Painful heartburn during pregnancy: what to know

You may feel burning behind the breastbone, a sour taste, belching, or food coming back up. Symptoms can be worse after a large meal, when bending, or when lying down. Pregnancy-related reflux does not by itself mean that you have a stomach disease. Persistent or unusually severe symptoms can also occur with acid reflux, gastritis, a hiatus hernia, or a peptic ulcer, so describe the pattern to your maternity or primary-care clinician.

Try smaller meals, eat slowly, and remain upright after eating. Avoid lying down soon after food and notice whether spicy, fatty, acidic, or caffeinated items trigger symptoms. Raising the upper body during sleep may help; use a safe, stable arrangement rather than piling loose pillows. Ask a pharmacist or clinician before taking an antacid, acid reflux medication, or herbal product because pregnancy changes which ingredients are suitable.

Seek urgent help for chest pressure with breathlessness, fainting, sweating, or pain spreading to the arm, back, or jaw. Contact your maternity team promptly if you cannot keep fluids down, vomit blood, pass black stools, have trouble swallowing, or develop severe persistent upper-abdominal pain. Arrange a routine review if heartburn is frequent, disturbs sleep, or does not improve with simple measures.

Ask which symptom-relief options are appropriate at your stage of pregnancy, whether another medicine could be contributing, and what features would require an examination. Bring a short record of meals, timing, position, and any vomiting or swallowing difficulty.