Heartburn can be a problem during pregnancy.  Your hormones relax the ring of muscle at the bottom of your esophagus that keeps the food in your stomach.  The food rises into the esophagus and gives you heartburn.  Once this ring of muscle, or sphincter, is relaxed, heartburn is more common.  Also as the baby and uterus enlarge during the last trimester, they will displace your stomach, leading to the food coming back up into your esophagus. You can temporarily neutralize the heartburn with antacid calcium carbonate pills. Just drinking any form of liquid will help reduce the acid coming out of your stomach.  Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria in yogurt, can help protect your stomach and esophagus from heartburn.  Avoid eating high fat foods that are difficult to digest.  Another solution is to avoid foods high in acid such as vinegar, soda pop and lemons.  Sleep on your left side with…

Restless legs seem to bother a small number of women during pregnancy.  It is the sensation of always having to move your legs.  While you are sitting you may feel compelled to cross them, at night while you are trying to sleep, you may find it difficult to position your legs comfortably.  You feel you must keep moving them.  Restless leg is linked to iron deficiency in pregnancy. It is very important that you take your prenatal vitamins to help reduce the risk.  Also the tendency for restless legs seems to be genetically determined.  That is, you are more likely to suffer from restless leg syndrome if your father or mother had it.  Fortunately, it almost always goes away after your baby is delivered.

Many young women experience acne during pregnancy.  This is influenced by the hormonal changes taking place in your body.  Nonetheless, each woman’s tendency for acne may change during the pregnancy.  Most topical products for acne are safe during pregnancy with the exception of Retin-A also known as isotretinoin.  If you become pregnant on isotretinoin, stop immediately and tell your OB.

Hemorrhoids are common in pregnancy.  First, in preparation for delivery your whole pelvic area is being engorged with blood and tissue fluid.  This makes gentler passage for the baby, and also protects your birth canal during delivery.  Secondly, constipation is common in pregnancy, causing you to strain more while having a bowel movement.  The combination of increased blood supply to your pelvic area and straining leads to hemorrhoids. You can reduce your odds of contracting hemorrhoids by relieving the constipation.  Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, 5 glasses of water and 3 glasses of milk a day. Eat a diet relatively high in fiber.  Look for cereals that have 6 grams of fiber or more per serving.  Consider taking a fiber supplement; eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  All this will make elimination of your stool easier and reduce your risk of hemorrhoids.

During delivery, your body will lose a lot of fluid.  This fluid is represented by your amniotic fluid and the placenta.  In preparation for this, you naturally hold on to more fluids.  Some of this is stored in your legs and when you lay down at night that fluid leaves the legs and comes back to your blood where it is processed by your kidneys.  This causes frequent urination at night.  You will also have increased thirst during the day.  Again, this is a way for your body to prepare for delivery.  Since you are thirsty and drink more water, you will typically urinate more.   Lastly, during the last trimester, the pregnant uterus is pressing on your bladder making it smaller so it holds less urine.  Fortunately, frequent urination resolves quickly, usually within a week after delivery.