce episodes of pyrosis on a daily basis. Drinking higher than usual amounts of water may also help reducing heartburn. Water is a neutral pH of 7 and is extremely necessary in maintaining proper pH of blood, cellular matrices and even the stomach. Drinking plenty of water will also promote proper digestion and thus help reduce pyrosis. Another interesting trick to helping heartburn relief during pregnancy is to eat papaya. Papaya is loaded with digestive enzymes that help the stomach maintain proper pH and more efficiently digest food. On that note, taking digestive enzymes as dietary supplements may also largely reduce heartburn. This is true for before, after or during pregnancy.
Whatever the cause of your heartburn may be during your pregnancy, know that there are dozens of ways to help yourself. The most important thing to keep in mind, however, is that the most important thing to do is life a healthy lifestyle.