Oh my aching heart! There is nothing like the heartburn that comes with being pregnant. An old wives’ tale says that if you get it, it means your baby is growing lots of hair in there. But what’s the real cause of it – and more importantly, what can you do for relief?

What’s with the heartburn, anyways?

The condition is also known as acid indigestion or reflux. About 50% of pregnant people experience heartburn, usually in the second and third trimesters. The most common times to have it occur are after meals and at bedtime.

During pregnancy, we have an increase in the hormone relaxin. I love that name. It sounds like a really good herbal tea, or fancy kombucha softdrink, doesn’t it? It’s function is to, well, relax muscles, ligaments and joints in your body in preparation for birth, so that your pelvis can open to make space for baby.

But relaxin doesn’t discriminate – it affects your whole body. Including your digestive system.  The sphincter that is supposed to keep things contained in your stomach gets a little loosey goosey, and sometimes lets stomach acids and contents flow back up into your esophagus.

I need relief!

So what can you do to combat pregnancy reflux?

1. Work with gravity. Stay upright, especially after eating. Don’t eat right before bed or laying down. Prop yourself up in bed, either with pillows or by putting a wedge under the feet of your bed. Avoid inversions in your prenatal yoga practice.
2. Eat small amounts frequently. Smaller meals are easier for your stomach to process. As your pregnancy progresses, there is less space for your stomach to accomodate a big meal. Instead of 3 square meals a day, aim for 5 or 6 smaller ones, or nibble on healthy snacks through the day.
3. Choose the right foods. Avoid spicy, greasy, heavy foods. Common food triggers are acidic foods like citrus or tomato, chocolate, coffee, and carbonated drinks. Liquid foods such as soups or smoothies are easier for your stomach to handle.
4. Take fluids in small sips. While staying well-hydrated is crucial for good health, space out your water comsuption through the day, take small sips frequently, rather than dumping 500ml at a time into your stomach.
5. Tums. Some people find this enough to take the edge off their acid reflux. But be cautious of overdoing it. They’re not Skittles (not that I’d advise chowing down on those either). Tums and other over the counter remedies are basically a calcium supplement, which may interfere with your absorption of iron and other minerals in a pregnancy multi-vitamin.  While Motherisk states that they are safe for your developing fetus, there have been some other studies that raise concerns for mothers. If 2-4 Tums per day are not helping, speak to your caregiver.

I tried all that. Anything else?

If the above solutions are just not cutting it for you, you can discuss with your caregiver a prescription for a medication such as Zantac, Losec or Gaviscon, and see if that’s right for you and your pregnancy. It may not totally eliminate the condition, but it just might make it a liveable.

The ultimate solution…

Yup. You guessed it. The heartburn subsides once your baby is born.