When is heartburn common in pregnancy

Drink liquids between — not during — meals. Avoid eating or drinking for 3 hours before bedtime. Resist the urge to lie down after meals. Raise your head when you sleep. Learn techniques that can help. Heartburn can last for two hours or more.

In pregnancy, it can start as early as your first trimester and last throughout the duration of your…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. Story on July 24, What causes heartburn during pregnancy? Does pregnancy cause heartburn? Can I make lifestyle changes that help make it stop?

What medications are safe to take during pregnancy? When should I talk to my doctor? Food fix: What to eat when pregnant. Parenthood Pregnancy Pregnancy Health.

Read this next. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. The more your uterus grows, the more likely your stomach will get squeezed. This may help explain why heartburn is more common as you progress through pregnancy. Thanks to progesterone, stomach contents stick around longer than normal. As digestion slows and the stomach remains fuller longer, the chances of heartburn increase. Not surprisingly, acidic and spicy foods create more stomach acid than bland ones till we meet again, Taco Tuesday!

Avoid citrus, tomatoes, onions, garlic, caffeine, chocolate, sodas, and other acidic foods. Also steer clear of fried or fatty foods, which slow digestion. Your mom was actually right about this — and well, a lot of other things, too. Gravity will help your food stay put.

Giving digestion a head start before you lie down — which slows the emptying of your stomach — for the night will help control your heartburn. Find out more about alcohol and pregnancy. See your midwife or GP if you need help managing your symptoms or if changes to your diet and lifestyle do not work.

They may recommend medicine to ease your symptoms. Your midwife or GP may ask about your symptoms and examine you by pressing gently on different areas of your chest and stomach to see whether it's painful.

Speak to your GP if you're taking medicine for another condition, such as antidepressants, and you think it may be making your indigestion worse. They may be able to prescribe an alternative medicine. Never stop taking a prescribed medicine unless you're advised to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who's responsible for your care.

You may only need to take antacids and alginates when you start getting symptoms. However, your GP may recommend taking them before symptoms come on — for example, before a meal or before bed.

If you're taking iron supplements as well as antacids, do not take them at the same time. Antacids can stop iron from being absorbed by your body. If antacids and alginates do not improve your symptoms, your GP may prescribe a medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach.

Symptoms of indigestion come when the acid in your stomach irritates your stomach lining or your gullet.