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Heartburn Help

2K views 31 replies 27 participants last post by  JessieBird 
#1 ·
Ok ladies, I just slept a total of 3 hours last night thanks to unbelievable heartburn. The worst yet. I dont even know what caused it. Yesterday I ate Cherries, Peach, Cinnamon bread (breakfast), McChicken from McDonalds, Fries, Coke (lunch), chicken salad sandwich, plain lays chips, carrots, peach ice cream & more cherries (supper). Any ideas what could have given me such horrible heartburn?
Also I downed like 20 papaya tablets during the evening/night and still struggled.Any other suggestions on what I cant take? I would prefer not to be on something constantly that I have to take everyday to prevent it. I would rather just take something when it happens. Im not normally one to reach for a medicine, I usually try natural remedies first but at this point Im ready for the medicine bottle! So natural or something from the pharmacy/store- give me your recs!
 
#2 ·
Papaya Enzyme can make your heartburn worse, if you have too much acidity already; at least that's what happens to me. I cannot take them.

Also, you seemed to have had a day full of sweets and fatty-fried things. All of which can make heartburn worse.

Sometimes some yogurt can help, but you can also take over the counter things, they have been on the market for many years and are probably safer than some prenatal vitamin mixtures you can find out there. I have something at home, which I take if I am in need. I forgot the name, and I am right now, though.
 
#3 ·
This may sound odd, but have you tried chewing gum? My heartburn was unbearable when I was pregnant with DS2, to the extent that I was sometimes getting up sick with it, and the only thing that helped was chewing Wrigley's Spearmint (I'm not sure about other flavors--it just happens to be my favorite gum). I often just left the gum in overnight. Not sure how that worked ...
 
#4 ·
Unfortunately the only thing that helps me now is zantac. Mine is horrible because of the bedrest and the slow digestion. I can't take other things because of interaction with my ptl meds. But the zantac was 15 min and RELIEF. I was feeling so full and my tummy was actually putting pressure on everything from being so bloated. I passed all the gas and the burning fullness stopped. And then I could eat again! WOOHOO. I ate McD's last week and got horribly sick. Even their 'healthy' stuff isn't good for you!

Feel better!
 
#5 ·
The fried food could've caused the heartburn. What sometimes causes me heartburn (whether pregnant or not) is if I go to bed on a really full stomach. So waiting a few hours between eating and going to bed does help. Not sure how big your serving sizes were but eating smaller meals might help too. My natural remedies book does suggest eating foods with probiotics, such as yogurt like a pp said. It has some other recommendations but I've tried none of them so I won't post them here.
 
#6 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by boobs4milk View Post
Unfortunately the only thing that helps me now is zantac.
That's the name! It has helped me a great deal as well!
 
#8 ·
I thought maybe it was the fried/sweet foods I ate but its not unusual for me to eat fried or sweet foods. We arent the healthiest eaters although I try not to eat too much fast food or fried foods and try to limit it to once or twice a week. It hasnt bothered me at all this pregnancy until now though. I also wondered if it was the coke I drank? I read that pop can make heartburn worse although my husband drinks it for heartburn and says it works?? Im not a big pop drinker, maybe 1 or 2 a week so maybe that was it?
 
#11 ·
you're late enough in the pregnancy game that foods which might not have bothered you in the past will now give rise to heartburn. and eventually it might not matter what you eat. i have severe heart burn - GERD - even when not pregnant, and i have some ideas i'll just throw out there.

foam wedge bed pillow http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._ya_oh_product that is the one i have and it does work really well. much better than propped pillows which can squish your tummy and make it worse.

do not eat at least three hours before bedtime

no more carbonation, juices, especially citrus, high fat foods (chips, crisps, anything fried), or super spicy foods

limit citrus fruits to am only

papaya enzymes never helped me, honestly.

2 tums in the evening (helps you get some of your calcium for the day, too)

and if all else fails, do not be scared to take an h-2 blocker or proton pump inhibitor. talk to your doc about which one is safest in pregnancy. i use omeprazole but i have GERD. it's not a first line drug, by any means.
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbertaJes View Post
Everything in that list except the cherries and peaches would've had me up all night.
Me, too. Especially the cinnamon bread -- that would be the worst culprit for me! Ice cream and potato chips are right up there, too. Zantac isn't helping me much these days, sadly.
 
#13 ·
Ugh I knew someone else must be suffering like me! My heartburn just kicked into full gear, I was looking for some relief, but I see there aren't many natural-remedies out there! Guess I'm stuck with the refrigerated Maalox for now.


