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Another recommendation for combating heartburn is to eat smaller portions of food spaced out through the day. Eating smaller meals every few hours instead of three large meals many hours apart prevents your stomach from becoming too full and putting pressure under your diaphragm and pushing acid up into your esophagus. As such, switch to eating 5-6 small meals or snacks daily spaced about 2 hours apart.  Your last meal or snack of the day should be eaten early in the evening, at least 3 hours before you head to bed. This gives your stomach enough time to properly digest the food and send it on to your small intestine. Aim for small meals or snacks that are around 300 to 400 calories each. Gaining some weight during pregnancy is necessary as you're eating for two, but significant weight gain increases your risk of diabetes. Slow down when you eat your meals or snacks and chew each mouthful thoroughly before swallowing because it promotes better digestion. Conversely, eating too quickly and not chewing properly reduces the amount of saliva release into your mouth and causes your stomach to work harder, which increases the likelihood of indigestion and heartburn. Eating slowly also tends to prevent over-eating because you feel full quicker.  Take small bites and chew each mouthful of food for between 20-30 seconds so that there's lots of saliva in your mouth before swallowing. Chewing your food well reduces the need to drink lots of liquids with meals in order to "flush the food down." Drinking more than a few ounces of liquid with meals can dilute digestive enzymes and promote indigestion. Chewing gum can help provide relief from heartburn because it stimulates the production of saliva, which contains acid-neutralizing bicarbonate. Swallowing more saliva can literally "put the fire out" because it neutralizes the stomach acid that's gotten into the esophagus. In this sense, saliva is your body's natural antacid.  Avoid minty and menthol-flavored gum, such as peppermint, because they can actually stimulate your stomach's production of digestive juice. Choose sugar-free gum with xylitol because the artificial sweetener can kill cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth and ulcer-causing bacteria in your stomach. Wait about 15-30 minutes after meals before chewing on gum because food needs an acidic environment to be properly digested and broken down. Your stomach needs to be very acidic in order to properly digest food, but the problems start when too much acid is produced or if the acid gets past the esophageal sphincter to irritate the esophagus. As such, wait about an hour or so after a meal before drinking a small glass of milk. The minerals in milk (mainly calcium) can neutralize any acid in your esophagus and help to soothe any irritation.  Use low-fat milk so that the animal-based fat doesn't make the acid reflux worse. Sometimes the sugar (lactose) in milk and other dairy products can trigger heartburn, so experiment with the milk drinking, but stop it if it creates more problems. Don't drink milk after meals if you are lactose intolerant (don't produce enough lactase enzyme) because the symptoms of bloating and cramps can make your acid reflux worse. While eating food it's best to sit up straight, but resist the urge to lie down after you finish your meal. Keeping upright works with gravity and promotes the travel of digested food down through your gastrointestinal system. Lying on a couch cancels out the effect of gravity and allows partially digested food and stomach acid to leak through the esophageal sphincter and into the esophagus.  It's the irritation of the lining of the esophagus that causes the burning feeling in your chest — aka heartburn. Other symptoms of acid reflux include: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, dry cough and hoarseness.  Wait for at least a few hours before lying down on a couch / bed. You can sit down and put your feet up to rest, but make sure your upper body is erect. Avoid eating big meals to reduce your tiredness (and desire to lie down) due to the sudden secretion of lots of insulin hormone into your bloodstream from your pancreas. Moderate-to-heavy exercise immediately after a meal greatly increases your risk of indigestion and heartburn, but mild exercise (walking) can help promote intestinal motility — push undigested food and waste material through your intestines so nothing gets backed up. After you finish cleaning up the dishes, go for a 15-20 minute gentle walk or do some light chores around the house.  Too much exercise diverts blood away from your gastrointestinal system and into muscles of your legs and arms, which compromises digestion. Focus on doing more exercise during the day instead of at night so that it doesn't affect your sleep. Mild exercise promotes regular bowel movements, which prevents a "log jam" in your intestines and a build up of pressure from gas. If you're suffering from a bout of acid reflux while pregnant (or any other time), be conscious of your body position while in bed at night. To combat heartburn, try elevating your upper body and head with pillows, which will put gravity to work — although pillows may not always be effective because they're too soft. If this isn't comfortable, then lie on your left side, which makes it more difficult for stomach acid to reflux into your esophagus.  Foam wedges meant to prop up your upper body in bed are available at some pharmacies and most medical supply stores. Avoid lying on your side while your upper body is propped up by pillow or a wedge because you can irritate your upper spine (mid back) and ribs. Stress and anxiety often causes more acid to be produced in your stomach and less blood to circulate around your intestines for food absorption, which are factors that can aggravate acid reflux. As such, try to manage your stress with relaxation therapies, such as deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, yoga or tai chi.  A variety of techniques to reduce stress and anxiety can reduce the signs and symptoms of acid reflux / heartburn. Practice relaxation techniques after you come home from work / school, but before eating any food. These techniques can also be done just before bedtime in order to promote better sleeps.
Eat smaller meals more frequently. Take your time and chew your food well. Chew gum after meals. Drink a small glass of milk after a meal. Don't lie down right after you eat. Stay active during the day. Be conscientious of your sleeping position. Manage your stress.