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Heartburn - feeling the burn
Which is the most uncomfortable symptom associated with pregnancy? In any group of women, heartburn will certainly get its share of votes. It doesn't help that it comes on late in pregnancy, when you're feeling cumbersome and getting bigger every day.
You don't have to be pregnant to get heartburn, but body changes in pregnancy, which put extra pressure on your stomach, can make it an odds-on occurrence (obesity, and chronic constipation can have the same effect). Also, increased levels of hormones in your body have the effect of softening the ligaments that normally keep the valve between the oesophagus and stomach tightly shut. When this happens, food and gastric acid can come back up your throat. The lower part of your throat is sensitive and easily irritated by acid. This irritation is what causes that characteristic burning sensation under your breastbone.
What to do
Over-the-counter remedies for neutralising stomach acid can be helpful. But using them too often and for too long can cause constipation (if they contain aluminium) or diarrhoea (if they contain magnesium).
If heartburn is getting you down, eating small, frequent meals is a good first step. The wisdom of this will become more apparent as you get bigger and your stomach gets squeezed into a smaller space. Don't eat too late at night - give yourself at least two hours to digest your evening meal - and since digestion begins in the mouth, help to relieve the burden on your stomach by chewing your food well.
The kinds of food you eat may also be important. Cut out spicy, greasy, sugary or acidic foods. Some women find that not drinking with a meal helps, since sometimes this can dilute digestive juices. Instead, try sipping a herbal tea such as dill or fennel after a meal to aid digestion (avoid coffee and tea since this can increase stomach acidity).
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