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Garlic capsules should be rich in allicin to be effective. Ask your midwife before taking any
supplements in pregnancy.

If you're taking iron tablets that make your heartburn worse, talk to your midwife or doctor
about changing to a liquid supplement instead.

Drink water between meals rather than with a meal. Drinking while you eat dilutes your
digestive juices, meaning they don't work as well to break down food.

Try to cut down on meat and fizzy drinks, if you have them often. Both can cause
heartburn. A little lean meat is healthy during pregnancy, but fizzy drinks have no
nutritional value.

Try to stay sitting upright after eating, as lying down may cause you to bring up a little food.
Raising the head of your bed in late pregnancy may help.

Heartburn may also be worse if you smoke.

Aromatherapy

Try adding four drops of lemon, orange or neroli (orange blossom) essential oils to a
teaspoonful of grapeseed base oil. Massage this into your chest and upper back, or put
the blend in your bath so you can inhale the vapours.

Herbal remedies

Check with your midwife before using herbal teas as a regular remedy. Peppermint tea
may help your digestion. But don't drink other teas that are reputed to aid digestion, such
as fennel. Fennel contains chemicals that may make your womb (uterus) contract.

Ginger, camomile and dandelion herbal tea may help to relieve heartburn, with the
following precautions:

If you've had any bleeding, it's best to drink ginger tea in moderation, as it contains
chemicals that can slow down clotting.
If you're taking medication for diabetes, don't drink dandelion tea, as it can interfere
with your medication.
If you're suffering from insomnia, drinking a lot of camomile tea may actually make it
more difficult to sleep.

Leg cramps & aching

During your pregnancy, your body will be going through a number of changes that can

increase your chances of experiencing leg cramps.