What to do if pregnant women have esophageal reflux

Pregnant women are prone to esophageal reflux in their daily lives, which is closely related to their pregnancy. Once this happens, pregnant women often feel particularly painful. At this time, they should strengthen their diet and eat some foods to prevent heartburn. In addition, they should exercise moderately, which will help relieve esophageal reflux. In their daily lives, they should also pay attention to chewing slowly and eating small meals frequently.

What to do if pregnant women have esophageal reflux

Pregnant women are always affected by various physiological phenomena during pregnancy, many of which will make them feel uncomfortable. Many pregnant women will experience acid reflux during pregnancy. Do you know how to deal with it correctly? Let's take a look with the editor!

Do not eat too much to avoid increasing the pressure in the stomach and lifting the diaphragm. Eat small meals frequently, slow down your eating pace, and chew your food thoroughly.

Especially for dinner, you should avoid eating too much or too late. It is best to eat within 2 to 3 hours before going to bed so that you have enough time to digest the food.

Avoid foods and drinks that cause gastrointestinal discomfort, which usually include: carbonated drinks, alcohol (you should not drink alcohol during pregnancy anyway), caffeine, chocolate, acidic foods (including citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, mustard and vinegar, etc.), cooked meats, mint foods, and spicy, strong, fried or high-fat foods.

Causes of acid reflux in pregnancy

In the late stages of pregnancy, pregnant women often experience a burning sensation, heaviness, or burning pain behind the sternum and in the pit of the stomach, which often rises to the throat. It often occurs after sleep. It is also easy to induce when the body position changes from sitting or standing to lying, or when coughing, holding breath or straining to defecate. Heartburn may worsen after eating acidic or spicy foods. It is often accompanied by symptoms such as belching, nausea, and discomfort in the upper and middle abdomen.

This heartburn during pregnancy is caused by increased intra-abdominal pressure and esophageal reflux as the pregnancy progresses. When esophageal reflux occurs, the acidic gastric contents can irritate the gastric mucosa and even cause reflux esophagitis. Due to the increased secretion of progesterone in the middle and late stages of pregnancy, it can affect esophageal motility and slow down the clearance of gastric contents that reflux into the esophagus, thereby aggravating reflux esophagitis.

I believe that after reading this article, all pregnant friends will be able to clearly know what to do if pregnant women have acid reflux, and the next time they encounter such a situation, they will know how to deal with it. If the acid reflux phenomenon is particularly severe, we should seek medical attention in time to avoid affecting the throat and causing other problems.