Why Have I Got Heartburn During Pregnancy?
As your baby develops you may find that it is more than just your desire to meet them that’s burning. Heartburn during pregnancy is a frequent occurrence and can be recognised by a burning sensation that resides all the way from your breastbone to your lower throat. Many mothers experience heartburn for the first time during pregnancy and although it is quite uncomfortable, it is usually harmless. The reason heartburn occurs so frequently during pregnancy is due to the placenta producing the hormone progesterone.
Progesterone is usually your friend throughout pregnancy, helping to prevent miscarriages through thickening the uterine lining, and promoting your natural health by reminding you to provide nutrients for your baby. However, this does not mean that progesterone won’t cause you pain from time to time.
As it relaxes the muscles of the uterus and the valve that separates the oesophagus from the stomach, it also allows gastric acids to flow back up to the oesophagus, causing the nasty burning sensation.
Your wiggling baby also contributes to your heartburn by placing pressure on the stomach and increasing the chance of acids being pushed into the oesophagus.
What Can I Do to Stop My Heartburn?
1. Find out what triggers it
The first thing you can do is make a note each time you have heartburn of what you’ve previously had to eat or drink. Certain foods tend to directly impact heartburn during pregnancy, such as acidic foods, greasy foods, spicy foods, caffeine, fizzy drinks and chocolate. If you can figure out what is causing your heartburn, you can try to eliminate it from your diet and relieve the pain.
2. Try to avoid big meals
Big meals increase the chance of heartburn, as food does not digest as well or move as quickly during pregnancy. It is better to eat several small meals throughout the day, taking your time to eat and chewing thoroughly.
3. Take care when you sleep
Keeping your upper body elevated while you sleep can help stop your stomach acids from reaching the oesophagus. Try to also avoid eating anything 3 hours before bedtime, as this decreases the chance of the stomach acids reaching you even further.
After eating, chewing gum helps eliminate heartburn during pregnancy. This is due to the chewing motion producing saliva which can help neutralise the acid.
If all else fails, any over-the-counter antacid which contains magnesium or calcium may help relieve you of the pain. However, you should first check with your prenatal nurse before taking anything to ensure that it is safe for you during pregnancy.
If your heartburn during pregnancy continues to persist after these methods, be sure to contact your health care provider to see if there are any prescription medicines you can take to help you. Be sure to contact them immediately if you spit up blood or have dark-coloured bowel movements as this is a sign of blood in your digestive tract. We hope these tips help you relieve some of the pain and enjoy every moment of your pregnancy!
We offer a wide selection of
scan packages here at First Encounters, and we realise that first-time visitors to our website may be a little uncertain as to which baby scan is right for them. We want to make sure that you have the best possible experience when you visit the
First Encounters clinic, and so we'd like to take a moment to explain the difference between each of our scan options.
Broadly speaking, our scan packages can be grouped into 3 different categories. These are as follows:
🤰 Reassurance Scans
These scans inspect your baby's growth and development, giving you extra peace of mind during your pregnancy.
- Ensure that your pregnancy is viable
- Check the health of your unborn baby
- Spot any concerns or complications
Our Reassurance Scan Packages:
2D viability, dating and reassurance scan. Includes digital foetal assessment report and digital download of all 2D scan imagery.
2D dating, reassurance and wellbeing scan. Includes digital foetal assessment report and digital download of all 2D scan imagery.
2D wellbeing observation scan. Includes digital foetal assessment report and digital download of all 2D scan imagery.
2D growth, reassurance and wellbeing scan. Includes digital foetal assessment report and digital download of all 2D scan imagery.
2D growth, reassurance and presentation scan. Includes growthAssure™ report (including Doppler blood flow) and digital download of all 2D scan imagery.
♀ Gender Scans
Find out whether you're having a boy or a girl!
- Learn your baby's gender
- 99.99% accurate
- Available from 16 weeks
Our Gender Scan Packages:
2D wellbeing and baby sexing scan. Includes digital foetal assessment report, a gender reveal scratch card and digital download of all 2D scan imagery. If you wish, gender can be kept secret to reveal at a later date.
2D growth, reassurance and wellbeing scan with complimentary baby sexing. Includes digital foetal assessment report, a gender reveal scratch card and digital download of all 2D scan imagery. If you wish, gender can be kept secret to reveal at a later date.
We also offer
SneakPeek® Baby Gender DNA Tests. This is a blood test that can tell you whether you're having a boy or a girl from as early as 6 weeks into your pregnancy.
👶 4D Bonding & Reassurance Scans
A detailed look into your baby's world - see your unborn child in detailed 4D vision!
- State-of-the-art HDlive technology provides the ultimate bonding experience
- Take home a range of optional souvenirs
Our 4D Scan Packages:
Wellbeing observation scan with 4D imaging. Gender confirmation optional. Includes digital foetal assessment report and digital download of all 2D, 3D and 4D imagery.
Growth, reassurance and wellbeing scan with complimentary HDlive 4D imaging. Gender confirmation optional. Includes digital foetal assessment report and digital download of all 2D, 3D and 4D imagery.
All scan packages and prices correct at time of writing. Last updated 19 July 2023.
We all love a bargain, and if you're interested in booking a 4D baby scan and getting a breathtaking glimpse of your unborn baby's face, you may be tempted to visit a deals / vouchers website like Groupon or Wowcher to see what discounts are currently available online. Groupon in particular seems to be perpetually flooded with dirt-cheap 4D ultrasound packages, with providers sometimes cutting their prices by 50% or even more in the hope of filling up more scan slots.
