Indigestion in early pregnancy

Pregnancy hormones can relax the muscle between the stomach and food pipe and alter the speed of digestion. Nausea, bloating, burping, and upper-abdominal discomfort may therefore occur together. Indigestion symptoms can overlap with [Acid Reflux](/conditions/acid-reflux/) or stomach irritation, but they do not by themselves diagnose either condition. If symptoms began before pregnancy or are changing quickly, tell your prenatal clinician.

Eat small amounts at a comfortable pace and choose foods you can tolerate. Keep upright after meals, sip fluids regularly, and identify triggers without cutting out nutritious foods unnecessarily. If nausea is limiting food or drink, contact your maternity team. Check every medicine, supplement, or herbal product with a pharmacist, midwife, or doctor first; [Acid Reflux Medication](/treatments/medical-management/acid-reflux-medication/) is not automatically suitable for every pregnancy.

Contact your clinician if symptoms prevent normal eating, recur despite changes, or come with ongoing vomiting, dehydration, fever, or significant pain. Seek urgent help for blood in vomit, black stools, severe chest pain, fainting, breathing difficulty, or severe abdominal pain. Inability to keep fluids down warrants prompt pregnancy advice.

Ask which foods and medicines are suitable for you, whether prenatal supplements could be worsening nausea or discomfort, and what symptoms should trigger same-day assessment. Share your pregnancy medicines and any previous digestive problems such as [Gastritis](/conditions/gastritis/).