Natural remedies for heatburn during pregnancy

This post may contain affiliate links and we will earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links.

Heatburn during pregnancy is common, and it can be difficult to find relief. Fortunately, a few simple changes to your eating habits and sleeping position may help ease pregnancy heatburn. If lifestyle changes aren’t enough, there are also treatments that your healthcare provider or pharmacist can recommend.

WHY DO I HAVE HEATBURN WHEN I’M PREGNANT??

There are several reasons you might experience heatburn during pregnancy, even if you’ve never had it before. That was certainly true for me!

Pregnancy hormones can relax the muscle that normally keeps stomach contents from flowing back into the esophagus. As your pregnancy progresses, your growing baby and uterus can also put additional pressure on your stomach, making acid reflux more likely.

I had bad hearburn during my second and third pregnancies. As my pregnancies progressed, I found the indigestion increasingly uncomfortable.

Heatburn can happen at any stage of pregnancy, although it often becomes more common as pregnancy progresses. Fortunately, there are ways to manage the discomfort.

 

HOW CAN I RELIEVE PREGNANCY HEATBURN?

These are the natural remedies and lifestyle changes I tried when I was pregnant and the heatburn was kickin’. My experience is personal, and what helped me may not work for everyone. Pregnancy is also a time to check the safety of anything you plan to eat, drink, or take as a supplement.

1. Use baking soda but carefully. Baking soda can neutralize stomach acid, but medical guidance is recommended before using it as a home remedy during pregnancy. Rather than using the ¼ teaspoon dose mentioned in some home-remedy advice (that’s what I used), ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about a pregnancy-appropriate option for quick relief.
2. What about apple cider vinegar? I found taking apple cider vinegar daily to be helpful for me, but there is not enough reliable evidence to recommend it as a way to prevent pregnancy heatburn. Because it is acidic, it may also aggravate symptoms for some people. I wouldn’t present it as a proven treatment or suggest that pregnant readers need to drink it every day.
3. Avoid eating close to bedtime and identify your trigger foods. Try to finish eating around three hours before lying down, and notice whether foods such as tomatoes, fried foods, citrus fruits, or spicy meals make your symptoms worse. Triggers vary, so focus on the foods that affect you instead of unnecessarily restricting your diet.
4. Elevate your head and upper body while you sleep. Raising your upper body may help reduce nighttime acid reflux, and sleeping on your left side may also provide relief. Sleeping on my left did helped me a lot. A wedge pillow or a suitable way to raise the head of your bed may work better than simply stacking extra pillows beneath your head.

I will admit that while these natural remedies for pregnancy heatburn provided some relief, there were days that even drinking water resulted in indigestion. But the good news is, as soon as the baby arrived, it all magically disappeared 😉

Note: Seek prompt medical advice if you have difficulty swallowing, persistent vomiting, unexplained weight loss, or severe or worsening pain. Severe chest pain, trouble breathing, or chest pain accompanied by faintness or sweating requires urgent medical assessment. Do not assume every episode of chest or upper abdominal pain during pregnancy is heatburn.