Pregnancy is an exciting time for both parents. However, it does have side effects, including many changes in the woman's body. One such change to address is gastroesophageal reflux. The acids present in the stomach travel up the esophagus and cause heartburn. If you are pregnant and would like to reduce your chances of having gastroesophageal reflux, read on from Step 1.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prevent Reflux Naturally
Step 1. Chew gum without menthol, ie without mint
Mint might increase stomach acid production. On the other hand, mint-free gum is great for reducing acidity in the stomach. When you chew gum your body produces more saliva, which is a natural antacid produced by your body; when you swallow saliva, it calms the stomach and decreases acid production.
Step 2. Eat little and often
Three main meals are usually eaten throughout the day. When you are pregnant you should instead eat small amounts of food six times a day. The smaller the meal, the more your stomach will be able to digest it without increasing the pressure inside it.
Aim to eat meals of around 300-400 calories each
Step 3. Don't eat fast
One of the ways to cause reflux is to eat too fast, without chewing properly. Chew well and slowly. Well chewed food will be digested more easily. If you eat slowly, you can chew your food better and give your stomach time to digest it.
Step 4. Don't lie down immediately after eating
When you eat, the food travels into the esophagus and reaches the stomach. If you lie down immediately after eating, you increase the chances of food going up the esophagus due to the lack of gravity to keep it down. Try to walk for about 20 minutes after meals; if you have back pain due to the weight of your baby bump, sit up straight instead of walking.
If you really need to lie down, be sure to rest your upper body on some pillows. You need to keep your feet lower than your head, neck, and torso to keep food in your stomach and prevent it from moving up the esophagus
Step 5. Be active
Walking (even just when doing housework) can help keep reflux at bay. Exercise helps your blood vessels, and this helps your digestive system function well. When your digestive system works well, you are less likely to have gastroesophageal reflux.
Walk or do light activity for at least 30 minutes each day. It doesn't need to be 30 minutes all at once - for example, you could take your dog out for 10 minutes in the morning, do 10 minutes of gardening in the middle of the day, and go for a 10-minute walk with your partner in the evening
Step 6. Bend at the knees, not at the waist
If you have to grab something off the ground make sure you bend your knees and keep your back straight. While it feels natural to bend your back at the waist to grab something from the ground, this movement can cause food to move up from the stomach to the esophagus.
Step 7. Wear comfortable clothes
It may seem like something that has nothing to do with GERD, but tight clothing can put pressure on your stomach and abdomen, and thus increase the likelihood of having reflux. Instead, wear loose, light clothing. Kill two birds with one stone: light clothing will make you feel more comfortable and avoid gastroesophageal reflux.
Step 8. Lie down on your left side
After you've waited 30 minutes to an hour after eating, you can lie down. The best location is on the left side. The stomach flows into the small intestine, which is located on the left side of the body. Lying on your left side encourages flow to the intestines and decreases the chance of food moving up the esophagus.
Method 2 of 3: Avoid foods that cause reflux
Step 1. Avoid fatty foods
Fatty foods are difficult to digest because they are firmer than other foods, and the stomach has to work harder. To digest these foods, the stomach must produce more stomach acid, which can lead to reflux. Here are some of the fatty foods you should avoid:
Packaged fries, pork sausage, milkshake, ice cream, fried potatoes (and fried foods in general), and typical fast food items such as burgers and sandwiches
Step 2. Eliminate the coffee and tea
They both contain caffeine, which stimulates the stomach to produce acid.
You should avoid drinks that contain caffeine because caffeine can decrease blood flow and thus decrease the nutrition that reaches the baby
Step 3. Stay away from fizzy drinks
They are acidic drinks, so they can make the stomach too acidic. In addition, some of them contain caffeine, and the combination of acid and caffeine can strain the stomach and cause food to move up the esophagus. In addition, the gas from these drinks causes the stomach to swell, another possible cause of rising food and gastroesophageal reflux.
Step 4. Don't eat chocolate, even if you want it badly
Chocolate, like soda, is bad for gastroesophageal reflux. Contains cocoa, fat and caffeine. Cocoa stimulates the production of acid in the stomach. Fat is harder to digest than lighter foods, and caffeine, as we've already seen, is another substance that increases acid production.
Step 5. Avoid spicy foods
These foods can burn your esophagus when you swallow them, and they can irritate your stomach. When the stomach becomes irritated it produces more acid to try to digest the food that is causing the irritation; this can lead to gastroesophageal reflux. Once you have reflux, the burning sensation in your stomach gets worse.
Step 6. Alcohol is strictly prohibited
As you already know, when you are pregnant you should avoid alcohol for various reasons - the most important of which is that it could have very negative effects on your baby's health. In addition, alcohol relaxes the muscles, including the valve that prevents food from moving up the esophagus.
Method 3 of 3: Preventing Reflux with Medicines
Always ask your doctor for advice before trying any medicine, even if it is an over-the-counter medicine. Some medicines can hurt your baby, so always talk to your doctor.
Step 1. Get some antacids
They are the safest medicines during pregnancy, because they are not absorbed into the blood, but remain in the digestive system and cannot harm the baby. Usually 300 mg of Maalox or other antacid is prescribed 3 times a day with meals. Other brands of antacids:
Gaviscon, Pepto Bismol, Alka Seltzer. Always read the instructions on the package to know the recommended doses
Step 2. Test the H2 antagonists
H2 antagonists (or histamine H2 receptor antagonists) block H2 enzymes found in the stomach, which therefore does not produce too much acid. They are safe for pregnant women. Even if they are absorbed into the blood, there is no evidence that they can adversely affect the baby.
Take 150 mg of Zantac, i.e. ranitidine, twice a day with meals. Or get other H2 antagonists at the pharmacy, but make sure you read the instructions
Step 3. Also try proton pump inhibitors
Your stomach also produces acid through the action of the proton pump. When you take inhibitors this action is partially stopped, and the acidity level does not increase excessively.
