As if being pregnant wasn’t hard enough with the morning sickness and weight gain, some women deal with indigestion. Indigestion, sometimes known as dyspepsia, is an uncomfortable feeling in the upper abdomen. Along with indigestion can come heartburn, bloating, regurgitation, nausea, and vomiting. There are some things that you can do to prevent and lessen indigestion related to pregnancy. I’ll go over the details of indigestion in our article today, along with some remedies that may help.
Remedies for Indigestion During Pregnancy
Nearly 80% of all pregnant women experience indigestion. But although it is common, it is still very uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent indigestion during pregnancy naturally. If these home remedies do not work, then you may need to take some medication. But I’ll go over the different medications later in this article. Right now, let’s take a look at home remedies for indigestion during pregnancy.
Eat Five Or Six Small Meals a Day
A common reason why women experience indigestion during pregnancy is that they eat large meals a few times a day. It is recommended to eat five or six small meals instead each day. Remember that although you may think that you are eating for two, you will suffer the consequences later from eating too much.
Don’t Eat Spicy, Fatty, or Fried Foods
It is has been estimated that eight out of ten pregnant women experience food cravings. Many of those women may crave spicy, fatty, or fried foods. Although this may sound delicious and harmless to eat, women who eat these foods during pregnancy often have indigestion later. Even eating food like raw onions in a salad has been known to cause pain in your stomach. So, the next time you have food cravings for one of these foods, remember that if you eat it, you may pay for it later.
Don’t Eat Right Before Bed
Eating a meal right before bed may cause your stomach not to be able to digest the food, and therefore may cause indigestion. It is recommended to not eat late at night. If you do get hungry, try eating something small and simple.
Drink Milk
Drinking milk might not help everyone with indigestion, but a lot of women have felt better after drinking some. Yogurt and ice cream may also help. Keep in mind that some women have felt worse after eating dairy products. It’s up to you whether you want to risk drinking milk or not.
Sit Up Straight
When you sit upright while you eat, it takes the pressure off your stomach. Also when you go to bed, you may want to prop your head and shoulders up to prevent indigestion while you sleep.
Don’t Drink Alcohol
Alcohol has been known to cause indigestion. It has also been known to cause long-term harm to the baby if you drink it while pregnant. It is best not to drink any alcohol during pregnancy.
Medicine for Indigestion
If you continue to have indigestion, then you may need some medicine to take for indigestion during pregnancy. Popular medications include antacids and alginates.
Antacids are made to neutralize the acid in your stomach. You may be able to get this medicine over the counter from a pharmacist. Keep in mind that if you are taking iron supplements as well, don’t take the antacids and the iron around the same time. Antacids can stop iron from being absorbed by your body, so take them at different times.
Alginates are made to relieve indigestion by stopping the acid in your stomach from coming back up your gullet.
With both antacids and alginates, make sure to follow your doctor’s advice. Your doctor may recommend taking them before any symptoms show up, or you may be able to take it while you have the symptoms. If these medications don’t help you with your indigestion, then your doctor may give you medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. Two popular medications for this are ranitidine and omeprazole. For ranitidine, you will take a tablet twice a day. For omeprazole, you will take a pill only once a day.
What Causes Indigestion During Pregnancy
Indigestion and gas during pregnancy are common. While there isn’t one main reason why indigestion happens, there are many causes of it. The main causes of indigestion during pregnancy are the following: hormonal changes, your baby pressing on your stomach, and the muscles between your stomach and gullet relaxing, which results in stomach acid coming up. You are also likely to get indigestion if you had indigestion before you were pregnant, if you’ve been pregnant before, or if you are in the later stages of pregnancy.
Conclusion
I hope that this article helps you deal with any indigestion during pregnancy that you may have. I’ve gone over what indigestion is, what causes it, and some remedies to try to help alleviate it. Remember also always to consult your doctor with any pregnancy-related issues. I wish you the best of luck with the remainder of your pregnancy!
