What should I do about acid reflux during pregnancy?

Question

Its not something that happened to me before I got pregnant, but all day today. Its awful. Are antacids ok? Do they really help? What else can I do?

Answer 1

with my first pregnancy everything gave me heartburn even water and bread i ate so many tums it is safe but my Dr this time prescribed me an antacid for my heartburn so ask you Dr about that but yes tums will work but i had to eat a lot of them

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Tums work to an extent and it is okay to eat quite a few a day if needed. They actually have calcium in them which is beneficial to baby. My doctor actually had me taking them before I had any heartburn.

If the heartburn is very persistent and painful, the only thing that ended up working for me was a prescription med. Nothing from over the counter worked. Drinking a small glass of milk after each meal seems to coat the throat a bit and puts the heartburn at bay. (Unless of course, you have that kind like I had..... the horrible kind!!)

Stinks I know!!! It does go away after delivery though. Isn't something that sticks with ya. Just that baby is sitting on your stomach and causing acids to rise back up. ::sigh:: what we go through for our wonderful babies!!!

Answer 4

Honey, bless your heart!! I have had acid reflux for over a year now, and now that I m pregnant, it is terrible!!!! It is almost worst than morning sickness! My doctor told me I can take Mylanta, Tums, and Rolaids. They do work, just that sometimes you may have to take 2-3 spoons with liquid Mylanta, and 2 tablets of the Tums or Rolaids so that they actually work. You can take them as needed though, (of course don't overdue it). I never take more than 4 tablets in one day, and I haven't had the need for more that 2 spoons of Mylanta in one day. But thats just me. They are safe though, whats not safe is having heartburn with out treating it as it may cause ulcers (not right away, after an extended period of time, so don't worry) as in my case. My esophagus and my stomach were inflammated and I had to take Nexium for almost 1 year to get cured.
My doctor even said I can take Nexium and all those other prescription anti-acid medications, but I won't take them just in case! I like to stick with the lighter stuff!!
I would recommend either way to always ask your doctor before you take anything. If you need it right away, and can't speak to your doctor, ask the pharmacist at your local drugstore and they should have a pretty good idea what you can take in the mean time.
Some tips to "try" and avoid heartburn: prop up your pillows at night, do not lay down after a meal, even laying sideways with your head up immediatly after a meal will cause heartburn, try to stay away from tomatoe based foods, especially at night before you go to bed, about a half hour to an hour after dinner, take a stroll which will help you stay away from the couch and will also serve as excercise, have some milk after your meals, lastly, add some lemon to about 2 sips of water and it may also help you with the heartburn, not a whole glass, just 2-3 sips. One thing I tried that has helped (if you are meds paranoid and like to try more natural things) are preggie pops. They are candies that are just a bit sour (maybe sour does the trick) and they not only take away my nausea as they are said to do, but they relieve my heartburn "sometimes". I hope this helps!
Good Luck!! I know exactly what you're going thru!!

P.S.
Acid Reflux is a condition, heartburn is what Acid Reflux causes. You might just have heartburn and not the condition "Acid Reflux" which is not curable, only relieved with medications, as in my case.

Answer 5

I had the same problem and everything I ate came back up on me. Too much info, but my mouth always tasted like vomit in the morning and the pain brought tears to my eyes. I ate Tums like candy all night long, which is about the only thing you can take. I also slept propped up on about 5 pillows, not comfortable sleeping but it helped the reflux a little.

Answer 6

Antacids treat the symptom.

Things you can do are eat smaller meals, don't bend over to lift anything--use your knees.

My last two weeks of pregnancy I had heartburn and I was chowing down on Tums like it was candy!

Answer 7

My Dr says that a low sodium antacid is ok to take. They don't work very well for me, so I drink a lot of milk...mostly I just suffer through it. I feel your pain, I get it almost every day, no matter what I eat. Avoid tomato based foods as well as fried foods, that may help a little.

Answer 8

There are good remedys out there made from aloe vera. It comes in a bottle and you just mix it with a little cranberry juice or something you like. Drinking it by itself can taste bad. The aloe should be fine for pregnancy but you should talk to your doctor. Find this at GNC or local drugstore.

Answer 9

You can take TUMS. TUMS is just calcium, but stay away from other types because they are high in heavy metals that can possibly affect the baby. That is a very common problem for pregnant women.

Answer 10

When I had heartburn during pregnancy the only thing that helped me was fresh pineapple (not canned) the natural juice makes the acid not come up. I lived on PINEAPPLE!!!