Acid Reflux and Pregnancy

I have had severe reflux for many years as well. I took Protonix which was ok'ed by the OB throughout my pregnancy and only had an occasional flare up.

Calcium can help you, health benefits for you and a growing baby and no negative side effects!!!

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association 1 shows that people who use certain
medications to control their heartburn and acid reflux, experience an increased risk of hip fracture. The problem
medicines are termed proton pump inhibitors, and they work by blocking the production of stomach acid. In doing so,
they apparently interfere with calcium absorption and thereby increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.

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I had horrible heatburn with my son last year. i was allowed to take Zantac(mint flavored). it is OTC and worked wonders!

The best thing I have ever done for myself was to give up all dairy, wheat, and sugar. It sounds impossible, I know, but it's really quite easy, and it completely got rid of my acid reflux. Dairy is a huge contributor to acid reflux. If you like avocado, you can substitute it for dairy products. Guacamole is a wonderful dip, and I use raw veggies instead of crackers or chips.

Avoid processed foods, and eat as much organic and/or locally grown as possible.

My doctor puts every one of her patients on this diet, and every single patient who really tried it for at least two weeks has seen improvement. Not a bad record for over thirty years of recommending it!

If you're interested in more information about how I made this diet work for me, send me a private message and I'll send you my journal about it.

I think tums was a good portion of my diet when I was pregnant with both of my kids, lol. I don't really know what else to suggest though. Sometimes a soda would help relieve some of the pressure (burping, lol), but the tums was my best friend, lol. Sorry I couldn't help more.

I also have acid reflux, even when not pregnant. I was concerned that being pregnant would make it worse and it did towards the end. My ob-gyn's office said Pepcid Complete was okay, so you might ask your OB about it too. This really helped me when I felt like TUMS just weren't doing the trick. Hopefully, it will help you. I also slept propped up on pillows quite a bit to help prevent reflux.

I really sympathize with you! I had unbearable heart burn during both my pregancies that kept me up dry heaving all night. However, it wasn't until I was done having kids that I learned some valuable information so I'm glad I can pass it along to you and maybe you'll find some relief. I would avoid the tums because they can cause some real problems with your digestive system and in my experience, taking them like candy, they only worked a short time. I would of course talk to your doctor as well, but if you live near a health food store there are natural remedies that are safe during pregnancy that work better than tums. I would start there. You'd have to find a health food store that has a separate section for vitamins and things like that, with a qualified professional there to make the correct dosage for you. I know most people want western medicine to fix the problem, but usually what is natural is better for you. Not sure where you live, but I live in the Toledo area and Claudia's is a great place to go and they have someone there who can help you.

Tums actually did the trick for me. I also avoided caffeine, carbonated beverages, anything tomato-based (mostly sauce like pizza sauce, ketchup, etc.), and spicy foods. Always make sure you eat food well before taking a nap and avoid laying flat right after eating. On those days when I would splurge and have a piece of pizza, I would go to sleep with about 3-4 pillows behind my head to prop me up and avoid reflux. Good luck to you - don't you love pregnancy hormones?

Shaklee's optiflora and perhaps EasyGest as well. Shaklee is a natural supplement company and I personally was able to get off of all my Ulcerative Colitis Meds because of the supplements. I know many who have found relief for themselves and their babies from optiflora. I can tell you more if you like, just let me know. I second what Susie said about eating organic non-processed food. But if you can't get to that right away, this is something to start with.
I am a 29 year old WAHM of a 2 year old angel.

I would try eating yogurt such as Activia every day and also, digestive enzymes available at Wal-Mart with every meal and lots of water. I too suffer from severe indigestion especially when pregnant.