Heartburn relief for the hurting and huge

That would've been me not too long ago. But from what I hear, it's a lot of women. If you've ever had pregnancy heartburn, you know that you don't have to be huge to experience it. I can usually tell I'm pregnant by the onset of heartburn (which makes NO sense to me, although I hear it has to do with hormones). This time around, I was on a bioidentical progesterone supplement in the beginning of the pregnancy to see if that might help prevent a miscarriage. I stopped using it around 18 weeks for about a month, and the heartburn returned like a flood. I'm not talking about the occasional annoying heartburn, but the make-you-throw-up every time you lie down variety. And it lasted all day long, no matter what I ate. When I got back on the progesterone, it went away...until I got really big, around my 3rd trimester. So, that is not my recommendation for heartburn relief, although it was very helpful for me for most of my pregnancy. And I continued taking the progesterone until earlier this week, and it has kept my contractions at bay. I can't have a homebirth in my state before 37 weeks- my last was born at 37 weeks and 1 day- and labor typically begins when progesterone levels begin to drop. So there's a little lesson on hormones for you. But back to the heartburn.

When you look at the recommended list of "foods to avoid" that might cause heartburn, it's pretty much everything you might consider putting in your mouth. It was never very helpful for me, and there didn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the list. A few months ago our book club read Supper of the Lamb, by Robert Farrar Capon, and he suggested this little tip: For immediate relief of symptoms, drink 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 1/2 cup of cold water. WOW- this changed my life. (Note: My midwife says that an overdose of sodium bicarbonate can put you into a coma, but I think we're talking massive amounts. Still- talk to your doctor or midwife about how often you can take this.) Until I found a way to prevent the heartburn, I had days where I took it up to 5x a day, but usually it was once a day. I also have really low blood pressure, so the sodium content wasn't a concern for me. I was on an Rx for heartburn when I was pregnant with Thomas, just so I could sleep and rest.  I wasn't willing to take that this time around, and the baking soda was a lifesaver.

And then I discovered another interesting tidbit: many non-pregnant people stop eating grains to avoid heartburn. I'm already not eating sugar, dairy, any preservative or additive, or gluten, so the idea of cutting out another food group was NOT at the top of my list. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. If you are experiencing all-day heartburn, I suggest you give it a try. I was amazed to see that if I ate 3 bites of rice I had terrible heartburn, but I could eat red sauce and grapefruits and all those foods- which are typically considered heartburn triggers- with no problem at all. And for some reason grapefruits and oranges have been a big craving of mine this time around.

This means I had to cut out my gluten-free toast for breakfast, granola/cereal (which I love...going to have some of that as soon as this baby comes out), oats, rice for dinner, etc., and replace those grains with white potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and bread products made of almond and coconut flour. Are you dizzy yet? I think it was an easier transition because I already have so many food limitations. What's one more? :) Breakfast has been the hardest, but I just eat two eggs and either some sausage or these delicious sweet potato hash browns (recipe below). I'm not wasting away, and I rarely have heartburn. That's gotta count for something, right? The heartburn I do experience (maybe a couple nights a week?) is only at night when I lie down, and I take care of it with the baking soda. When you are carrying around 20-30 extra pounds on your front and all your organs are rearranged, I'm not sure you can expect zero heartburn. 

The pain and aggravation (burning, throwing up, all that fun stuff) really made me hate being pregnant in the past. Taking care of this one discomfort (and there have been others, especially the older I get!) has made this pregnancy so much more pleasant, and given me hope that we might be able to do it again. Although no women who is near to giving birth really wants to talk about that. :)

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated (you can also use regular potatoes)

1/2 cup almond flour (I buy in bulk here and here)

1 egg

salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

Mix all ingredients, and fry in butter or coconut oil until brown on each side. I usually make a huge batch and freeze them after they are fried. I think they are better the second time around- they get a little more cooked when I throw them back in the pan to reheat.