Heartburn and stomach pain during pregnancy

Pregnancy can slow digestion and allow the growing uterus to increase pressure on the stomach, making acid reflux more noticeable. Stomach pain may also come from gas, constipation, muscle stretching, or a digestive illness. Gastritis, gastroenteritis, food poisoning, gallstones, coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, or diverticular disease can also cause abdominal symptoms and need different assessment. Heartburn does not prove that abdominal pain has a single cause. Location, severity, timing, bowel symptoms, fever, vomiting, urine changes, and pregnancy stage all matter.

Choose small meals, eat slowly, and stay upright after eating. Avoid lying flat soon after food and reduce only foods that clearly trigger burning. Drink fluids regularly, especially if nausea or loose stools are present. Do not take antacids, herbal products, or pain medicines without checking that they are suitable in pregnancy. Contact your maternity team or clinician with the exact pain location, when it began, and whether the baby’s movements, bleeding, or contractions have changed.

Contact maternity services urgently for severe or one-sided pain, vaginal bleeding, fluid leakage, regular tightening, faintness, fever, persistent vomiting, pain under the ribs, severe headache, vision changes, or reduced fetal movement. Seek emergency care for collapse, breathing difficulty, or unbearable pain. Prompt assessment is also needed for dehydration, bloody stools, or pain that keeps returning despite rest and fluids.

Could this be reflux, constipation, infection, or another pregnancy-related problem? Which medicine is suitable for my stage of pregnancy? Do I need an examination or tests? Which changes in pain, bleeding, contractions, or fetal movement should prompt immediate contact?