It is common to experience acidity and heartburn during pregnancy. Some women also experience a burning sensation in the throat region. This is considered to be normal as the chance of stomach acid moving into the esophagus is common during pregnancy. This is experienced while the baby grows and uses up a lot of space inside the body.
How to Prevent Acidity During Pregnancy
Have Smaller Meals: Making it a habit to eat smaller meals that are distributed throughout the day instead of eating three meals per day like the others who are not pregnant.
Related: How to take care of yourself in pregnancy
Avoid Spicy Stuff: You should also avoid foods that are quite spicy. You should also sacrifice fried food items as they can cause acidity problems. As spicy foods and fried foods are easily available, it is better to stick to homemade food alone.
Restrict High Fat Diet: Avoid intake of foods that are known for their high-fat content. This will also help in keeping the body weight in control. You must also avoid drinking coffee and eating chocolates.
Quit Smoking and Drinking: It is better to give up consumption of alcohol and also overcome the habit of smoking.
Avoid Tight Wearing: Wear clothes that allow normal movement of the stomach while breathing and more movement after finishing meals.
Maintain the Biological Clock: You must plan your dinner timings and sleep times effectively. You should plan in such a way that you are not eating just when you are about to sleep. There should be a sufficient gap between dinner and sleep time. The ideal gap between sleep and dinner would be about three hours. This is for facilitating proper digestion of food that was consumed during dinner.
Drink Plenty of Water: If you are not aware of how much water you must consume in a day, it is time that you make it a point to drink 9 glasses of water. This is an approximate amount and you can consume slightly less or more.
Have a Well Balanced Diet: It is essential to concentrate on your eating and not to eat more than needed. Chew the food properly before swallowing and do not eat in a hurry.
Maintain a Proper Sleeping Position: Whenever you sleep, keep the upper half of the body at a much higher height compared to the lower half. You can easily accomplish this by using some pillows. When your upper half is elevated, be sure that you are lying in any position other than lying on the back. This is to prevent any discomfort or harm for the baby.
Peppermint Tea: Drink peppermint tea or juice prepared using Aloe Vera to neutralize acidity.
Follow precautions and be ready with common solutions as it is possible for women who do not have a record of acidity problems to face it only when they are pregnant. You can consider yourself lucky if the symptoms start to subside after the initial three months. If not, continue to follow the common tips mentioned as some women complain of acidity even after three months. Prevention is needed as pregnant women are not supposed to intake medications as it may cause harm to the baby.