Heartburn relief during pregnancy is a common concern many pregnant women have. Read on to see what you what heartburn remedies during pregnancy are available.

What causes early pregnancy heartburn?

Heartburn in early pregnancy is a common complaint. The hormone progesterone is released as soon a woman becomes pregnant and can cause many early pregnancy symptoms which include pregnancy heartburn. Progesterone causes relaxation of the cardiac sphincter of the stomach which is the muscle between the stomach and the esophagus (food pipe). Relaxation of this muscle allows for some gastric acid and food to flow backwards and re-enter the esophagus (food pipe). Gastric acid irritates the lining of the esophagus causing a burning sensation in the center of the chest called pregnancy heartburn.

As your baby grows bigger and takes up more room in the abdominal area, the stomach itself is displaced and squashed. The growing uterus can permanently press on the cardiac sphincter of the stomach and allow gastric juices and food to constantly leak back into the esophagus (wind pipe) which may cause severe heartburn during pregnancy.

Heartburn remedies during pregnancy

Heartburn relief during pregnancy can be achieved by eating yogurt or drinking a glass of milk.

Try a tablespoon of honey in a glass of warm milk for pregnancy heartburn relief.

Eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day rather than three large meals.

Avoid spicy, greasy, fatty foods, peppers and tomatoes produce extra gastric acid causing pregnancy heartburn.

Avoid foods that relax the cardiac sphincter of the stomach such as alcohol, peppermint, garlic, and chocolate.

Avoid eating for at least two hours before going to bed.

Do not lie down after eating to prevent the food from the stomach flowing back into your esophagus causing pregnancy heartburn.

Mild over-the-counter antacids such as Mylanta or Tums may prove helpful in relieving heartburn pregnancy symptom.

If your heartburn symptoms are severe or accompanied by headache or swelling (especially if you are later on in pregnancy) consult with your health care provider immediately as you may have pre-eclampsia of pregnancy.

Sleeping with extra pillows under your head to keep your stomach lower than your esophagus (food pipe) works very well to give you a better start to the day and a better nights sleep.

One of the most effective heartburn remedies during pregnancy is to try to prevent heartburn developing in the first place. The healthier you are prior pregnancy and the healthier you eat during pregnancy can have a direct correlation to the amount of pregnancy symptoms you have. I would like to invite you to supplement with a high quality Mangosteen and mineral product that many of my pregnant clients use to correct misalignments within the body and encourage the stomach to produce the right amount of gastric acid that you body needs for digestion. Visit http://www.VemmaMidwife.com

You may also be very interested in an amazing message that was telepathically dictated to me for humanity from my son when he was seven-weeks old. Yes you read correctly! I have the ability to communicate with baby’s emotions from inside and outside the womb. Down load this AMAZING MESSAGE FREE at http://www.PregnancySuccessCoach.com/Message_For_Humanity.html

If you wish to ask me a personal question about your pregnancy or an issue in your life then visit http://www.PregnancySuccessCoach.com/Ask_Hannah_Section.html

Hannah Bajor. C.N.M.,M.S.N.

Certified Nurse Midwife.

Pregnancy Success Coach 

Deciding on which dentist to use can be a very difficult decision. There are so many and it is hard to tell which ones are good. There is a dentist in my area that has been doing dental work for ever 20 years and that is one way I know that he is a good dentist. You want to find a dentist with plenty of experience. Now days, because there are so many dentists, many dentist will try and specialize in only a few kinds of treatments. This only makes it harder for those seeking dental assistance to find the right dentist.

When I’m trying to find a dentist in my area that will meet my needs, I always consider the following things:

1. Where is this dentist’s office located? If the office is far away or has limited parking, then this is something that might prevent me from visiting him or her as often as I should. Also, some offices can be located in areas that you might not feel completely safe at. You should always consider where you have to go to see your dentist when selecting one.

2. How professional is the dentist and his or her staff? Locating a dentist in my area that stands out above the others sometimes comes down to their mannerisms toward me. It is always important to feel comfortable and professionally welcomed at the dentist’s office. Part of this includes how much they show that they respect your time.

3. Like I mentioned before, you want to find a dentist that is most comprehensive in the procedures that they will do. Some dentists will only do certain ones. The dentist in my area that I see does most of the basic procedures. This is a very important aspect to consider and you should ask the dentist which one’s he or she will do.

4. Find out what kinds of anesthesia’s the dentists use. Some dentists will only use sedation dentistry and you want a dentist that can offer you a whole spectrum of choices so you can select the one that will make you the most comfortable during those painful visits.

5. Lastly, you need to find out what kinds of billing services the dental office offers. Your dental office should be flexible with your billing needs. They should make it convenient for you for every visit. The dentist in my area simply sends me a bill in the mail, and I find that very convenient. In addition, make sure that your dental insurance plan covers the services of that office.

