Indigestion/gas/heartburn While Pregnant

Diddo on what the previous person, Mimi, said. MOST (not all) heartburn is because of not getting enough acid, not the other way around, which is what most people think....which is why the vinegar helped some. I know many people that take a tablespoon of vinegar every day...yucky, yes. I had heartburn really bad...so bad that the doctors gave me some really strong stuff during delivery and it didn't even touch it. Mylanta, tums, etc., is not good for you and only covers up the real problem.

Now, granted you are pregnant, quoting from one of my books..."The is because the expanded size of the uterus promotes the reentry of stomach fluids into the esophagus, and hormones present during pregnancy tend to soften the sphincter muscles." But it doesn't have to be this way every day for you.

You can pay attention to what triggers (unless it's everything) the heartburn. There are some things that are really bad for you while you are pregnant and can trigger some heartburn...coffee (even the decaf kind), alcohol, baking soda, and especially antacids....really bad for you because of the sodium bicarbonate (such as Alka Seltzer). Now, right after your meals, don't lay down. I've taken papaya tablets before. Papaya tablets are safe and work well for reducing heartburn. Another thing is getting something from the store as Mimi said...just ask your local health food store (my favorite is Good Nutrition off of Beaver Ruin Rd and off of McGinnis Ferry in Duluth). They might direct you to some plant enzymes/herb formula that helps break down the food. Another thing you can do is when it comes on all of a sudden...drink a glass of warm soymilk or rice milk. Also, if it really gets bad, try not to eat or drink anything except water for a few hours before you go to bed, if that's when it strikes the worse. Kinda hard to do if you get as hungry as I get.

My heartburn was the worst with my first and I did everything wrong during that pregnancy. I educated myself from then on and haven't had the problems because I changed my eating. Some people have to have a high-carb diet to help in this situation. With me, if I consume too many carbs (especially refined carbs....sugar), then I'll have the heartburn. Just listen to your body.

Hi C.,

Contrary to popular belief, there can not be too much acid in the stomach. Your stomach is supposed to be acidic to digest food. Heartburn is caused by the food NOT being digested in your stomach. That's why the bananas and vinegar help some. You are putting acid(vinegar)in your stomach to digest what is already in your stomach. Following me??? Water with lemon should be the only thing you are drinking right now also.

You can actually buy stomach acid at the health food store. If you get enough, then the problem should go away. Many people have a lack of it completely by the overuse of antacids and also the pesticides and preservatives in our food neutralizing it. Antacids only compound the issue by giving some temporary relief and then causing a rebound effect.

What kind of prenatal vitamin are you on? If your prenatal vitamin is truly absorbing you should not have this issue. Ask your doctor what type of delivery system (the system in which it is delivered to the blood stream) it has. If he doesn't know, then there probably isn't a delivery system and it is dependent on your digestive system which you aren't having much luck with anyway.....Even if the nutrients in the vitamin are good, if it's not getting absorbed, it's not doing any good.

Have you changed your diet since you have been pregnant? I do know that pregnancy changes things, so it will probably be a time of "hit or miss." A simple quick try/fix that won't hurt is ginger capsules. You can also get them at the health food store.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be glad to help if I can!

Congratulations on your little one to come! God bless!

M.

I had wicked heart burn my whole pregnancy. My dr told me to take Zantac 25 2x a day. If I missed a does I felt it. It did start working right away. My triggers for heart burn was anything spicy, like pasta sauce, salsa, soda. Call your dr or at your next appointment ask for home remedies if you perfer not to take medication. I found drinking milk for me did help a little bit. Good luck for the next 8mo!

Christy - I had heartburn during my 2 pregnancies and during my current one too (11 weeks)... Everything was a trigger for me. I tried all kinds of things, but the only thing that worked was drinking milk. It was just soothing. As far as the bloating/gassey feeling, I will go for short walks and it just helps me. I don't know if it is the fresh air, the sun, company (my neighbor goes with me), or what, but it just seems to work. I hope some of these suggestions work! God Bless. J.

Hi,
I would pay close attention to your diet and make sure your getting enough calicum. Sometime a lack of it can cause severe heartburn. I would also say see a chiropractor. Its highly likely that your crainal nerves, and others are irritated. Once you have that compression, the pressure will cause gas/acid from your stomach to come up and erode your esophagus, thus leading to to the heartburn.
Best of luck!
Jamie

When I was pregnant and even now I eat some yogurt when i have heartburn. and that usually works better than any of that other stuff, and its natural. Also eat 5 small meals instead of 3 big ones.

my little girl is about to turn 7 but when i was carrying her i had the same problem. i used mylanta and nibbled on saltine crackers. hope this helps.

Ya, it's pretty common.With my first I didn't get anything but stretch marks and with my second I got EVERYTHING including insomnia.And the heartburn has carried on past the birth of my son and it's possiblre yours will too.But what I find works for me is a glass of milk. It works almost immediately and it last quite a while.

Wow...I thought I was the only one who had severe heart burn during pregnancy. I slept in a recliner from four months pregnant to delivery. Then on days I could manage to sleep in bed I could only sleep on my left side (go figure?!?) because on my right side I immediately threw up.

Sister....nothing worked. My only relief was alot of deep breathing and meditation during the tough times. Literally, everything was a trigger.

I wish you all the best. Like someone else said, in about 7 months it will all be worth it. The moment my daughter was born, I completely forgot about the heartburn.

When I was pregnant with my boys my first trimester I spent very gasy and quickly learned it was a reaction to any diary I consumed! Once I was out of the first trimster, I could eat dairy again and I wasn't gasy or bloated. Maybe you are having a reaction to something you eat almost daily?

For heartburn, I've found mustard or a HUGE glass of REALLY REALLY cold milk helps. (I'm 36 weeks pregnant now and dealing with heartburn) the only issue is sometimes I can feel my heart burn 'eat' away at the coating the milk made. Your doing all you can do - my doctors allowed me to take Pepto bismol, the liquid works great instead of pills because of the coating, maybe try that?

Good luck!