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Pregnancy has many common side effects that get irritating after a while. When your morning sickness subsides and you get your energy back, you might notice heartburn appearing more often than before. Acid reflux is a typical part of most pregnancy experiences, but you don’t have to deal with it through your delivery.
Check out these six home remedies for heartburn during pregnancy. They’ll reduce the intensity and frequency of your acid reflux, so you can enjoy every moment leading up to your due date.
After you become pregnant, your progesterone levels will rise exponentially through your first trimester and level out during your second. It maintains your newly fertilized egg so it stays healthy and proceeds through the normal growth stages.
At the same time, the progesterone relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing undigested food and bile to rise into your esophagus.
Some whole fruits have enzymes that speed up the digestion process, so food passes through your stomach at a faster, more normal rate. Add pineapple, mangoes and bananas to your diet to get a good start on reducing your heartburn.
Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory. It’s can treat nausea and will relieve the gastrointestinal irritation that results in acid reflux. The phenolic compounds in organic ginger lessen gastric contractions that cause heartburn by squeezing stomach contents back up to the esophagus.
Small amounts of ginger in teas or candies may soothe acid reflux. You can also adjust your diet and cook new recipes with ginger, such as soups and salads.
Most people who haven’t caught onto diet fads will think that apple cider vinegar is a strange addition to your fridge. It’s a useful thing to keep around your house because it serves so many purposes. It can cleanse your face during your beauty routine, clean common household surfaces and even solve your heartburn problems.
In small, diluted doses, apple cider vinegar can bring down the pH levels in your stomach, but use this home remedy carefully. If it’s not diluted enough, it may further irritate your esophagus before reaching your stomach. Start small with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and increase up to one tablespoon as needed.
Another thing to keep in mind is that apple cider vinegar may cause unexpected bathroom trips when it’s too intense for your gut. People use it to move past periods of constipation, so you might try other heartburn remedies before apple cider vinegar if you already have regular bowel movements.
After you pass the 28-week mark, your growing baby will push up against your stomach, making it more difficult for it to hold all the food you eat. Combined with progesterone slowing down your digestion, it can result in intense acid reflux.
As often as you can, engage in light exercise like walking. Moving around will stimulate the peristalsis process that pushes your digested food from your stomach through your GI tract. You’ll coax your body into processing your meal and avoid heartburn.
Regular exercise also prepares your body for labor in your second and third trimester. Try walking every day or as often as you have the energy for it. Exercising can only hurt your pregnancy if you push yourself when you’re tired or try strenuous activities beyond walking.
Your gut contains beneficial bacteria that break down all the food you eat. When it’s unbalanced or bad bacteria replace it, it produces gas that creates pressure on your stomach. The pressure sends stomach acid to your esophagus.
Taking probiotics is one way to maintain your gut microbiome without affecting your grocery budget. You can also look for budget-friendly snacks to replace late-night ice cream or fast food cravings. Yogurt is an excellent source of probiotics and helps you fall asleep because it jump-starts the melatonin production that leads to deep, restful sleep.
After various possible causes affect the esophagus, those nerve endings become inflamed. Some herbal teas are powerful anti-inflammatory resources that don’t contain caffeine or other ingredients that aren’t good to ingest while pregnant.
Chamomile tea lowers the gastric acidity that burns past your esophagus. Licorice tea is also helpful. Licorice root contains flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins that encourage the production of mucus in the stomach and esophagus. The thicker mucous lining protects your body from the acid pushed up from your stomach.
Home remedies for heartburn during pregnancy will change your day-to-day life. Try herbal teas, probiotics and even exercise to see if they give you the relief you need. Always meet with your doctor and ask any questions if you have concerns about making these changes to your lifestyle.
