You're Offline
The page will automatically refresh once you get online
Indigestion, also called heartburn or acid reflux, is common in pregnancy. It can be caused by hormonal changes and the growing baby pressing against your stomach.
You can help ease indigestion and heartburn by making changes to your diet and lifestyle, and there are medicines that are safe to take in pregnancy.
Symptoms of indigestion and heartburn include:
Symptoms usually come on soon after eating or drinking, but there can sometimes be a delay between eating and getting indigestion.
You can get symptoms at any point during your pregnancy, but they are more common from 12 weeks onwards.
Changes to your diet and lifestyle may be enough to control your symptoms, particularly if they are mild.
You're more likely to get indigestion if you're very full.
If you're pregnant, it may be tempting to eat more than you would normally, but this may not be good for you or your baby.
Find out more about a healthy diet in pregnancy and foods to avoid in pregnancy.
You may be able to control your indigestion with changes to your eating habits.
It can help to eat small meals often, rather than larger meals 3 times a day, and to not eat within 3 hours of going to bed at night.
Sit up straight when you eat and just after eating. This will take the pressure off your stomach.
Cutting down on drinks containing caffeine, and foods that are rich, spicy or fatty, can also ease symptoms.
Propping your head and shoulders up when you go to bed can stop stomach acid coming up while you sleep.
Sleeping on your left side can also help.
Smoking when pregnant can cause indigestion, and can seriously affect the health of you and your unborn baby.
When you smoke, the chemicals you inhale can contribute to your indigestion. These chemicals can cause the ring of muscle at the lower end of your gullet to relax, which allows stomach acid to come back up more easily. This is known as acid reflux.
Smoking also increases the risk of:
There's lots of help available to stop smoking. Talk to your midwife or call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044.
Find out more about stopping smoking in pregnancy
Drinking alcohol can cause indigestion. During pregnancy, it can also lead to long-term harm to the baby. It's safest to not drink alcohol at all in pregnancy.
See your midwife or GP if you need help managing your symptoms or if changes to your diet and lifestyle do not work. They may recommend medicine to ease your symptoms.
You should also see your midwife or GP if you have any of the following:
Your midwife or GP may ask about your symptoms and examine you by pressing gently on different areas of your chest and stomach to see whether it's painful.
Speak to your GP if you're taking medicine for another condition, such as antidepressants, and you think it may be making your indigestion worse. They may be able to prescribe an alternative medicine.
Never stop taking a prescribed medicine unless you're advised to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who's responsible for your care.
Medicines for indigestion and heartburn during pregnancy include:
You may only need to take antacids and alginates when you start getting symptoms. However, your GP may recommend taking them before symptoms come on – for example, before a meal or before bed.
Do not take antacids within 2 hours of taking folic acid or iron supplements. Antacids can stop these supplements from being absorbed by your body.
If antacids and alginates do not improve your symptoms, your GP may prescribe another medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach.
You get symptoms of indigestion when the acid in your stomach irritates your stomach lining or gullet. This causes pain and a burning feeling.
When you're pregnant, you're more likely to have indigestion because of:
You may be more likely to get indigestion in pregnancy if:
