How To Overcome Heartburn During Pregnancy ?

    Why do pregnant women get heartburn? How to stop acid reflux during pregnancy? What to eat if you have heartburn? What foods and drinks to avoid? How to relax to relieve it? Our three specialists answer.

    While some women experience heartburn as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, it usually appears during the second trimester . What causes it? "Progesterone causes many changes in the digestive system ," explains Aurore Lavergnat , dietician-nutritionist. " This hormonal change causes the relaxation of the digestive muscles, including those that close the stomach, which can cause acid reflux , slow digestion of food, etc." We must also not forget the growth of the fetus, which, over the months, grows, gets bigger and exerts more and more pressure on the stomach. Hence these more or less frequent acid refluxes .

    Certain foods, drinks and cooking methods are to be favored, while others are to be avoided . The point with Aurore Lavergnat, dietician-nutritionist.

    You should choose foods that do not attack the digestive wall . Among vegetables , this is the case, for example, of carrots, zucchini, spinach, squash… For starchy foods, potatoes and sweet potatoes are alkalizing, as are wholemeal bread, wholemeal rice, quinoa.

    As for fruits , “banana is sweet and alkalizing,” says the dietician-nutritionist, “as are pears and compotes.”

    Regarding proteins (meat, fish, eggs), "you should favor white meats like chicken, turkey, rabbit, escalope or veal shoulder…," advises Aurore Lavergnat, " which are quicker to digest than fatty meats. Lean fish (cod, hake, whiting, sole, plaice, ray, monkfish, etc.) are also easy to digest because they only contain protein. However, small oily fish like sardines and mackerel are interesting for their intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids that are good for pregnant women and the fetus. In addition, they absorb few heavy metals and are therefore less polluted compared to salmon or tuna. " Since each pregnant woman is different, you have to test and see if you digest them well or not. The same goes for eggs . Otherwise, to have a sufficient dose of omega-3, "you have to think about vegetable oils from rapeseed and flax which, in addition, are beneficial for the damaged gastric wall" , specifies Aurore Lavergnat.

    And to stock up on calcium  ? “We prefer goat and sheep dairy products which are less acidifying than those made from cows, which can cause gastroesophageal reflux , and which are easier to digest,” advises the dietician-nutritionist.

    As for vegetables, you should avoid tomatoes, garlic, onions, leeks, and cabbages. Why? "Tomatoes because of their acidity, and the other vegetables mentioned because they contain sulfur compounds that make them less digestible in the stomach, which can cause a bad taste in the mouth ," says the dietician-nutritionist. Which does not prevent them from being of interest to the rest of the digestive system. "They are antioxidants and anti-inflammatories ," she adds.

    As for fruit, you should avoid citrus fruits :  lemon, grapefruit... but also kiwi.

    Also be careful with white bread and refined cereals. "These foods are extremely acidifying for the body, rich in starches and therefore difficult to digest ," warns the dietician-nutritionist.

    Other foods to put aside for a while: fatty meats (pork loin, mutton shoulder, rib steak and prime rib, pork ribs, smoked pork belly, merguez sausages, etc.) which sometimes contain up to 40% fat. "Fats slow down digestion enormously," reminds Aurore Lavergnat.

    Spices, cold cuts, salt, industrial cakes, chocolate should also be avoided , because they are acidifying.

    "To facilitate digestion, you can choose a still natural mineral water rich in bicarbonate, magnesium, calcium because they are alkalizing ," specifies the dietician-nutritionist. This is the case, for example, of Contrex, Hépar, Volvic... Alkaline sparkling mineral waters like Badoit, Quézac can facilitate digestion. "Which will not be the case with mineral water made sparkling at home using a carbonating machine ," warns Aurore Lavergnat. 

    Herbal teas are also well-suited drinks. “Particularly those based on liquorice or marshmallow which are restorative of the intestinal mucosa ,” explains Aurore Lavergnat.

    Tea is also allowed as long as it is green, white or rooibos. "On the other hand, no black tea , rich in tannins which increase acidity ," warns the dietician-nutritionist.

    Another possibility for drinks: "consider mixing aloe vera in a smoothie, it will make a gastric bandage" , suggests the dietician-nutritionist. A good idea to naturally relieve heartburn in pregnant women. Be careful, you must choose edible aloe vera and keep it in the refrigerator to avoid any bacterial contamination.

    On the other hand, to avoid increasing acid reflux, relaxing the sphincter or promoting bloating, avoid black tea, coffee , sodas , etc.

    The less fat there is, the faster digestion is . "We opt for gentle cooking with steam, in foil ," advises Aurore Lavergnat, " rather than pan-frying or frying, which requires too much fat that requires more digestive work to be absorbed and which therefore risks causing heartburn."

    There are several things you can do to limit the risk of acid reflux during pregnancy. Here are some tips to follow.

    Usually, we eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner. "When pregnant, to limit the risk of acid reflux, it is best to split up your diet and eat 4 to 5 small meals a day ," advises the dietician-nutritionist. How to do it? Here's how to break up your day with meal ideas and the time and space to respect for digestion.

    • Breakfast  : 1 bowl of oatmeal + vegetable juice + 1 dried fruit (prune, apricot, fig, etc.) or 1 compote + 1 herbal tea.

    • Snack  (to be planned at least 2 hours after breakfast): 1 compote or 1 banana or 1 bowl of cooked vegetables.

    • Lunch  (to be taken 1 hour to 1 hour 30 after the snack): 1 portion of meat or fish + vegetables + starchy foods. In case of heartburn, only eat vegetables and no starchy foods.

    • Snack  (to be planned around 4 – 5 p.m.): 1 compote or 1 fruit.

    • Dinner (to be taken 1.5 to 2 hours after the snack): 1 portion of meat or fish + vegetables + possibly starchy foods.

    “ Sophrology is a valuable aid for relieving stomach pain, particularly acid reflux ,” says Clémentine Joachim , certified sophrologist.

    Here are 3 exercises suggested by the sophrologist to soothe these ailments. The first two are dynamic relaxation exercises , the third is a sophronization . "This last exercise allows you to modify your feelings by replacing your negative sensations (heartburn) with pleasant sensations ," explains Clémentine Joachim.

    The first two exercises can be practiced standing or sitting . Each pregnant woman will decide which position suits her best depending on her condition. "If you choose to stand, spread your feet at least as wide as your pelvis to promote balance and stability during practice. Relax your arms along your body, keep your back straight and your shoulders low. Close your eyes," explains the sophrologist. "If you choose to sit, lean against the back of the chair or armchair, feet on the floor, hands on your thighs, eyes closed."

    - Take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold your breath. Turn your head from right to left as if to say no. Exhale by blowing gently through your mouth and bringing your head straight.

    - Resume natural breathing. Observe your feelings: relaxation in the neck, a loosening of the nape.

    - Repeat 3 times, giving an intention to the movements: "When moving your head from right to left, mentally say 'no' to heartburn ," explains Clémentine Joachim. The psychological refusal of pain is the first step in relief programming."

    - Then, take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold your breath and tilt your head up and down as if to say 'yes'. Exhale by blowing gently through your mouth and bringing your head back in line with your spine.

    - Resume natural breathing and observe the feelings: the muscles of the neck become more and more relaxed, the throat stretches, relaxes . "The feeling of the throat unwinding helps to counteract the discomfort linked to the burning of reflux which irritates it," informs the sophrologist.

    - Repeat this movement 3 times in a row, giving it meaning: "When tilting your head up and down, mentally say 'yes' to relief, to calming down, to the easing of heartburn ," advises the sophrologist. This consolidates the brain's work of programming calming down."

    The sophrologist's advice  : the air retention time (the moment when you hold your breath after inhaling) of a pregnant woman tends to be reduced. It is essential that each woman listens to herself. It is therefore advisable to blow out by exhaling gently through the mouth before the air retention becomes unpleasant and leads to shortness of breath . The goal is to mark an air retention time adapted to each person, depending on their shape and breathing capacities.

    The exercise can be performed standing or sitting.

    - Inhale deeply through your nose while raising your arms in front of you horizontally. Hold your breath and shake your hands as if you were erasing writing on a board: "imagine that these writings are heartburn and all the other aches and discomforts related to pregnancy that you want to free yourself from," explains Clémentine Joachim.

    - At the same time as you shake your hands to clear the heartburn , gradually bring them closer to your chest. Once your hands are back at chest level, exhale through your mouth and release your arms along your body.

- Resume natural breathing and observe your feelings.

    - “Repeat the movement 3 times in a row until the pain has disappeared from the picture, until this mental picture is completely blank. Become aware of your ability to erase the pain,” explains the sophrologist.

