ACV or liquid cal/mag for major heartburn?

[AnnieA]

Alright ladies, I need your opinions! I'm 16 weeks pregnant and the heartburn kicked in a few days ago and I've been in agony ever since. Like to the point of tears. If I eat, I get heartburn, if I don't eat, I'm nauseous. I can't get a break. I've tried tums, milk, etc. I need to bring in the big guns now.

So with that info, would you suggest apple cider vinegar or liquid cal/mag? If you suggest the ACV, would you suggest I take it as a shot and get it over with or mix it with water and sip it?

[scottishmommy]

I have horrible heartburn. I feel like if I burp, I'll set our house on fire! I started taking liquid Maalox and it is working very well. I also cut out all fatty foods (cheese, mayo, anything fried etc) coffee, chocolate, citrus and spicy foods. Last night I had steamed veggies a plain baked potato and some chickpeas. I still had a little heartburn, but it wasn't nearly as bad.
I know how you feel! It's horrible!

[starbyfar7]

ive tried the ACV thing and it just doesn't work for me. i still drink a few teaspoons in a glass of water every day because its great for balancing your PH.. but for heartburn.. sigh, no joy. taking it as a shot was the worst! it burned so badly and the heartburn didnt go away! ive had the most success with just limiting "heartburn trigger" foods.. for me.. tomato sauce = major heartburn

[AnnieA]

I called my dr's office and asked the nurse if I could take anything other than tums. She said I could do prilosec otc or mylanta. I really didn't want to do meds but it's interfering with my ability to be able to eat or drink and I can't sleep at night because of the pain. So I'm going to take the prilosec and hope I get some relief in a few days.

I tried to avoid the trigger foods but even plain yogurt hurt my stomach this morning. Ugh!

[Virginia884]

Have you tried papaya enzymes? They are chewable tablets like tums. You can get them at whole foods or any health food store. They have totally helped me my whole pregnancy. I have to take more than I would of tums (like 3/4 at a time instead of 1/2 tums).

[greenmulberry]

I tried everything. I was spewing acid in my mouth in the middle of the night, it actually burned my throat and I would cough for an hour.

It got so bad I would have to cry!

ACV made it worse for me. It just made my reflux have a nice vinegar flavor.

Anyway, the BEST remedy I found, that someone here suggested, was a little baking soda mixed in water. Like a half teaspoon mixed in a few inches of water in a glass. Just sip it.

It tastes terrible! But once you associate it with sweet relief, it is not so bad.

Apparently, the precaution about this is that it is high in sodium, so if you have high BP or are swelling a lot, it is not so good. But I have used this trick quite a bit and my BP was 98/70 at my 39 week appointment.

[MrsBone]

heartburn trigger foods for me are actually the opposite of most people...I can't handle too many grains, refined or not, beans or just to many carb-y foods in general. It's been that way since about week 6. I do well with lots of protein and fat, including cheese and whole milk. Tomatoes and too many spices still bother me at 28 weeks, but I have a feeling that won't end until this baby is out. Last night I had baked beans for dinner and was in horrible pain all night. Today I feel fine after eating eggs cooked in butter for breakfast, a whole milk latte, grain free muffin, and for lunch, some veggies and leftover shepherds pie. I also notice that if I'm not going #2 regularly enough, the heartburn gets worse. To help with that, take vit c to bowel tolerane (meaning, take as much as you can until you start to get diarrhea, then back it off). It will keep things moving, and help keep heartburn at bay.

[noahs.mom06]

I've done papaya enzymes and liquid cal/mag. The cal/mag was recommended to me by my MW, she said just to mix it into a milkshake. Now that I can't have dairy anymore, I plan to just put some into a smoothie... But so far it hasn't been worse than the papaya enzymes could help.

[ursusarctos]

What always works for me is a bit of vinegar diluted in a glass of water. I just use balsamic, which is what we have. I hope you find a solution!

[kareniswaiting]

Ugh I absolutely FEEL you! I had chronic heartburn before I got pregnant and then it got just out of control. A few recommendations....

Most Providers will tell you to steer clear of baking soda as it can actually cause systemic alkalosis. Not good. 

Though ACD may help some people, the reason heartburn increases during pregnancy is that the increase in estrogen causes the sphincter above your stomach to relax and thus stomach contents can more easily splash out causing the sensation of heartburn. In this case, there is no underlying issue with overproduction of acid so ACD may simply make things worse, but everyone is different. 

Papaya enzyme is very popular with the pregnant peeps, Give it a try! However, with my underlying GERD, it really didn't help.

If you are waking up in the middle of the night choking on acid, please speak with your provider! I understand the desire to avoid meds, but this is a serious risk of aspiration and could easily send you into the hospital for aspiration pneumonia. they may simply recommend raising the head of your bed :) seriously. 

Tums may seem like a holistic option, but taking them too often basically keeps you from digesting your food because it lowers the pH of your stomach so much.

The only thing that really helps me is zantac (ranitidine), and I have tried it all. It is safe to take during all stages of pregnancy (and yes there is human research to back this up) but of course you should check with your provider first. Also dietary restrictions, tomatoes, chocolate and caffeine of any kind gets me every time.

Good luck with it ladies!