Oh, the heartburn...

[Anonymous]

It's driving me insane. I'm only a little over 11 weeks-- I thought heartburn in pregnancy became a problem when the baby was bigger and pressing up on organs, etc. With doc's blessing I have been taking Pepcid, but I am wondering if anyone has any other tips? I seem to be fine when my stomach is empty, but then as soon as I eat, I get that burning pain at the bottom of my sternum...

Any tips or hints would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

I remember it distinctly, with both and I have absolutely no words of wisdom. The ONLY thing that mitigated it was Tums. I went through a big bottle about every three days (doc sanctioned). sorry I have no more encouraging words.

[Anonymous]

OP Here: PP, did your occur so early too??

[Anonymous]

My heartburn did not start quite so early, maybe around week 18. But it is bad, horrible. To the point where sometimes it makes me vomit. I have been using TUMS, Zantac and drinking milkshakes. Some days they all work, somedays none of them work. I also have to resort to sometimes sleeping propped up. And it doesn't matter what I eat, everything including plain toast gives me heartburn.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Try drinking milk, that helps me.

[Anonymous]

Papaya enzymes.

[Anonymous]

I've had it from the very start....even before I had the official positive blood test from the doctor. I did IVF and thought the heartburn had something to do with that but later found out it didn't. At 27 weeks, I still have it AT LEAST once a day...if not more. The only thing that helps me is avoiding any fried food and eating lots of cold dairy (milkshakes, ice cream). My doctor insists that I should add another pillow under my head when I go to bed to avoid it at night (already have two) but I find that I just can't fall asleep with three big pillows. I also take TUMS as was suggested by my doctor.

[Anonymous]

OP, I feel for you. My heartburn was terrible starting at about 16 weeks through the rest of my pregnancy. I took plenty of Tums and Zantac, but milkshakes were the only thing that reliably worked for me. I often had two a day, after lunch and dinner. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP Here: thanks for all the responses! I will try milkshakes... that sounds good. Also, does anyone know if something stronger like Nexium or Prilosec is allowed in pregnancy? I was just thinking of that...

[Anonymous]

I had it from the very beginning, too. It has something to do with the hormone that relaxes all your smooth muscles so your uterus can grow and expand.

[Anonymous]

Ahhh, I am a sufferer as well. And I welcome the milkshake therapy suggestion! Now I have a legitimate excuse for the Maggie Moo runs! (I didn't like ice cream or milkshakes before I was pregnant, and now cannot get enough).

Hope your discomfort eases OP and others. At least we know the end result is so very worth the discomfort, if that is any relief.

[Anonymous]

I suffered through heartburn throughout my pregnancy and actually ate less as a result. My only advice is to do your best to eat small meals consisting of nutrient dense foods. One funny thing about heartburn - and not just a myth- it usually means you will have a baby with a head of hair.

[Anonymous]

I had it from early on. I took Zantac which is considered safe. By the end of the pregnancy, it was pretty bad and was on the max dose. I think the docs would rather you not take nexium and prilosec. There is no conclusive studies saying those meds cause problems, but I understand they are last resort. Zantac is supposedly very safe and it helped me a ton as long as I took it regularly.

fyi - diet did not help me at all.

[Anonymous]

Make sure your doctor rules out other problems--one of my girlfriends had to have her gall bladder removed when she was ~30 weeks pregnant a few years ago. Her doctor for quite a while just assumed she was having "heartburn from hell."

[Anonymous]

I recently delivered. I had heartburn with reflux and vomitting throughout the pregnancy. It was horrible. nothing really helped. I did start taking pepcid and mylanta on a daily basis eventually. I switched to small meals few times a day, and made sure I was upright for atleast an hour after eating. couldn't tolerate spicy food. stay away from acidic fruits and juices like apple, orange, cranberry. Carrot juice was better. couldn't tolerate marinara sauce, so diet change helped me. But in reality I suffered with it for a long time and within a few hours of the delivery it's all gone. I don't think there is much we can do about it unless it goes away on its own!