Heartburn…HELP!
July 14th, 2008 by Jenni
I am now about 24 1/2 weeks pregnant, which means I have about 16 weeks to go, and I am already having around the clock heartburn!!! With my first two boys I didn’t have much heartburn to speak up until towards the end of the pregnancy, with the girls and now with this little boy it’s much earlier, but with the girls it got progressively worse. This time it’s come on strong all of the sudden and I have it all day! I need some suggestions if anyone has any.
I know that you aren’t supposed to eat citrus, chocolate, caffeine, tomato based foods, vinegar based foods (which deletes many of my options). So do any of you know what foods help? It seems the only thing that helps me is cold cereal and milk, but I don’t want to be eating that for the next 3 1/2 months, six times a day. I know that eating small frequent meals help, but what should I be eating? I want to eat healthy, but fruit gives me heartburn and so does salad dressing! I love both salads and raw fruits. With Caitriona I just struggled through it but I just cant seem to motivate myself to eat things that are going to make me feel like I’m going to throw up! One good thing though is that sugar and chocolate give me heartburn too so that helps with that category. Little side note-while typing out this post I have sitting next to me a big glass of iced orange juice and a small handful of animal crackers, they balance out the citrus in the juice ;)
Anyway, just pouring out my heart. I know this is my fifth pregnancy and you’d think I would be a pro by now, but it’s always good to hear what has worked for other women. Thanks ladies!
Hmmmm….
“Mommy’s a monster”????
Maybe she really meant to say Mommy’s a Queen!!!
As for your heartburn…..Ginger? Red Raspberry leaf tea, drank as iced tea? honey? Do you drink lots of water? Those are the suggestions that come to my mind…..
I was so happy to see that you had visited my blog!!!
THANKS!
Leanne in Longview
Hi Jenni~
I’ve been lurking around for quite some time, but have never commented. We seem to have a lot of the same ideaes about things. I too live in a very small house (750 sq feet) and I love how you maximize your space. We only have 2 kiddos right now, but we are most certainly not done yet! It’s fun to see what my life might look like in a few years : )
The one thing that came to mind for heartburn (other than milk), is Papaya Enzymes. They are totally natural, and while they are not miracle workers, they did give me some relief. You can get them pretty much anywhere, I think. I know they even have them at Rite Aid. Double Check with your midwife to make sure they’re ok to take, but I don’t imagine there would be a problem. I’ve even give them to my toddler when he has an upset tummy. Hope this helps.
God Bless!
Melody
Hi Jenni/Monstor - Sorry to hear about your heartburn. I had it with both pregnancies and what worked best for me was the kirkland antacids. Sounds simple, but it worked best. Also, my hubby struggles with reflux quite often and 1) his diet is a huge impact (meaning the healthier and more natural the better) and 2) eating and apple a day not only keeps the doctor away, but also the heartburn. One myth that worked like a charm for one of my friends was a tablespoon of vinegar (regular, not apple) whenever they had heartburn took it away right away!! Some people believe that heartburn (and acid reflux) is an OVER prodction of acid, rather than an UNDER production. So…hope those help. The best remedy is Jesus and I will pray that He gives you healing and wisdom. Even though you are a 5th time prego mommy, you are still learning. I think we’ll always be learning. Love you. And…thanks for keeping us posted about Tam. I talked to her this morning and she sounded rested. Good for her.
I agree with Robin Jenni, the more natural and whole foods were less likely to set off heartburn in me during my pregnancies. Thanks for the pic of your beautiful profile! :)
I would love to chat with you sometime, and visit next time you are in the area. Wishing you and your family well. Oh, we just got some baby chicks. I would love to ask you a few questions.
Love,
Brooke
Oh Jenni…I agree with the ginger idea. Emily makes a wonderful tea with fresh ginger, fresh lemon juice and some honey. Also, lots of water too. :)
Jenni, I agree with Robin apple-cider vinegar is what worked for me. Though i thought I was going to die when I swallowed it…..so start with a teaspoon and work up to a tablespoon. Check the web I googled “natural way to heal……” and vinegar was right there. So it worked for me and I have found if the world says don’t do it ask the Lord for that is probably the very way we need to go!
Love you so
Kelley
Hey Jenni!! I have major heartburn too! It’s no not fun! I finally went to the store and bought some papaya enzyme vitamins and they work amazingly for me! I just take 2 as soon as I start to feel it coming on or if I know I just ate something that will give it to me (tomoato base gives it to me the worst so I take it right away after eating it) I don’t know why I didn’t buy it earlier on! Hope you figure something out that works for you! :o)
Thanks for all the comments ladies, I really appreciate them! I had forgotten to mention in my post that I am an avid believer in papaya enzymes, I’ve used them with all my pregnancies, but sometimes the heartburn is just too strong and the enzymes don’t help :) But I will have to try the vinegar. With Cait I would drink a baking soda/warm water mixture and that really helps I just don’t want to be drinking too much sodium and I save that for when it’s REALLY bad :) Thanks again ladies, better get, my Cait is screaming!