This week I’ve been fortunate enough (!) to be able to tick off yet another one of those utterly delightful pregnancy afflictions: heartburn.

Mine seems to have started without warning at around the 35 week mark of pregnancy, and began at work with an odd sensation like I’d just downed a bottle of acid rather than my glass of water!

Thankfully mine has proved to be little more than a mild annoyance which isn’t too difficult to ignore. However, from reading up on the subject, it seems that some women suffer very badly with heartburn during pregnancy, thanks in large part to those dreaded hormones and the ever-increasing size of the baby putting pressure on our stomachs.

So, what can we do to ease the heartburn hell of pregnancy? Here are some tips I’ve been reading:

• Avoid foods which might trigger heartburn. These include curries, anything really greasy like chip shop chips (dammit!), and citrus fruits.
• Drink little and often, rather than taking huge gulps with meals.
• Give yourself enough time between eating dinner and going to sleep for your food to digest adequately.
• Sit upright whilst eating and, if you are suffering from heartburn during the night, use some pillows to prop yourself up for a while.
• Try home remedies like a tablespoon of honey in some warm milk to ease the burning sensation through the day.
• If all else fails, contact your midwife for some advice as there could well be some tablets that are pregnancy-friendly and fine to take.
• The final tip seems to be remembering that heartburn, like so many other nasty pregnancy symptoms we moan about, will disappear once your baby has arrived, so yet another reason to look forward to the new arrival entering the world!