These five steps are among the many criteria that should be used when selecting a dentist. In addition to using these steps, you can also ask your friends or family members for referrals to their dentists. You can also contact a university with that has an on-site clinic. They can refer you to a competent dentist. When finding a dentist in my area that could meet my needs, I asked my family members who they liked and why. This helped me select a good dentist.

Weight training can be a fun and energizing way to maintain strength, lose weight, and keep a healthy, good-looking body. Listed below are a few tips on setting up a great muscle-building, fat-burning workout.

The 640+ muscles of the body are divided into upper body muscles and lower body muscles. The upper body has a greater number of muscles but they are smaller than those of the lower body. The largest muscles are contained in the lower body and subsequently, there are fewer of them.

To work each group properly for maximum results, we need to work them a little differently. Let me explain. An “exercise” is a series of movements that either pushes or pulls a weight through a range of motion. A “repetition” is one complete movement through that particular exercise. A “set” is a grouping of repetitions. So, each exercise is done in repetitions which are part of a set. You can work each of the muscle groups one at a time, doing one set per group, and rest for 30-60 seconds before repeating the routine. This series is called a “circuit.”

While all sets of exercise will be done in repetitions, the amount of repetitions and sets can change. For best results, each body part should be exercised 2-3 times a week but NEVER on consecutive days. The muscles require at least 24-48 hours of recovery time for optimal performance.

Upper body muscles need to be trained at 8-15 repetitions per set for a total of 2-3 sets. Lower body muscles are trained at 8-15 repetitions per set for a total of 3-4 sets. Circuits can be repeated 3-4 times. The lower body muscles are worked harder because they are larger and can adapt to a higher load more rapidly than the upper body muscles.

To set a good training weight load, men should do 75% of the absolute maximum that they can handle for 1-3 repetitions in each exercise. Women should only use a weight that is approximately 60% of her maximum.

It’s really hard to overtrain your abdominal muscles since you use them all day in twisting, turning, and other torso movements. So, your abdominal muscles can be worked 4-7 times per week. Studies have shown that using a variety of crunching exercises is the best workout for the abdominal muscles. Do the 10 Crunch Variations listed and you’ll have rock-hard abdominals. Do 1-2 sets of 10 repetitions for each of the 10 crunches and you’ll hit every abdominal muscle. Remember to focus on proper form and the intensity of the exercise instead of the number of repetitions or sets. You will definitely feel a “burn” in the abdominal muscles on each set. Keeping your arms crossed on your chest with your hands on the opposite shoulder, you should lift only your head and shoulders up off the floor. This technique will not cause the typical pain in your neck or back.

Stretching is extremely important, both before and after a workout. It avoids injury and helps release toxins caused by the stress of working out. So make sure that you stretch to keep from aching after a workout and you’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll be back for more.

Below is a list of the most common exercises used to tone and strengthen each muscle group. Start out slowly using 1-2 exercises each for the various muscles. As you progress, add more exercises for variety and challenge.

EXERCISES FOR THE UPPER BODY

Chest/Shoulders: Front deltoid raise, lateral deltoid raise, Bent rear deltoid raise, Dumbbell shrug, Upright row, Bench press, Flyes, Inclined press, Dumbbell pullover, Parallel dip, Cable crossover

Back: Chin-up, Lat Pull-down, Bent barbell row, Bent one-arm dumbbell rows, Seated cable row

Arms: Biceps curl, Preacher curl, Machine curl, Cable curl, Triceps dip, Triceps pressdown, French curl

EXERCISES FOR THE LOWER BODY

Legs/Buttocks: Squats, Lunges, Leg press, Leg extensions, Leg lifts, Leg curls, Calf raises

Abdominals: Abdominal crunches in all 10 variations, Abdominal flexor machine, Leg lifts, Leg scissors

10 CRUNCH VARIATIONS

1. Knees bent, feet flat on floor

2. Knees bent and out to sides in a frog-leg position, soles of feet flat together

3. Legs at 90o to body, knees bent, calves parallel to floor

4. Legs at 90o to body, knees bent and out to sides in a frog-leg position, soles of feet flat together

5. Legs at 90o to body, toes pointing to ceiling

6. Legs at 90o to body, toes pointing to ceiling with legs spread wide

7. Left leg straight and held 3” off ground, right leg bent to chest

8. Right leg straight and held 3” off ground, left leg bent to chest

9. Turn on left side, do side crunches

10. Turn on right side, do side crunches

This article is just a small portion of an eight week online class that I teach called ‘The Answer’s Right Under Your Nose.’ You can find out more under the Personal Coaching section of my website – www.jerryryanphd.com.