Heartburn

At my last OB appt two weeks ago, I mentioned I was having pretty much constant heartburn and Tums wasn't doing anything for it. My doctor recommended 20mg Pepcid-AC twice a day. It didn't really seem to do that much so I asked if I could take anything stronger. He added 20mg Prilosec in the morning, and said if that didn't help he was going to refer me to a gastroenterologist. Before adding Prilosec I felt a continual mild burning sensation, maybe pain level 2-3 on a scale of 10. After 4 days on Prilosec, most of the day I just feel a sense of pressure without burning, say pain level 1, but still have episodes of mild burning, say level 2. It seems to be worse after I drink liquid, particularly milk, and better after eating heavy food like cheese or eggs.

The level of pain is annoying but not unbearable. What I'm wondering is how much relief should I be expecting? Is this just a normal part of pregnancy, or is seeing a specialist really warranted?

Any tips on what foods, etc, helped lessen your heartburn?

 

I've had heartburn in both my pregnancies -- this time much worse. I do take gaviscon (UK over-the-counter; much like tums) when I think I'm going to be sick in the night; but otherwise, like you, I figure the discomfort level just isn't worth making a huge fuss about. I actually get it worse when I haven't eaten anything for a while (though I have no appetite at the moment) ... as for your questions ... I think it's just one of those pregnancy things and provided it isn't making you throw up the whole time then IMO it's just something to live with. (When my sister was pregnant with her twins it got so bad she couldn't lie down without throwing up ... all resolved when babes arrived.)

Things I think make it better -- I read elsewhere that pineapple can help as it has enzymes in it which help with heartburn ... seems a bit mad, but lots of people say it works ... I've had some success with it. Also, I take a huge amount of Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc supplements (as per Dr Luke in her twins book) and that has made a BIG difference. I know because I haven't taken them religiously and I can really tell when I haven't taken them.

HTH -- and so sorry you are suffering.

 

Just wanted to send some :hug:'s I know how bad it is to have heartburn and I never did find anything to help it... only birth. :lol:

 

Hey... I also found that taking Dr. Luke's recommendation of calcium & magnesium really helps. I was popping Tums and Maalox like candy all the time, but after starting out slow (1/2 the dose) the other day I realized I could take more and it really works overnight now. Plus, like the pp said, if I go more than 2 or 3 hours during the day, I feel like I'm going to get heartburn which goes away as soon as I eat. Recently (2 nights ago) I was waking up with what I thought was heartburn- realized I now need to eat in the middle of the night (a small snack). It's unbelieveable how much these boys can make me put away!

Good luck with the heartburn- I'm hoping to not need anything stronger than Tums for the duration.

Michelle

28 weeks 4 days with di/di boys

 

I have pretty much constant heartburn, which started around 28 weeks and has been truly constant for the past couple weeks (I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow). I take a ton of tums, which provide temporary relief, but I know it's pretty normal pregnancy symptom and don't expect it to go away completely. It's very annoying especially that I am constantly thirsty, but water makes the heartburn worse. I've heard it goes away immediately upon delivery. Good luck!

AJ

 

I, too, have had to deal with heartburn. It is such a drag! I avoid spicy and acidic foods, and I try to sip water throughout the day rather than taking big gulps. I also feel thirsty a lot of the time, especially in the afternoons/evenings when the heartburn begins. For whatever reason, a big drink of water makes the heartburn worse.

When I notice the heartburn, I try to have a little snack, like a granola bar, some cereal with milk, or toast with peanut butter. A little food seems to help. I also sleep propped up on pillows. If I sleep flat on my side, especially my right, the heartburn is almost instantaneous and very strong.

I took Tums only through my first pregnancy. This time, I asked my doc for recommendations of something stronger. He recommended the Pepcid-AC, and it seems to work better for me than the Tums. I tried Gavescon, but for whatever reason, got no relief from it. Avoid Maalox. I forget why (pregnancy brain!), but that's what my doc said.

Good luck!
~Jenny

 

I do one pepcid in the am and one at night. I limit chocolate, greasy food, too much salt, dairy, and anything too acidic (citrus, tomatoes). Also, I find that smaller meals really really help right now. Basically anything more than a sandwich and my stomach feels bloated and hurts. Good luck

 

I ended up on prevacid with my older dd, and nexium with the twins. It wasn't just heartburn it was reflux. You can ask your ob about trying one of those meds, they were a Godsend to me, I was hurting so bad even water gave me reflux! :hug:

 

The Prilosec seems to be kicking in more now (the label says it can take up to 4 days to take effect) so I'm hoping I can avoid needing a specialist. I'm going long stretches during the day with no heartburn, and trying to pay attention to which foods and timing of foods brings it on so that I can manage it with diet. An empty stomach seems to be definitely something to avoid for me!

What are the calcium and magnesium recommendations from Dr. Luke? I'm taking 500mg calcium (oyster shell) currently.

 

My Dr told me at this point ( I was around 22wks at that appointment) that tums and those sorts of meds would do me no good. He told me to take Zantac so I take the lowest one which I think is 75. That seems to have helped me but so far **knock on wood** I have only taken it maybe 3 times the past month