Coincidently, isn't the hair growth picking up in the second trimester? Maybe it means I'm getting another hairy baby!
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ShwarmaQueen
Coincidently, isn't the hair growth picking up in the second trimester? Maybe it means I'm getting another hairy baby!
If you really want a hairy baby, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, but I had horrible heartburn last time, and DS is 19 months and just now growing peach fuzz.
I stand by the chewing gum thing. It works better than Tums for me anyway ...
 
#17 ·
Thanks ladies. Its weird because I tried now the rest of this week to eat one of those items at a time that i ate that day to try to find the culprit to my heartburn and so far none of the items have given me heartburn. I havent ate any more McDonalds since though so maybe that was it?? Or the combination of all those items. I dont know.
I cant drink milk because I have a milk allergy but thats a good suggestion. DH gets heartburn and thats what he does.
Has anyone tried the Mamas Bliss Heartburn tablets? So far all my research on it has said that most mamas that tried them said they worked much better for them than papaya or tums. Just curious if anyone else tried them. Tums are so chalky I cant stand them! I might have to see if I can find some smoothy ones when I get groceries this week and see if those go down a bit better than regular tums.
 
#20 ·
I have to say that if I ate the exact same items as you I would have had atrocious heartburn and probably nausea too. I love french fries, but when I was pg with DD I couldn't eat fried food, it would make me sick. Plus have you ever seen what a Coke can do to a nail? I'm another vote for Zantac, plus cherries make me really acidic, I'd be avoiding them.

Oh also cinnamon is notorious for heartburn.
 
#22 ·
For the OP... papaya enzyme did a bit for me at first but quickly became useless. I take pepcid 2x/day (before lunch and before dinner) and 2tsp of Mylanta at bedtime, which helps me overnight. That keeps it bearable most of the time, as long as I don't touch anything acidic, greasy, or doughy.

FWIW soda is really acidic, that's the thing that stuck out for me on your list as something I would stay completely away from. Most fruit is right out, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShwarmaQueen View Post
Coincidently, isn't the hair growth picking up in the second trimester? Maybe it means I'm getting another hairy baby!

I hate to say it, but I had heartburn my entire 1st pregnancy and my daughter didn't have visible hair until she was nearly 2 and it wasn't long enough to cut until she was 2.5. (She's very blonde which didn't help!)
 
#23 ·
I have had heartburn a few times this pregnancy...one of them being yesterday. I haven't really figured out foods. Here's what I have figured out:

1. I think I have a hiatal hernia (where the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm) which I had last pregnancy too. I have a chiropractor who can correct it temporarily by physically pulling my stomach down with his hands. Sounds awful, I know, but it isn't too uncomfortable and it really works.

2. I made capsules from French green clay powder (food grade clay) and take 3 of them several times a day when I have heartburn. I suppose they work sort of like tums or pepto bismol.

3. I take my calcium supplement when it starts.

Increasing stomach acid when you are NOT having symptoms is actually a help, like taking digestive enzymes (like your papaya) or eating pineapple, etc.
Lemon water in the morning before eating or drinking anything else can also help get your stomach on the right track for the day.
I like the idea of plain (unsweetened) yogurt. I would recommend taking a tablespoon or two several times a day, like medicine, every day regardless of heartburn symptoms.

Hope some of that helps.
 
#24 ·
I take papaya enzymes now and they're working. But I haven't gotten to the point where I did last pg. MY HEARTBURN WAS HORRIBLE! Last pg I ended up taking Gaviscon (kind of like Mylanta) and drinking it right out of the bottle!

I'm hoping to avoid that this time and didn't realize some of the culprits until the end of my pregnancy.

So this time I've avoiding (at least as needed)

1)soda, juice and citrus fruits.
2)greasy fatty foods
3)sweets, sugar, candy, etc

Milk helps me a little, but it is really temporary relief. I've also found warm lemon water helps a little, for me it is more preventative than after the fact.

I also take a digestive enzyme with all of my meals which seems to be helping a lot.
 
#25 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by beebalmmama View Post

Milk helps me a little, but it is really temporary relief. I've also found warm lemon water helps a little, for me it is more preventative than after the fact.

Yeah, milk doesn't help me at all. Lemon or lime water helps as prevention (it alkalizes your body). I have to eat small meals, and stay completely away from high fat, fried foods, and sugar, and omg if I drank a soda I'd have permanent heartburn. Good luck - hope it gets better!
 
#26 ·
wow, gotta majorly bump this thread.

I , too, am a heartburn sufferer, and at 15 weeks it is just starting.

I know it is only going to get worse and worse

I'm already up to 2-3 Tums per day.

I am at a loss! I don't eat fried foods ,but I have a lot of sugar in my diet. Starches like bread, pasta does it to me. I am lactose intolerant but am taking to drinking milk just for the relief. But then I have GI distress out the other end which my family doesn't appreciate. I really loathe the heartburn

Any tips are very welcome.
 
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