Natural and Holistic Relief for Heartburn during Pregnancy
Jan 31, 2025
Are you suffering from pregnancy heartburn? If so, major empathy your way! It’s the absolute WORST.
There can be a place for TUMs and Pepcid (although try to avoid taking more 2 TUMs per day in order to avoid recessive calcium intake). That said, those medications are usually a bandaid and not getting at root causes of heartburn. They can also disrupt your healthy gut flora. If you need meds to function, you need them to function! I am all about the middle path in these scenarios. Here are some holistic ways to help:
1. Earthmama heartburn tea, formulated for pregnancy. It has GI tract soothing herbs like marshmallow and chamomile. It does contain spearmint which not everyone loves with heartburn (but peppermint is usually the bigger offender.) I’ve had some clients love this tea.
2. Digestive enzymes or papaya enzymes. I like the "Needed" digestive enzymes
3. slippery elm lozenge (can be purchased from either health food store or online) This helps to coat your throat and relieve the burning
4. Limit fluids with meals! This is a big one! It’s often an overlooked, but a simple solution. Fluids will make your stomach contents rise. In this vein, try to eat smaller frequent meals rather than three large ones, and of course, avoid lying down right after eating.
5. Raw almonds can be soothing chew. Chew slowly.
6. keep a food diary to figure out triggers—avoid common triggers such as tomato sauce, orange juice, citrus, mint, fried food. The diary can be helpful because everyone’s triggers are unique!
7. here’s a weird tip: sometimes you need to fight acid with acid. Experiment with Apple Cider Vinegar gummies (or a shot of ACV with water for mild heartburn )
Many of these options I first read about in Dr Aviva Romm's "Natural Pregnancy Book". I highly recommend it.
Herbal Treatment for Heartburn/Indigestion:
And guess what? Sometimes heartburn actually improves as baby gets lower in the pelvis. As always, talk with your care team about relief. This is not medical advice.
Did any of these things help you?
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