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Does anyone have any good suggestions for how to treat pregnancy induced heart burn without medication? I have maxed out all available medications and am still suffering quite badly. |
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As well as mints, I just generally try not too eat too much in one go. Little and often helps. |
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I had heartburn constantly 4 the last 3 months of pregnancy i would suck mints, chew chewing gum and before going to bed have a glass of milk and a gaviscone. and sleep pretty much sitting up. I feel 4 you heartburn is miserable, but at least it dissapears as soon as baby arrives. |
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I eat some plain bread, and I drink some milk. I have suffered from heartburn in the past both when pregnant and not, and although milk gives immediate relief many experts believe it can actually worsen your heartburn in the long term. http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/418/main.html
(08 Nov '09, 18:04)
Tammy ♦♦
@Tammy: I've heard this as well
(08 Nov '09, 19:58)
Dinah
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Tums They seem medicine-y but there are no drugs, it's just concentrated calcium (specifically: calcium-carbonate). Just to be safe we asked our OB and they gave us the ok. Tums are considered medication accordign to my OBGYN and yes they can be used while pregnant but only up to 5 tablets per day. All containers of tums, no matter the strength will tell you the pregnancy limitations. I already exceed the daily allowance of Tums as well as the max dose of Zantac and still get no relief.
(10 Nov '09, 03:54)
dreamerisme
If you've maxed out the OTC versions of everything then this might be a sign of a real problem and now would be the appropriate time to ask a medical professional.
(10 Nov '09, 13:39)
Dinah
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Also beware of foods that can induce heartburn. WebMD also has an article on how to treat it through diet and lifestyle. If the worst of it is at bedtime (that's when I got it) you can also try propping your torso up on an extra pillow or two. My OB prescribed an acid reducer rather than anything to treat the heartburn itself. And that helped me a great deal. It works by reducing the amount of acid your stomach produces and thus prevents the heartburn altogether. I know you said you had tried all the prescription remedies but I wasn't sure if you also meant preventatives. Thanks - I will give that a whirl
(12 Nov '09, 14:55)
dreamerisme
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I feel your pain. When I was pregnant I also maxed out on all the available medications for heartburn. I found frozen yogurt or even regular yogurt was helpful. The cold soothes your burning esophagus and the yogurt coats it to protect it from more burning. |
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Our OB suggested: drink lots of liquids between meals to keep your stomach full and the acid diluted. During meals, drink less liquid. The food is doing the job of filling your stomach and added liquid is just more that can travel back up. |
I had never had heartburn before I was pregnant. It's so strange how it pops up all of the sudden.
It's very common because the baby takes up a lot of room in there and as a result, your stomach is under pressure. Also, your body produces hormones to relax your ligaments, joints, tendons, etc. in order to prepare you for labour but its not specific to your reproductive system so often the valve separating your stomach and your esophagus relaxes as well which means acid can much more easily travel upward.