Heart Burn - Cuba,MO

I had this same problem VERY early in my pregnancy. I would get severe heartburn from everything even ice water. I took Tums and Zantac per my OB, but neither one worked. I ended up going on a prescription for Protonix. It helped tremendously. I was only on it for a few months and then it went away on it's own. I am starting to have some problems again, but I am 8 months pregnant, so hey, it goes with the territory!

I hope you get some relief. Some people hear heartburn and blow it off. They don't realize how bad it really can be.

The water isn't causing the heart burn, it's something else - water has a neutral pH and can't cause heart burn, but it may be filling you up so much that the LES (lower esophygeal sphincter isn't functioning properly), or it may be the position of the baby on your diaphragm.

Regardless, I'd call your OB/GYN and mention it to them. Heart burn is really common during pregnancy, and there are medications/techniques available to help ease the symptoms and make the remainder of your pregnancy much more comfortable.

Take papaya enzyme. It's available at Walmart in the vitamin aisle. Also, see a chiropractor. I recommend Alyssa Rae Zonerich at First Choice Chiropractic ###-###-####, if you are in the Kansas City Metro Area. After my first adjustment, I didn't have heartburn for several weeks. As I got bigger, the papaya took care of any that came back. I know Tums can actually contribute to kidney stones. I don't know about Rolaids, but why take drugs if you don't have to?

First, Titrilac was my heartburn best friend during all 3 of my pregnancies...WAY better than Rolaids! Anyway, this isn't the tastiest drink in the world, but maybe try Pedialite. I know that it's marketed for babies and children, however I work in theatre in a dry climate and it's the non-Gatorade best friend of those of us trying to stay well hydrated. Again, it doesn't tast great (I drink non-flavored), but it's tolerable and better than nothing!

Maybe not the answer you were looking for, but I have rediscovered Ovaltine, and I'm a big fan! You can drink it hot or cold, and it dissolves really well in milk. It has a bunch of vitamins and minerals, but it does have some sugar in it.

Have you tried honey lemon water? For some reason, warming the water and adding honey and lemon seem to help me with my inability to drink water. (Not heartbutn, but not good!) If I want it cold, I cool it back down. If I want it warm/hot, I drink it as is.

Herbal tea has been my salvation, though. Target has some really neat flavors that taste like kool-aid. My favorite is the Island Mango. I know you currently don't drink tea, but during pregnancy, tastes change. You may want to give it a try.

Good luck!

Talk to your doctor and take some Zantac! One little pill a day saved me so much pain! My doc told me it was perfectly safe to take and actually pushed me to take it to avoid potential damage that heart burn can do.

you said you don't do tea, coffee....for caffeine reasons or personal taste? I use decaff regularly, & when I substitute it for regular (with my husband) he never catches the difference!

My vote goes to a need to keep some kind of food handy. I know weight gain is an issue during pregnancy, but a little bit of "something" will help keep that heartburn at bay......as long as you don't eat spicy foods all day long! It's just like with babies.....as soon as you give them a little bit of cereal, their tummies calm down! Hope this helps.....

I had horrible heartburn throughout my entire pregnancy, so I feel for you. the only things that sounded good to me were water and milk. Once I was past my first trimester, my doctor allowed me to take an OTC heartburn medication. I would definately check into that. However, I saw one of the other ob's in the office when I was about 8 months pregnant and we were talking about heartburn and he told me that milk can be the cause of the heartburn. I wish I had known that 8 months before! Good luck!

Find out which OTC meds are okay when you are prego. They're not all okay. My heartburn got worse as my pregnancy went along and some people said my baby would have lots of hair. Bingo, my daughter had a FULL head of hair. Too funny. Good luck.

Talk to your doc. I ended up on an Rx with my last two pregnancies. Also, papya enzymes help. There are safe perscriptions, and I always thought it was probably healthier than all the maylox or whatever I was taking and the wear and tear on my body.

K.

The rolaids are actually making your heartburn worse...Heartburn is simply the stomach not digesting food and it coming back up that delicate esophagial valve. Your stomach needs acid to break down and digest the food and you are neutralizing it with the rolaids. Try a teaspoon of vinegar (any flavor, any kind) right before you start your meal and it will help jumpstart your own acid in your stomach to do what it is supposed to do. You can also add lemon to your water as well.

The antacid craze is destroying the digestive systems which help our bodies function to keep them working right. Stick with the water, avoid the sodas which also neutralize acid, and I hope you feel better soon!

God bless,

M.

i had heartburn the time i was pregrant i either sucked on ice or sugar free popcicles. or tums. it helped hope it helps

Hi,
I had the same problem with both my pregnancies, this time around I had to go on Zantac to help with it. If you don't drink water since it hurts, it causes a lot problems. My heart was always racing, getting bloody noses, etc. Plus you need it for the baby of course. The Zantac has been wonderful. If your heartburn keep getting worse and the antacids like Tums and Rolaids aren';t cutting it, you might need to talk to your doc about a perscription. A lot of women are prescribed Zantac, Prevacid and Nexium. You also don't want all that acid eating up your esophagus. Good luck. It's miserable, I know! Juice will make it worse due to the acidity. Milk helps me, especially 2% and whole. The higher fat content seems to quell the heartburn a little.

I had a huge problem with heartburn when I was pregnant. I took a lot of TUMS, usually two at a time when I would get heartburn. It seemed to help for an hour or so and then I would take more. I talked to my doctor about it when it seemed like I was taking too many a day and he put me on some over the counter medicine. I ended up only taking it a few times and I didn't feel like it helped all that much so I stuck to the TUMS and just took as many was allowed in the day as needed. Hope that helps some.

I second the Zantac idea. It was the only thing that helped me with my heartburn during pregnancy. Water and anything with sugar caused it the most with me. You can avoid the sugar but not the water! If your doctor approves the Zantac you can get it over the counter in the generic form very inexpensively.

I don't have any drink suggestions, but for treating your heartburn try eating almonds. I'm 27 weeks preggo and was popping Tums like it was candy, but it wasn't helping all that much. I was chatting on the phone with my mom, complaining of heartburn and she suggested almonds. So, I started munching on a few and before long I was lost in conversation and had forgotten about my heartburn because it was GONE.

Almonds are very nutritious, so they are beneficial to you and your baby anyway! Certainly worth a try.