Acid Reflux Stress Article

Pregnancy and Acid Reflux

Very few pregnant women or women who have been pregnant in the past can honestly tell you that they didn’t suffer from acid reflux or heartburn during their pregnancy. Acid reflux is on the top of the list of pregnancy complaints, right there with morning sickness and gaining weight. As bad as pregnancy can make you feel, the symptoms that accompany it can be very hard to deal with, acid reflux included. There is nothing like be awakened at 2am with a raging case of heartburn caused by acid reflux, especially when you don’t get all the sleep you need anyway, between being uncomfortable and running to the bathroom all night. The last thing you need is one more problem to interfere with your sleep and make you feel even worse.

There are many different things that are believed to cause acid reflux in pregnant women, none that have been completely proven yet, however. Some think it has to do with the hormones that run amok during pregnancy, but then again, almost every pregnancy symptom gets blamed on raging hormones, so who knows for sure. The nature of acid reflux is the same, the sphincter that connects the stomach and the esophagus opens when it should be closed allowing stomach acid and digestive juices to flow up into the esophagus and the throat, causing that burning pain, otherwise known as heartburn.

When you are pregnant, your body has to expand and organs shift around to make room for the growing baby, often putting pressure on the stomach, causing acids and digestive juices to be forced out into the esophagus due to lack of room. This is often the cause of pregnancy related acid reflux, especially in later pregnancy. The good news is that it usually disappears completely once the baby is born.

The suggested treatment for pregnancy related acid reflux deals mainly with watching the foods you eat, eating less more often, and practicing good posture, so as not to put extra pressure on the abdomen. You should try not to eat fatty, spicy foods, and eat small meals throughout the day to stave off hunger, rather than three large meals. The larger meals will put more pressure on your organs, ending up in a horrible case of acid reflux.

It is hard to practice good posture when you are carrying around an extra 20 pounds, all in front, but if you can try to still maintain good posture when standing and sitting, you will likely have less acid reflux, as you are taking a lot of the pressure off of your stomach. This will also help alleviate a lot of the back pain you may experience, especially in later pregnancy.

So, eat a healthy diet, try to keep good posture, and follow your obstetrician’s advice on how to deal with your pregnancy induced acid reflux, and know that the end is around the corner. As soon as you have that precious babe in your arms, you can kiss your acid reflux goodbye, hopefully, at least until the next pregnancy!