For the Love of Heartburn

I don't know about you guys, and talking with my girls it's pretty common, but I am SO over this whole heartburn/nausea thing!

It's gotten to the point where I am even scared to eat because I know what's coming: a lava hot fire from the pit of my stomach all the way up into my esophagus. No amount of water or milk would help, the magnesium supplements weren't helping and the whole "throwing up in your mouth" thing is getting old pretty damn quick.  

Luckily, I seriously have some of the best midwives I cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am for their knowledge and suggestions of things to try. And as always, homeopathic and natural cures are the prescribed go-to instead of pharmaceutical remedies, unless they are a dead last resort.  Now, if you prefer pharmaceuticals have at it, no judgment here. But for myself, I just prefer to go the natural route and leave the pharmacological out of it unless absolutely necessary.

My midwives explained to me that during pregnancy it is incredibly easy for our Ph levels to get out of balance. These Ph levels help with digestion and provide the necessary enzymes to help break down food and have it absorb properly. Of course diet plays a big role in this as well, so if you have food sensitivities like I do and eat something you shouldn't (pop tarts), then the likelihood of your Ph levels becoming unbalanced increases even more.

I have had apple cider vinegar suggested to me by family as a way to help with digestion, and that the acidity would help break down food and level your Ph. I was getting desperate, but with how nauseous I have been, I'm sure the cider vinegar would have come right back up.  After hearing that, the midwives suggested digestive enzymes supplements. I luckily had some on hand, but the peppermint gives me worse heartburn before the papaya takes over to calm down my Ph levels.  So I will be going to the health food store to find some digestive enzymes that are made with just papaya or mango, no mint.

Another factor in Ph levels is electrolytes. I had also been dealing with massive dehydration, to the point where I ran out of energy about 30 minutes after getting out of bed even though I was slugging about 4-5 litres of water each day.

  I was suggested to try powdered electrolytes like Emergen-C or Smart Water. Although I knew how easy it is to flush out your electrolytes with too much water, I assumed that the amount of salt I was consuming was adequate enough to replace what was needed.  Apparently I was wrong.  An even easier (and tastier) version is to simply put lemon and cucumber slices in your water pitcher and let them infuse the water. I used to do this all the time while modeling prior to pregnancy as a fat flush. I did not know it was good for your Ph balance also! So now I get to fat flush and keep my body moving! Yay!

Keeping on the probiotics is also very important, and eating fresh foods that are easily digestible. Salads, greek yogurt, non-spicy soups, cooked or raw vegetables are all fantastic.  Things with yeast and sugars can mess with an already delicate Ph balance, and some proteins are quite hard to break down, requiring more digestive enzymes and acid which can lead to more heartburn and nausea. Lay off the sugar and breads late at night, have some Greek yogurt with granola in the morning. Have hard boiled eggs on your salad for lunch.  Have some soup with a bit of rice in it for dinner.  I know these don't sound very fun, but if I have to choose between feeling acid in my throat and a boring meal, I will take the boring meal.

I have so much empathy for anyone having to go through anything close to this, let alone so bad that you are stuck in bed. I hope some of this helps you, and if it keeps getting worse make sure to check in with your care provider.