Pregnancy has many effects on a mother to be, which includes the following: bloating, inflamed ankles, gaining weight, and even severe heartburn, which makes their pregnancy a little bit difficult.
It is a strange saying that if a pregnant woman is suffering from severe heartburn, her baby is more likely to have a full head of hair. Does it even make sense? Well, let us know the truth about heartburn in pregnancy and baby hair.
Pregnancy and heartburn
During the second and third trimester of women’s pregnancy, most of the pregnant moms experience the symptoms of indigestion, which is also known as heartburn. They often associated heartburn in pregnancy and baby hair with each other. Indigestion is the burning and irritation feeling of the esophagus. This is more likely because of the stomach contents that come back up from your stomach. Indigestion is said to occur during those times of changing hormone levels. The pregnancy hormone is the leading cause of heartburn since it allows the lower esophageal sphincter to ease, which makes the acid of your stomach come up again to the esophagus. Also, pregnant women’s enlarged uterus crowds the abdomen, which allows the stomach acid to comes up.
On the other hand, there are reported cases where 28 pregnant moms said that they experience moderate and severe levels of indigestion. Twenty-three of them give birth to their hairy babies, while the remaining five women had their babies with no hair or less than the average number of hair. So, what does heartburn have to do with the babies’ hair? Is heartburn in pregnancy and baby hair has a definite connection? According to research, there is a connection between fetal hair growth and the interfering of stomach acid, which leads to reflux. There are some cases where pregnant moms who suffer severe heartburn experience too much vomiting. They also had a hard time sleeping since they need to do the sitting up position. This adage about heartburn in pregnancy and baby hair has turned out to be true. Although the study is small, it would be more interesting to know and see the outcomes of the more extensive research and investigation.
How to prevent indigestion during your pregnancy?
There are lots of things that you can try to prevent heartburn during your pregnancy.
- Take everything slowly
Since chewing is the first digestive process step, you have to make sure that you chew your food slowly and correctly. Remember that the more you chew, you help your stomach to do less work. Keep everything in moderation. Once you eat too quickly, rest assured that you are most likely to swallow air, which is responsible for creating gas in your belly. So no matter how hungry you are, you need to take smile bites and chew properly.
- Don’t eat trigger foods
You should be knowledgeable about the food that brings stomach trouble. You should remove those foods on your menu. Some of the trigger foods that you should exclude in your list are spicy food, caffeine, processed foods, citrus and mints, carbonated drinks, and fatty foods.
- Avoid smoking
If you are a pregnant woman and you are still smoking, you better quit now. It is one of the reasons for heartburn, and it is not also best for you and your baby.
- Relax
Stress is one of the reasons why heartburn occurs. So learning how to relax can help you ease the burn. You can try some activities like visualization, hypnosis, acupuncture, and prenatal yoga.
- Avoid drinking and eating at the same time
Keep in mind that too much food and fluid when mixed can distend the stomach, causing severe heartburn. You can try to take and drink the fluids right between every meal.
- Stand up or sit after your meal
Take note that after every meal, you need to do some walk, a little housework, take a seat and read your favorite book. Make sure that you won’t lie down and do any work that will lead you to bend over. Sitting and standing up are both useful activities that can wash the acid back to your esophagus.
- Avoid eating before going to sleep
Taking too much meal before sleeping is a great contributor to severe heartburn. You should avoid eating at least 3 hours before sleeping. Also, avoiding liquids a few hours before going to bed can help you prevent heartburn.
- Keep a moderate gain weight
Yes, you read it right. Too many pounds can also trigger and worsen the heartburn. It can add pressure to the digestive tract, which causes severe indigestion.
- Wear comfortable clothes
Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight to avoid constriction to your tummy, which triggers the addition of pressure and increasing the chances of heartburn.
How to treat indigestion during pregnancy?
If you are experiencing heartburn in pregnancy and baby hair growth or too much indigestion, you can try the following options to control and treat your pain during your pregnancy.
- Drink milk
A glass of milk after every meal can help you ease the pain of heartburn. You can also drink almond milk when the heartburn hits you. Warm milk added with one tablespoon of honey is recommended to keep you cool and feel at ease.
- Eat almonds
Almonds are essential in neutralizing the juices in your stomach, so it is advisable to take almonds after each meal to help you relieve and prevent indigestion.
- Eat papaya
Papaya is rich in Vitamins A and C and another way to treat and relieve the heartburn that you are experiencing. So you should eat fresh or even dried papaya.
- Sugarless gum
Chewing sugarless gum for an hour after your meals allow the increase of saliva production. It is essential in neutralizing excess acid found in your esophagus. If you are worried about the sweeteners in your sugarless gum, you need not worry because it is okay with you as long as you take it in moderation.
Do you feel indigestion so severely? It is more likely that you are going to give birth to a hairy baby. Unbelievable as it may sound, but it is maybe because of some pregnancy hormones. These hormones are also said to be the cause of heartburn in pregnancy and baby hair growth at the same time.
