Heartburn... help!

[carriemama]

Ugh, I'm 32 weeks and the heartburn has started in earnest. I feel it most of the day, every day. Anyone have any tricks or tips??

[nova22]

This is what I do...

• First Resort: papaya extract in chewable tablet form, found at the health food store. You can take as many as you need but I find that it works best on mild heartburn only. Having a glass of milk helps, too, for mild to moderate heartburn.
• Second Resort: Tums. Careful not to overdo it, because Tums and Rolaids contain calcium, which inhibits your body's ability to absorb iron. A lot of people (e.g. medical professionals) will tell you to take as many Tums as you need because calcium is good for you, which is true, but I personally am prone to anemia when I'm pregnant so I try papaya first.
• Last Resort: Pepcid. This stuff knocks out my heartburn but I don't want to take it on a regular basis while pregnant, so I only use it if I have to (like if heartburn is preventing me from sleeping or it's so bad that I feel like I'm going to throw up). My midwife approved it for use during pregnancy.

[fertilemyrtle]

Papaya enzymes - they're chewable at health food stores and whole foods.   Or online.   They change the ph problem instead of just mask it like Tums.  

Also, chewing 4-6 raw almonds very slowly really helps.   Some mamas keep them at their bedside for bedtime flareups.

Good luck!

[pregnant@40]

 zantac

[pregnant@40]

Originally Posted by nova22 

This is what I do...

• First Resort: papaya extract in chewable tablet form, found at the health food store. You can take as many as you need but I find that it works best on mild heartburn only. Having a glass of milk helps, too, for mild to moderate heartburn.
• Second Resort: Tums. Careful not to overdo it, because Tums and Rolaids contain calcium, which inhibits your body's ability to absorb iron. A lot of people (e.g. medical professionals) will tell you to take as many Tums as you need because calcium is good for you, which is true, but I personally am prone to anemia when I'm pregnant so I try papaya first.
• Last Resort: Pepcid. This stuff knocks out my heartburn but I don't want to take it on a regular basis while pregnant, so I only use it if I have to (like if heartburn is preventing me from sleeping or it's so bad that I feel like I'm going to throw up). My midwife approved it for use during pregnancy.

You're right about Tums & iron. Personally, I would NOT take Tums b/c it significantly binds iron. Our iron supplies are already reduced in the 3rd trimester, and many women (including me) cannot take iron supplements due to its constipating effects.
 

[MacroMama]

Place a little salt (preferably sea salt) under your tongue until it dissolves.

You may want to monitor your eating to see what causes it and avoid those foods.

Good luck!

[ChildoftheMoon]

2 tsp apple cider vinegar with 2 tsp honey OR maple syrup in a small glass of water works wonderfully!

[jecombs]

 Chew gum!  That is the only thing that really helped me.

[Monzie]

I'm 26 weeks and heartburn has been kicking my butt for the past few weeks.  I suffered a lot with my first baby too. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm really short-waisted and have big babies.  I just don't have much room for my organs once my uterus starts to get huge and my stomach gets totally squished.

Last time around, I tried all the alternative methods of relief like papaya, probiotics, and diet modification but nothing helped.  My midwife cleared me to take famotidine (Pepcid) daily, with Tums as needed for particularly bad days.  She advised me to stay away from the other acid reducers, though. Famotidine is a Category B medicine and generally considered "safe" during pregnancy. Some of the others, like omeprazole (Prilosec) are Category C and can increase your risk of miscarriage.

[MamaMamaMama!]

Peppermint tea!! Seriously, it helps sooooo much. I had heartburn so bad I was almost crying and had absolutely no faith something so common and safe would work when my doctor suggested it, but it started working immediately and I felt 100% better within 15 minutes.

Also keep in mind that while many people think that heartburn is caused by too much stomach acid, there is a lot of newer research that suggests that it is in fact a result of having to LITTLE stomach acid. Bitter foods like green leafy salads before your meals (with greens that really are bitter tasting like dandelion or arugula) or even a cup of chamomile of peppermint tea before eating will increase the amount of hydrochloric acid in your stomach and head off the heartburn before it even happens.

I would personally stay away from any kind of heartburn medication, over the counter or not, unless the pain was truly unbearable and I'd tried everything else.

[babygrey]

Alot of what the pps have said.

My home remedy? Ice cream. For real, my DH has bad GERD and this is the one he swears by (and, yk, not so bad to have an excuse LOL). I've also found that I can't let my stomach get completely empty, bc then the reflux is completely out of control.

[Twinklefae]

I find I'm set off by foods like milk and cheese which supposedly 'help'.  So I'm careful when I eat those foods (or now that egg nog is back in stores, I drink it knowing the consequences) and I try to balance it with something acidic - I've been adding lemon juice to rice lately, and vinegar to everything.

[mahiisland]

Baking soda!  A little in some water works absolute wonders!  Was recommended here by someone and again in my Hypnobabies book.  I get it bad and this works brilliantly!!!  And apparently it is not bad for you!

[curiousgreenmom]

I've had plenty of fun this time around with heartburn.  When I was pg with DD, I tried papaya enzymes, tums, apple cider vinegar and baking soda.  All with limited success.  This time around, the heartburn has been less frequent and much more severe.  When I see my chiropractor, she pulls my stomach out of my pleural cavity and this seems to prevent it for awhile, a smaller amount of time as the pregnancy continues.  Another simple a delicious remedy that has really helped is lemon juice and slices of fresh ginger steeped in hot water with enough honey to make it palatable.  I sipped this with dinner last night and felt great all night.

I hope that you find relief!