However, before you book a discounted 4D scan through a Groupon or Wowcher deal, here are some things you should take into consideration:
Many of the scan providers on Groupon are fairly new companies.
Offering a heavily-discounted scan package through a website like Groupon is a popular way for new scan providers with no established market presence to 'get the word out', as it were. An eye-catching offer can be a good way to get people talking about your company, and the hope is that customers who get the cut-price package will come back later for a full-price scan and/or recommend the clinic to their friends and family members in future.
The problem for customers, however, is that brand new companies have no track record by which to judge them. Established scan providers tend to have lots of reviews online, but when you go to a recently-opened ultrasound clinic that's using Groupon and Wowcher to drive that initial burst of bookings, you may not have any way of knowing whether they are able to provide a safe, satisfactory scanning experience using the right methods and equipment. This could mean that the sonographer is unable to capture good-quality footage of your baby, and in the worst cases, it could even put you / your baby in danger (e.g. from electric shocks).
Scan time may be very limited, and you may not be offered a re-scan.
We've found that many providers who sell their scan packages for reduced prices compensate for this by packing as many scan slots into the day as possible. This means that each customer's scan period must be rigidly adhered to and that's not always conducive to a satisfactory scan experience. For example, if the company has allotted 10 minutes for your 4D scan and the sonographer finds upon commencing the scan that your baby is facing the wrong way, you may not have time to go for a walk and try again because this would cause you to overrun your 10-minute window and cut into the next customer's appointment.
When this happens, most companies would offer a re-scan on a different date, but the fine print on Groupon offers often includes a stipulation like this:
"If satisfactory imagery cannot be obtained, no re-scan will be offered."
This means that you would have to pay full price for another appointment if your first, discounted appointment did not yield satisfactory scan footage / photos.
Why choose First Encounters?
Here at First Encounters Ultrasound, we never run offers through websites like Groupon or Wowcher - all of our scan packages are priced
as seen here. However, we believe that we provide an experience that's far superior to any you'll get through those websites. Here are just a few of the reasons why:
- All of our scans are performed by qualified, experienced medical professionals.
- We only use certified safe equipment from GE Healthcare.
- Our appointment slots always include time for multiple scan attempts.
- We always offer a complimentary re-scan if satisfactory imagery cannot be obtained on your first scan date.
- Our reputation is second to none - just look at the reviews on our Facebook page!
From key rings, to magnets, to our ever-popular Heartbeat Bear, we offer a great variety of baby scan souvenirs here at First Encounters - if you want to take home a memento of your ultrasound experience, there are plenty of options to choose from.
That said, the best souvenir of all is often the footage that we capture during the scan itself. Previously, the only way for our customers to take home their scan footage was on a DVD, but we now provide footage on a disc in the more versatile MP4 format. Furthermore, for an extra £10 you can upgrade to an even more convenient option: your ultrasound scan video on a USB stick!
Whether you visit us for a 2D scan or a 3D/4D scan, we can save your scan footage onto a handy little First Encounters USB stick for you to take home and use as you please. You will also receive the MP4 file on a disc as standard.
Unlike a DVD recording, the MP4 format allows you to accomplish the following with ease:
- Save your scan video to your own computer
- Create a backup version of your scan video
- Share the footage with friends and family online
- Burn multiple copies to disc as gifts for your loved ones
In addition to the video file, your First Encounters USB stick can also be loaded with all of the photographic images captured during your ultrasound scan (we usually capture at least 20-25 photos per scan). This means you'll have easy access to an extensive collection of pictures to post on Facebook and send to your relatives, no matter where in the world they are.
Ready to book your baby scan and create the memories you'll cherish for a lifetime? Click here to see our scan options, or visit our Cardiff Clinic Location Page to find our First Encounters Ultrasound clinic.
In the past, expectant parents weren't able to meet their baby until he or she was born. But thanks to the miracles of modern ultrasound technology, mums- and dads-to-be no longer have to wait that long!
Of course, ultrasound scans have been with us for over half a century, but the images captured during 'traditional' ultrasound scans - while useful for diagnostic purposes - don't give a particularly good impression of what the baby actually
looks like. However, more recent breakthroughs have allowed us to get a good, clear look at an unborn baby's face, and thanks to the latest
HDlive technology from GE Healthcare, we at First Encounters are able to offer an truly unparalleled level of detail to parents who are keen to sneak a peek at their 'bun in the oven'.
This image was captured using a GE Voluson E6 with HDlive technology. As of July 2016, all of our 3D/4D scans are conducted using a Voluson E6.
Click here to compare our packages and book your baby scan online, or read on to find out what you can expect when you meet your baby at our clinic!
What to expect from your First Encounters scan
We have two ultrasound clinics: one in
Cardiff, and another in
Bristol. Both have ample parking available for customer use, so don't worry about finding a space!
Once you've arrived, we'll welcome you into our spacious, modern clinic and show you to one of our comfortable scanning rooms (all of which have room for up to six guests - everyone is welcome, including young children!).
One of our scanning rooms.
Our sonographer will make sure you're comfortable and feeling at ease before commencing the scan. The scan itself will take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the
package you've selected. With any luck, we'll be able to get a great look at your baby on the first attempt, but if they're feeling camera shy we may ask you take a gentle stroll in order to get them moving.
During the scan, you'll see your baby in crisp HDlive vision - you should be able to tell which parent they most resemble, and you may even be lucky enough to see them smiling or waving back at you from the plasma screen!#
After your scan, you can collect all of the gifts and souvenirs included in your chosen scan package, as well as any others that you've decided to add on (
click here to view what we have to offer).
