Acid Reflux During Pregnancy Can Cause Terrible Attacks
You are pregnant and the planning begins for the new addition to your family. There will many changes in your life over the next few months as your body adjusts to accommodate the growing baby. There are literally thousands of books that talk about what it feels like to be pregnant, what to expect and how to take of yourself. One thing you never thought about was having acid reflux problems during your pregnancy. You know that you will experience many physical changes in your body as your child continues to develop and grow such as morning sickness, heartburn and increased hormone levels.
Your mother has told you about how difficult it was for her when she was pregnant with you. The terrible attacks from acid reflux were extremely painful for her. Now, you are beginning to realize that you are also experience acid reflux attacks and you do not know what to do. Should you take an over-the-counter medication or talk to your doctor? The doctor is there to help you with any problems that you experience while being pregnant and he knows all about acid reflux disease. It occurs in many pregnant women throughout their pregnancy and it is even more common during the final months. He has assisted many women through this problem and he can help you. Tell him about the problem at your next checkup. He will tell you that your body is currently producing extra estrogen and progesterone. These two natural hormones help muscles relax so that your uterus can expand to accept the growing baby. This is definitely the good news. The bad news is that these same hormones can also cause problems in the muscles of your esophagus and your stomach's walls. The hormones are relaxing the muscles in these organs and this makes it more difficult for the muscles to push food through your body. He tells you that you need to make a few changes in your daily life to help manage your acid reflux problem while you are pregnant. Most doctors will not prescribe medication unless the problem can not be managed any other way. Your doctor can help. He can work with you to come up with diet plans that should help alleviate your symptoms. You might be told to eat several smaller meals each day-up to five. This provides you with all of the vitamins and nutrients you and the baby need while not overfilling your stomach and giving it time to properly digest the food. He will also mention that you should wear loose clothing that will not put pressure on your stomach and that you should not lay down after eating. Remember that your body is changing and your internal organs are being gradually moved to make room for the baby. Take care of yourself, work with your doctor, and have a healthy baby. |