Heartburn While You Are Pregnant...

milk helped me so I would eat cereal but, that only lasts for so long. I eventually got the ok from my ob to take pepcid ac. That really helped. Tums did nothing for me.

Hello D.,

This is pretty gross but my Grandma used to tell me to drink a little pickle juice. Works amazing. My girlfriend was pregnant and everything including water gave her heartburn. She was reluctant but when it got so bad she couldn't sleep she drank a little and it was gone!

I had heartburn so bad with my first that I thought I was going to die!! My Dr. told me to take 4 tablespoons of Pepto Bismal! It HELPED!!
Good Luck!!

2 or 3 stalks of celery should do the trick. Can be eaten as often as needed, and nothing that will hurt the baby in it.

I know her pain!! As do many many moms to be! I had to come up with a new word called verp, burping with vomit, discusting but happed numerous times a day when I was pregnet from the point of conception to delivery with all three kids. Nothing I tried got rid of it and everything I put in my mouth caused it, but I still took tums all the time, tried the pickle juice thing (heard that clausen pickles are the "best" for heartburn) but the one thing I did that helped a little was taking a walk after I ate, especially dinner! I know it is hot out but have some ice water and take a cold shower when you get home, great excercise and a bit of relief. All three of my kids are born in Sept. and walking in the heat sucked (I would wet my shirt before I left the house, kept me a bit cooler).
Tell your friend we all here wish her the best, the discomfort will go away and let her know that after she has the baby any type of "regular" heartburn she my get is a breeze and hardly noticabe after dealing with pregnancy heartburn!!

My OB gave me a prescription for Zantac. It was cheaper to get the generic through my insurance than to buy it over the counter for the duration of my pregnancy. Depending on how bad it is, Tums might help but you can only eat so many of them because they contain calcium. Gestational heartburn is very common, she should just ask her OB about it.

TUMS!!! I had terrible heartburn all through my pregnancy and it was really bad during the last few weeks because the baby was moving so much and pushing my other organs. I asked my ob and she told me to take Tums. They were the only thing that helped and I chewed them like candy!

I had sever heart burn with my second baby. when I told My Dr that tums werent working at all he told me I could take anything over the counter for heart burn. Hope she gets some relief soon! I know how bad it sucks

have her go to doctor, make sure she doesn't have gallstones...I had them and it felt like heartbrun....it KILLED me and I had to have surgery while i was pregnant because it was so bad anything I ate instantly made me feel horrible. they are very common in pregnant women but if she can't eat that's a issue for a pregnant woman. i literally go so so sick the minute I ate a meal...that was at it's worse. Good luck

I also got really bad heartburn midway thru my pregnancy with my daughter. Basically, I always made sure to have plenty of Tums (okay'd by ob/gyn first). I also found I did best if I stayed away from Iceberg lettuce (it still gives me horrible heartburn if I eat it), fried foods, took excess fat and skin off meats before eating (although I sometimes left it on for cooking to prevent drying out the meat - I just made sure to cut it all off before eating), limited "gassy" foods like broccoli, cabbage and oatmeal - if I did eat those foods I made sure to take Beano which helped pretty well, and eliminated carbonated beverages. Making these dietary changes made a huge difference. Also, she should make sure to sleep on her side, a body may help with tummy support, NOT her BACK.
My doctor told me heartburn is very common during pregnancy since the baby puts upward pressure on your stomach, which can cause the food to flow back up the esophagus, and hormonal changes can effect the amount of stomach acid you produce.

Good luck to her, and remind her its only 12 more weeks. Once she sees her precious baby she'll realize the pain was worth it.

M. J.

Honey I know what you friend is feeling. I had heartburn for the entire pregancy. At first I just chewed on tums all day, but that got old. I cut out all the spicy stuff and anything containing tomatoes, that helped alot. I also discovered that Pepcid works better than tums.

Hope this helps.

Baking Soda dissolved in water worked for me. I had horrible heart burn with my second baby and Tums just weren't cutting it anymore. I got to the point where I couldn't lie down anymore. Anyway, I searched around the internet and found the remedy of baking soda dissolved in water....so I tried it and it worked - HALLELUJAH! Then I noticed that the recipe was also listed right there on my box of baking soda the whole time (it was the regular size box, not the mini box). Anyway, it was 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda stirred into water. I used like 1/2 cup of water to make it go down faster. It wasn't nasty or anything....kind of salty I guess.....but definitely MORE than worth it!

Hi D.!

Both times I was pregnant I had terrible heartburn, especially with my son. I took baking soda mixed with water to treat it. It worked faster and better than any tums or anything like that (be advised, it does make you burp!) She should check wth her doctor becuase baking soda has a lot of sodium in it and sometimes they put people on low sodium diets.

-Jen

papaya tablets. they are great. make sure to get the ones without the artificial sweetners. you can usually find it at whole foods/sprouts

Hi D.-

I actually suffer from GERD. So needless to say while I was pregnant my heartburn and reflux got worse. My Dr. told me that taking Prilosec during my pregnancy was fine, it's over the counter. I wouldn't lay down after I ate anything or else I would have been in big trouble. I would stay upright for at least an hour after I ate. There were nights I would even have to sleep sitting up because it would get bad. Eating small meals instead of big ones helps as well. I would also eat Tums, but she does need to follow the directions on the bottle and not eat more than is recommended. Prilosec really helped me and there were no issues with it during my pregnancy. I have a healthy, beautiful 7 month old now. She can try all of these therapies but the reality is that she may have to suffer from it a bit until she gives birth!! Have her try Prilosec and don't lay down right after eating. These should help a bit.

-J.

