Foods that cause heartburn in pregnancy

Pregnancy hormones can relax the valve between the stomach and food pipe. As the pregnancy grows, pressure on the stomach may also encourage acidic contents to move upwards. Burning behind the breastbone, a sour taste, or discomfort after eating can follow.

Common triggers include chilli, rich fried meals, tomato-based foods, citrus, chocolate, coffee, and fizzy drinks. A food that bothers one person may be tolerated by another, so a brief symptom diary is more useful than removing every possible trigger.

Try smaller meals more often, eat slowly, and leave time between dinner and lying down. Sit upright after eating and raise your upper body when resting if advised. Choose less rich meals and swap a suspected trigger for a milder option while keeping your diet varied.

Ask a pregnancy clinician or pharmacist before taking an antacid or reflux medicine, because some products are unsuitable in pregnancy or need spacing from supplements.

Arrange medical advice if heartburn is severe, persistent, prevents sleep, makes eating difficult, or does not improve with simple changes. Seek urgent care for chest pressure, trouble breathing, vomiting blood, black stools, or severe abdominal pain.

New upper abdominal pain with a severe headache, vision changes, sudden swelling, or feeling very unwell needs prompt assessment because these symptoms can occur with pre-eclampsia.

Ask which medicines are suitable at your stage of pregnancy, whether your symptoms need another explanation, and how to protect nutrition if eating becomes uncomfortable.