Prevention and Treatment of Heartburn in Pregnancy

Prevention and Treatment of Heartburn in Pregnancy

August 9th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Heartburn is one of the most common complaints of pregnant women. It can be so incredibly painful as to be nearly debilitating, interrupting sleep and making meals unpleasant. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid and to treat heartburn that are safe during pregnancy.

What Is Heartburn?

Heartburn is caused by stomach acids rising up in to the esophagus, also called reflux. It happens when the sphincter at the opening of the esophagus relaxes, allowing the acids that break down food in the stomach to come up. This creates a burning feeling that, if left untreated, can eventually damage the esophagus. This type of chronic reflux is a serious problem that needs to be treated by a doctor. Fortunately, reflux in pregnant women is just a temporary condition.

A number of factors are to blame for heartburn during pregnancy, most of them not controllable. The changes in hormone levels, new sensitivities to food, and the pressure being put on the stomach by the growing baby can all contribute to heartburn. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to reduce your chances of getting heartburn, and to treat it when it does occur.

Diet and Heartburn

What you eat, as well as how much you eat, can affect the odds of having problems with reflux. Eating meals that are too large, fried or very spicy can all cause heartburn to occur. Try to eat smaller, more frequent meals rather than large ones all at once. Take your time eating, and make sure your food is thoroughly chewed before you swallow. Eating more slowly will also prevent overeating by allowing your body time to send the signal to the brain that the stomach is full.

You should avoid lying down after eating, and try instead to take a short walk to encourage digestion. Try not to eat within a few hours of bedtime. If you notice that you get heartburn most often after certain types of foods, you might have to avoid those foods for the duration of your pregnancy.

Treatment of Heartburn

Before you try medications for heartburn, there are a few natural remedies that might be beneficial. If you find that your heartburn occurs mainly when you lie down, try to sleep propped up on extra pillows. This elevation will allow gravity to help keep stomach acids down where they belong.

Some foods, such as milk and peppermint, seem to help with heartburn by neutralizing stomach acids. In fact, many over the counter heartburn medications contain calcium, just like milk.

When simple remedies don’t work, you should be able to use over the counter heartburn meds, many of which are safe during pregnancy. As with any medication, talk to your doctor before taking anything. If you have severe heartburn that is resistant to these medications and is disrupting your life, your doctor can prescribe a stronger medication that is safe for your baby and will alleviate your symptoms.

As with many of the less pleasant parts of pregnancy, your heartburn should disappear after your baby is born. Hopefully however, you won’t have to live with it for the duration of your pregnancy. By changing your diet and eating habits and using a few simple preventative methods, you might be lucky enough to avoid most bouts with heartburn. If not, there are treatment options that are safe and effective. Don’t suffer with bad heartburn needlessly – talk to your doctor!

How to Handle Common Pregnancy Symptoms

How to Handle Common Pregnancy Symptoms

May 25th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Every woman seems to deal with different symptoms and discomforts throughout her pregnancy. If it’s not one thing, then it’s another. Though there are a few women that are lucky and slide through their pregnancy unaffected, this is not necessarily the norm.

Women have been plagued by things such as heartburn, backaches, and nausea for as long as they have been having babies. Though we have become more adept at diagnosing them, there is often a lack of education for how to properly deal with them. There’s so much to think about as it is when it comes to pregnancy and our unborn child. So if you can find a way to handle the most common pregnancy symptoms, wouldn’t that make life much easier. Here are some simple ways for warding off or at least limiting the pregnancy symptoms that you may be coping with on a regular basis.

Get the Gastrointestinal Upset Under Control

Oh there are just so many things that can go wrong when it comes to your gastrointestinal system and pregnancy. You have to remember that your body is in a hormonal overdrive and that accounts for many of the discomforts that you may be feeling. When it comes to nausea, this is likely the most common symptom that women experience during their pregnancy. You can turn to home remedies such as Vitamin B6, ginger, and even peppermint. These are all proven to provide relief and alleviate that constant sick feeling that may have taken you over.

When it comes to heartburn, you want to avoid common triggers. There are certain foods that tend to present the most problems in terms of heartburn and these include spicy foods, caffeine, and fried foods. You can also eliminate the likelihood of heartburn by eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. If you eat big meals all at once in one sitting, then the food will likely sit like a brick in the stomach. This will all contribute to a greater likelihood for chronic heartburn that can plague you throughout your entire pregnancy.

You also want to work to get a handle on constipation, as this is quite common amongst pregnant women everywhere. The best thing that you can do is slowly add in the appropriate amount of fiber into your diet. Start with this as a part of your diet through fresh fruits and vegetables and beans. Then if necessary move to fiber supplements with your doctor’s approval to ensure that things keep moving and you don’t end up with constipation that can be frustrating and even painful.

Managing the Aches and Pains

You may feel as though there are times when your whole body hurts. Your feet hurt, your back hurts, and your whole body aches from carrying around the extra weight. This is all too common and fortunately there are some simple but effective things you can do to manage this symptoms. If you are battling the common aches and pains, particularly in a common area such as your back, then work to get it under control quickly. Start by getting off your feet. Sometimes the simple act of resting can be a great help to this common discomfort. Next you want to alternate hot and cold compresses to the affected area. This will help to provide natural relief and also give you a much needed opportunity to relax.

If you are coping with chronic headaches as a part of your pregnancy, you’re not alone. Between the increase of hormones and the increase in mucus that can result in terrible sinus problems, this is something that many pregnant women face. You want to first eliminate any unnecessary stress from your life. This will help to get rid of any tension headaches and put your whole body at rest. You want to also be sure that you are getting a good night of sleep because this can contribute to a headache over time. You can alternate the compresses here too. If all else fails, you may turn to a pain reliever such as acetometaphin so long as your doctor approves it.

Expected Pregnancy Symptoms Week By Week

Expected Pregnancy Symptoms Week By Week

March 25th, 2010 by admin  |  1 Comment

Most pregnancy information focuses on the growth and development of the fetus, and what you need to do to help that process along. But there are many pregnancy symptoms and changes that you yourself will experience during pregnancy that may or may not have any bearing on the infant itself. It is important to understand what pregnancy symptoms to expect, and how to take care of yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of your baby when it arrives.

Pregnancy Symptoms During First Trimester (Week 1 – Week 14)

The first few weeks of pregnancy is often the most difficult for the mother. It starts with morning sickness, which can actually come on throughout the day, at any time. This nausea is rarely beaten by anything you do. It is important to keep your strength up, and to nourish your body. Even if you don’t feel like eating, remember that your baby is taking most of the nutrients your body has stored, and it is important to get something down. Eating small meals can help, but if solid food doesn’t work you should take in plenty of fluids, as well as chicken, beef, or vegetable broth.

The first trimester can also bring fatigue, so make sure you are getting plenty of rest. If you don’t work, taking naps during the day can be a huge help. You may also experience some tenderness in your breasts, which can usually be relieved by wearing an extra-supportive bra that limits movement. You will also have increased urination, so be sure to drink lots of water. Drinking water and juices will also help you avoid the issue of constipation that will generally arise in the first trimester, and last throughout the pregnancy.

Pregnancy Symptoms During Second Trimester (Week 15 – Week 27)

This is the easiest trimester of pregnancy for the mother. Most of the pregnancy symptoms from the first trimester, such as fatigue and nausea, will begin to fade and eventually disappear. You will still have frequent urination, and you may still experience constipation. Keep up a high fiber diet with lots of fluids to avoid this. Your spouse will enjoy this phase of the pregnancy as well, as your breasts begin to become enlarged. Do not be surprised if you have some seepage from your breasts, particularly after a warm shower. Lotion on your nipples and breast area can help prevent dryness caused by the seepage.

Due to hormones released during this trimester, your blood tends to circulate faster. This is what gives your skin the pregnancy glow, but it can also cause bleeding gums, nasal congestion, or leg cramps. Make sure to address any concerns with your doctor, and rest frequently whenever needed.

Pregnancy Symptoms During Third Trimester (Week 28 onwards)

This final trimester of pregnancy can be rather uncomfortable, and most women are happy to go into labor to end it. As your baby continues to grow, he will begin kicking you in the ribs. You will also have some shortness of breath, heartburn, and back pain due to the baby pushing on your lungs and stomach, and the sheer weight of the baby on your body. Circulation is still increased, so you may experience some spider veins, especially in the legs. If the uterus presses on veins near the legs, you may also experience some swelling of the ankles and feet. Fear not, the discomfort will be over soon!

Early Signs of Pregnancy

Early Signs of Pregnancy

March 11th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

You have been trying for weeks or maybe months. Every little thing that feels different in your body makes you wonder. You are tracking every date of every little change and every event that takes place. You are ready and you are waiting, but how will you really know when you are pregnant? What are the signs?

Well, rest assured that there are definite signs that you are pregnant. Usually, the first sign that tips a woman off is when she misses her menstruation. This is a dead giveaway that there is now a new life growing inside your body. However, when you look back to the week or two prior to your late menstruation, you might, on hindsight, realize that there were other telltale signs of your pregnancy.

Fatigue is one of the early signs of pregnancy. Even before you miss your menstruation or have your pregnancy confirmed by a test, your body is already working very hard to grow that baby. Everything is changing and changing quickly and your body is striving to keep up with those changes. This is likely to cause fatigue in the first few weeks of your pregnancy, beginning soon after conception.

Another noticeable sign of early pregnancy is the shift in hormones. You just might feel moodier than usual. Early in pregnancy it is also common to feel nauseous. While this generally doesn’t come on until about the eighth week for many women, it is not uncommon for it to happen earlier. Morning sickness or nausea due to certain smells and foods can be a sure sign something is up.

One of the most noticeable signs of early pregnancy is breast tenderness. Women generally tend to experience changes in their breasts soon after conception. After all, the breasts are a crucial part of having a baby and the body begins immediately to prepare the breasts to produce milk.

In addition to the above-listed signs of early pregnancy there are a few others that commonly occur. These include food cravings or aversions, the need to urinate more frequently, dizziness or fainting, heartburn or constipation, higher body temperature, lower back pain, bloating, and implantation bleeding (spotting when the embryo implants on the wall of the uterus).

It is important to know that not every woman will experience all of these symptoms or experience them to the same degree as another woman. Some women will feel ultra fatigued, but notice no other signs. Some women will feel nothing at all until they miss their menstruation. One woman might not even experience the same signs from one pregnancy to the next. This means that, while the above early signs of pregnancy are common, you have to be aware of your own body and how it feels.

It can also be frustrating that these symptoms are very similar to those experienced each month when you are due to menstruate. This means that you cannot be sure if you are pregnant until you take a pregnancy test. If you are trying to become pregnant, then this can feel like the most frustrating thing in the world. The best thing to do is stay calm, try to remain stress-free, and wait until you can confirm your pregnancy with a test. Once you know for certain that you are pregnant you can celebrate the new life growing inside you.