How to Get Relief from Burping, Coughing and Acid Reflux in Pregnancy

By 12 weeks in (my second trimester) I had resolved that burping was just going to become a way of life for me throughout my pregnancy.

I could not. Stop. Burping.

And it felt soo unlady-like! But it was almost like a reflex, I couldn’t really stop it or control it.

Pregnancy brings about all sorts of changes in your body, beyond your control. One major symptom I had was acid reflux.

Acid reflux takes on a lot of different forms for everyone, so it can look different from woman to woman.

Here’s some of my experience that I want to share in hopes that it helps you!

Disclaimer: I’m not a Doctor, just a new Momma wanting to help other new Mommas. Please don’t replace this with real medical advice from your Doctor. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, he/she may need to prescribe medication for you.

Burping Can be a Sign of Acid Reflux

You may be surprised (like I was) to learn constant burping can actually be a sign of acid reflux.

It took awhile for me to understand how this fits into the puzzle, but once I explain the burping, acid reflux will make more sense.

Why Do You Burp a Lot During Pregnancy?

My Doctor explained that the valve at the bottom of your esophagus to your stomach relaxes from the pregnancy hormone relaxin.

It relaxes the ligaments in the pelvis and softens and widens the cervix in preparation for baby’s exit. But it also relaxes other processes in the body.

It’s part of the reason most women deal with constipation, the relaxin relaxes the digestive system and slows your bowels. It slows your digestion to make time for baby to absorb all the nutrients your body brings in through food.

The esophageal valve can also relax and cause air to come back up through your esophagus. This is air that normally would just come out as flatulence.

It’s pretty unpleasant but, it’s normal! And for me it was constant.

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Here are Tips on How to Relieve Burping

1. I kept Tums on hand and used the recommended dosage, mainly after eating. These you can get over the counter at any drugstore or online.

2. Also I’d try to stay away from carbonated beverages, and anything else that you know may encourage burping for you.

3. Eat slowly and try not to devour large meals.

4. Eat small snacks throughout the day so as not to get to a point where you’re ravenously hungry.

5. Drinking a cup of warm tea after meals can help ease your digestion and calm burping. Check out this article to figure out the best type of tea for you to consume while pregnant: click here.

Coughing at night and feeling like you can’t breathe may be Acid Reflux… Lemme Explain

My coughing at night during sleep was an anomaly for quite a while, and it got worse in my second trimester.

I actually didn’t learn what was really happening with this until 12 months postpartum. (It’s a whole story for another day, I actually developed a hiatal hernia during my pregnancy.)

For me the coughing was from acid reflux. I didn’t know this at the time.

Apparently it’s from laying too flat at night, and the esophageal valve being affected by the relaxin allows acid to come back up from the stomach into the esophagus. It then can cause you to choke and cough on the acid.

I thought it was just drainage from my sinuses causing me to cough because I’ve always had sinus issues. That probably played a part in it, but not as big of the part of acid reflux.

I had never had acid reflux before pregnancy so I had no idea what it was like.

During pregnancy the shortness of breath was just attributed to my organs pushing on my lungs, however later on I found it was probably the beginning of the GERD situation I’m dealing with now postpartum.

Yep that shortness of breath can transform to chest pain, which is what happened to me 12 months postpartum.

It occurs because stomach acid that creeps into the esophagus can enter the lungs, and cause swelling of the airways.

I kept asking my Doctor if she thought I had asthma because it felt like I couldn’t breathe!

I kept opening the windows in the dead of winter, trying to get air. I’m sure I was freezing my poor Hubby!

Any-hoo, it’s important to know this could happen to you and why.

Here are Tips on How to Relieve Symptoms of Acid Reflux

1. Sit up as much as possible and keep your back elevated while laying in bed. No sleeping flat. Lean back into a mound of pillows or get a wedge pillow to put behind your back.

2. Tums can also help relieve this symptom. When you eat, your stomach produces lots more acid in order to break down your food. Try and take the Tums after you eat so as to calm the acid down and prevent it from bursting up your esophagus.

3. Don’t eat late, try and have your last meal/snack 3 hours before you go to sleep. Anything that’s still in your stomach before you sleep may travel back up the esophagus and cause you to choke/cough in your sleep.

4. Cut back on (or eliminate) caffeine, acidic fruits (oranges, lemons, tomato), fried foods, peppermint/spearmint, garlic/onions and spicy foods as much as possible. You don’t have to go overboard because pregnancy is challenging enough as it is, just try and learn your triggers and be mindful that these things can cause issues. And make sure to keep solutions on hand to combat a flare up.

5. Try chewing gum. This one you have to be careful with because during pregnancy, you already produce quite a bit of saliva. However it’s a fact that your saliva helps with food digestion and can cut through and calm the acid that may try to creep up your esophagus. It may be worth a try because it can also help alleviate nausea. Just use caution.

I hope this helps you get some relief during your pregnancy. It’s a journey but you’ll find what works best for you.

These are temporary struggles that won’t mean much to you anymore when you see that healthy, happy new bundle of joy in your arms.

I hope you have an awesome pregnancy, and an amazing day today and every day