Hi D.,

I am a licensed acupuncturist and while I was pregnant I had horrible heartburn. I really recommend weekly acupuncture treatments not only to ease the heartburn but to also help support your friend emotionally and physically during this beautiful time in her life.

Sincerely,
M. Burton, L.Ac

She can take extra strength Zantac or extra strength pepcid. I was on those during my pregnancy. If the over the counter doesnt work than have her talk to her Dr. They will give her a prescription strength. Hope this helps.

That's nice of you to post for your friend. The reason pregnant women get heart burn is because the intestines are cramped and food doesn't digest as fast. I would recommend eating smaller meals slowly and moving around after eating vs. sitting down. This will relieve some pressure on the insides and help to move things down. Also to take some type of antacid (tums + calcium) right after eating and continue taking them every couple of hours. Good luck!

Try Calmicid from Melaleuca, it's all natural and really works

I had the same thing with both of my pregnancies. Everyone had tips, but they didn't get it. I got heartburn even drinking water!
All I could say is to have her talk to her OB. Mine said I could take an OTC antacid (I think it was Prevacid) and it helped. I also just had to do the basics: avoid eating any big meals, walk around after eating instead of sitting, and I also keep a LOT of Tum and Rolaids on hand.
Good luck to your friend.

Most pregnacy related heartburn can be triggered by anything,even dry toast! She could keep a food diary to see what gets to her the most. Otherwise, LOTS and LOTS of tums! They help the heartburn and they are a GREAT source of calcium for her and the baby. Also, keeping head elevated when sleeping will help.

Hi,
I am 36 weeks pregnant and have the same problem. I try to stay away from anything acidic. Don't lay down after you eat. Fried foods make it worse. Eat regularly and not a lot at once. Try to eat a lot of bland non-acidic fruit. Sometimes eating protein like roasted chicken helps me when it is really bad. Make sure it doesn't have a lot of spices on it.
Hope that helps. I know how miserable it can be.

HI I am also currently pregnant and have heart burn. Everyone has good ideas, eat smaller meals just more often, don't lie down immediately after eating, sleep with head elevated and don't be afraid to take OTC medications. But when I had a really bad heart burn attack at work and had no access to any medication I was able to eat some watermelon and I can tell you after 10 minutes I was heartburn free for the rest of the day. So I recommend eating some watermelon. I happen to read in some website that it can help with heartburn and it worked like medication does. Tell her congratulations and the best part in a few months her heartburn will go away.

I had the same problem! I used Shaklee's natural calcium called OsteoMatrix. It is a complex that naturally helps reduce the acid in the stomach. Have her check out my website:
www.shaklee.net/denisefriedl
Hope she finds something that helps!

I pretty much chew and drink antacid all the live long day (and night). Also, if something is not going to agree with me, I know in the first couple of bites, so I eat something else. This is true for things a bit spicier or tomato based. Anyhow, I never get heartburn unless I'm pregnant, so you just kinda have to deal with it and it should go away when she's had the baby. Best wishes! :)

Hi D.!

I just started getting heartburn for the first time in my life just at the starting of this year. Tell her to stay away from tomatoes and citrus fruits and fruit drinks. When I mean tomatoes I mean everything that is made with tomatoes, including sauces. I know that sucks but believe me once she stays away from them she'll see. Bread also is a culprit too. If you can believe it. When I eat bread it feels like it gets stuck in my chest area and stays there for the rest of the day. I know from trial and error. Tell her to also when she goes to bed to put her pillow up higher. I know its uncomfortable for the first couple of days but after that you get used to it. Also tell her to take tums Ex750 it works right away. And it is safe for her while she is pregnant. I use it daily. I only have to take it now at night before I go to bed. Well tell your friend good luck I know what shes going through.

D.

Like everyone seems to have said, small meals more frequently. Avoid chocolate, spicy foods and greasy foods. Probably all good advice when you're pregnant anyway. What I thought was most important to add was to be VERY careful about eating Tums. As ridiculous as it seems, you can overdose on them. I did, and was hospitalized with a life-threatening condition called hypercalcemia. Ask your doctor what (and how much) you can safely take. Good luck!

Hi ya know I used to drink a lot of root beer and take all natural papia (not sure if I am spelling this right) pills to help my acid reflux it didn't work 100 percent but it did take the edge off it and the papia is not to bad tasting. I hope this will help you a little

If it really is heartburn I would recommend pepcid complete. It's strong and you don't have to keep popping them its 1-2 a day and keeps working.
How has she been feeling otherwise? I really don't want to scare you or her but, my last pregnancy I began to get really sick and extremely tired I thought I was getting heartburn almost instantly when I was eating... it was extremely painful... and I could hardly eat a thing. In time the pain was going kinda around my chest in kind of a band like way. I ended up in the hospital they first thought it was my gal bladder but they couldn't find any stones. My liver enzymes were climbing though. They decided that I had Atypical H.E.L.L.P. Syndrome. It is a version of preeclampsia. I was atypical and didn't have high blood pressure and several other symptoms of such things. They decided to deliver my baby early and my liver enzymes went back down and the pain went away. I won't recommend telling your friend all of this just now because you don't want to scare her for nothing, but I would suggest having her have her doctor check her liver enzyme levels and staying off acetaminophen as much as possible because it can elevate them too.
One of the foods that I found to be a "safe" food most of the time was cottage cheese.
I hope she can overcome this problem and that it isn't what I had. God bless and good luck.
P.s. My daughter was 6 weeks early and had to spend a little while in the NICU but she and I are both in great health now just over a month later.

Tell her to drink a tablespoon of red wine vinegar...it worked WONDERS for me!!! It kept it under control for around 8 hours at a time!