If you’re feeling the burn every time you eat, relief is within reach. Simple remedies like almonds, milk, or papaya may help, and certain over-the-counter antacids — including Tums, Maalox, and Mylanta — are considered safe during pregnancy. For stubborn heartburn, your health care provider can recommend a pregnancy-safe medication.
Here’s what you need to know about what causes heartburn and how to prevent and treat it.
When does heartburn generally start during pregnancy?
For many women, heartburn starts in the first trimester, around month two, and is a pregnancy symptom that can last throughout the nine months.
Rest assured, you're not alone. Nearly half of expectant moms experience heartburn.[1] "Heartburn was one of my first symptoms with all of my pregnancies!" says What to Expect Community member mommy2CandO.
"I liked to describe myself as a fire-breathing dragon," says Community mom rockmusic41. "My heartburn was horrible."
What causes heartburn during pregnancy?
Relaxed muscles — which slow digestion and allow for digestive juices to back up into the esophagus — are largely to blame for heartburn when you're pregnant.
Early in pregnancy, your body produces large amounts of the hormones progesterone and relaxin, which relax smooth muscle tissues throughout your body, including in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. As a result, food moves more slowly through your system, allowing for better absorption of nutrients into your bloodstream and, ultimately, to your baby via the placenta.
But this slowed process can also lead to indigestion issues like bloating, gas, and heartburn. In addition, when the ring of muscle separating the esophagus from the stomach relaxes, food and digestive juices flow back up from the stomach to the esophagus.[2]
These stomach acids irritate the sensitive esophageal lining, causing a burning near the heart — hence the name heartburn, though the problem is unrelated to your heart.
How do you treat heartburn during pregnancy?
There are several ways to manage heartburn during pregnancy:
- Chew sugarless gum. Chewing gum for about half an hour after meals increases saliva production, which can neutralize acid. Concerned about artificial sweeteners during pregnancy? Sugarless gum is fine in moderation. If you're among the women who find that mint-flavored gum exacerbates heartburn, choose a non-minty gum.
- Try almonds. Eating a few almonds after meals may help neutralize stomach acid.
- Drink milk. A small glass of almond milk after meals or when symptoms strike can be soothing. Bonus: You'll get an extra hit of calcium. Some moms-to-be prefer warm milk with a tablespoon of honey. "Seriously, almond milk works better than any antacid I've tried," says Community mom farfromoz.
- Snack on papaya. Fresh, dried, or freeze-dried papaya may help relieve heartburn for some women and provides vitamins A and C, too. "Eating papaya is helping a lot!" says Community mom annieb003. "I also tried cutting out processed sugars, cutting down on constipation, and propping my head up. Papaya is a miracle for me though."
What medications can I take for heartburn during pregnancy?
Keep a supply of antacids like Tums, Maalox, or Mylanta at popping distance. In addition to curbing the burn, they'll also give you a healthy dose of calcium.[3] Always check with your health care practitioner about the right dosage.
If your heartburn is persistent, your practitioner may suggest that you try an over-the-counter heartburn medication that reduces acid production, such as proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) or H2 blockers. These are generally considered safe for severe symptoms that don't respond to antacids or lifestyle changes. But always get approval first.
Avoid other medications during pregnancy unless they're prescribed by your practitioner.
Can I prevent heartburn during pregnancy?
You may not be able to avoid heartburn entirely, but these strategies can help reduce symptoms:
- Avoid trigger foods. Common culprits include food that's highly seasoned, spicy, fried, or fatty; processed meats; chocolate; caffeine; carbonated beverages; mint; and citrus. Triggers vary, so pay attention to what affects you. "It's strange — things that I would think would give me heartburn like chicken wings or pasta sauce sometimes won't, but things like peanut butter or a banana will," says Community mom CMP1989mom.
- Don't drink and eat large amounts at once. Too much fluid mixed with meals can distend the stomach, aggravating heartburn. Try to drink most of your fluids between meals.
- Eat earlier in the evening. Finish your last big meal at least two hours before bedtime so your stomach can get started on digestion before you lie down for the night. (A before-bed snack is fine, so long as it's light and easy to digest.)
- Choose smaller meals. Skip the three big squares. Smaller, more frequent mini-meals and snacks are the solution to many pregnancy symptoms, from heartburn to bloating to lagging energy.
- Eat slowly. Chewing is the first step in the digestive process: The more you chew, the less work your stomach has to do. Plus when you eat too quickly, you often swallow air, which can form gas pockets in your belly. So even when you're super hungry or in a hurry, try to take small bites and chew well.
- Keep it loose. Tight clothes around your waist can increase pressure on your stomach.
- Stay upright. Sit up while eating and for a couple of hours afterwards. Lying down, slouching, slumping, and stooping all bring gastric juices back up. When you have to bend over, do it with your knees instead of at your waist. And try sleeping with your head elevated about 6 inches, which takes advantage of gravity to help keep those gastric juices where they belong. "Propping myself up when I sleep seems to help me a little bit," says Community mom Embracebaby36.
- Don't smoke. Heartburn is yet another reason to quit smoking today, if you haven't already.
- Relax for relief. Stress compounds gastric upset, so learning to chill can ease the burn. Try approaches like prenatal yoga, meditation, visualization, acupuncture, biofeedback, or hypnosis.
When can I expect heartburn to end during pregnancy?
Unfortunately, heartburn may last throughout pregnancy. Even if you escaped it early on, it can develop in the second trimester or third trimester, as your growing uterus pushes your stomach upwards.
Fortunately, the burn should clear up as soon as you give birth.
Keep track of your pregnancy symptoms, connect with other moms-to-be with similar concerns, and get more expert advice on the What to Expect app.
What if I have GERD?
If you had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) before pregnancy, heartburn is nothing new — but treating it during pregnancy might be.
Now that you're expecting, talk to your practitioner about whether the prescription meds you're taking are still okay now that you're pregnant. Many of the tips for fighting heartburn can also help with your reflux.
And if heartburn is new to you since pregnancy and occurs more than twice a week, or if you haven't found relief after taking over-the-counter medications for more than two weeks, be sure to talk to your practitioner. You may have developed GERD, which may require specific treatment.
Does heartburn during pregnancy mean my baby will be born with hair?
It sounds implausible, but research has backed up the superstition that, on average, the more heartburn you have during pregnancy, the more likely your baby will be born with a full head of hair.
It seems that the hormones responsible for heartburn are the same ones that cause fetal hair to sprout.
"Hoping my baby girl will have beautiful hair as a payoff for the heartburn," says Community member mountain-momma.
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