    “Visualizations are often done lying down, but in the case of pregnant women suffering from heartburn, it is advisable to opt for a sitting or semi-reclining position, because the lying position amplifies the discomfort linked to gastric reflux,” explains Clémentine Joachim. Then close your eyes and breathe freely.

    - Give your body the most comfortable and cozy position possible. Don't hesitate to lean against a soft pillow. Put yourself in a bubble of calm, in a cocoon impermeable to outside noise. Concentrate entirely on the feelings inside your body. Breathe deeply to let the calm settle in further and encourage concentration on the feelings.

    - Body scan: mentally relax each part of your body, starting with the facial muscles (eyebrows, jaws, etc.), the nape of the neck, the neck. Lower your shoulders towards the ground, relax your arms down to your fingertips. Relax your back from top to bottom. Feel your arch soften. Relax your chest and perceive the movements that your breathing imprints on your body: the ribs opening and closing in time with your breathing, the stomach rising and falling. Relax your pelvis, your gluteal muscles. Relax the muscles in your legs down to your toes. Become aware of your relaxed body.

    - Now, identify the negative sensations in your body  : those resulting from heartburn. "It can be a stinging pain in the throat, burning sensations in the sternum, the abdomen, describes Clémentine Joachim. Identify the unpleasant sensations in your body without awakening them further, and observe them as isolated tensions in the rest of the body, now completely relaxed. Dissociate these discomforts from the 

    - The next step is to imagine something positive that brings opposite sensations  : "This comes down to identifying the resources that can soothe the pain caused by gastric reflux ," explains the sophrologist. Each woman has her own resources. Some will opt for a sensation of freshness (that of pure, clear water that counters the stinging or burning sensation), others will prefer the image of a massage that relaxes the body and releases all the pain..." Then, you have to become aware of the pleasant sensations felt when evoking this resource: these are feelings of well-being and relief that counter the burning sensations.

    - Then, you must now replace the negative sensations with positive sensations  : "once the resource has been identified, replace the unpleasant feelings of heartburn with the pleasant and positive sensations of the resource ," explains Clémentine Joachim . Imagine that the sensations of freshness and relaxation are gently deposited on the painful areas. Replace the negative sensations with positive sensations: the burning with freshness, the sourness with sweetness, the tension with relaxation." Use breathing to amplify the pleasant feelings: with each inhalation, the resource takes on more and more magnitude and power; diffuse it with the force of exhalation. Imagine the painful sensations becoming smaller and smaller, the pleasant sensations taking up more and more space in your body, until they are all there is left. Perceive a feeling of calm, of relief and become aware of your body being soothed.

    - Anchor the new feelings of calm. "To absorb them, the brain must record them ," warns the sophrologist. To do this, breathe in deeply through your nose, inflating your stomach and chest. Hold your breath while you memorize these new feelings of calm and exhale by blowing slowly through your mouth to diffuse these feelings in your body. Resume natural breathing and integrate the positive sensations."

    - And finally, gradually come out of your concentration bubble by becoming aware of your environment: feel the support points of your body, listen to external noises, inhale through your nose, exhale strongly through your mouth to re-energize yourself. Take the time to yawn, stretch and reopen your eyes without rushing.

    Before resorting to allopathic medicines, one can first turn to plants . Didier Pesoni, a pharmacist specializing in aromatherapy, recommends " lemon balm in herbal tea at a rate of 3 to 4 cups per day, after or between meals. Lemon balm can also be taken as an EPS."

    Another plant is also effective against stomach aches in pregnant women: ginger . The latter can be used, at the beginning of pregnancy, to relieve nausea, but also in cases of heartburn. " Ginger contains gingerol and shogaols which promote gastric emptying, specifies the pharmacist. Simply peel a small piece of ginger root, pass it through the extractor to obtain a concentrated juice. Then, simply pour ½ to 1 teaspoon into a cup of mineral water and drink it 3 to 4 times a day." Ginger in the form of essential oil is not used by pregnant women.

    If plants are not enough to calm heartburn, in a second step, "we can resort to topical antacids which have a local and mechanical action ", specifies Didier Pesoni. These medications are composed of sodium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide.

    As a last resort, "and only on medical prescription, the pregnant woman can take proton pump inhibitors which give excellent results ," explains the pharmacist.

    And the good news is that after giving birth , the heartburn will disappear!