Anyone been pregnant with a hiatus hernia?

[MagicMikesThong]

I was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia about 6 months ago, and I am now 10 weeks pregnant. The heartburn/reflux is really bad, and after asking at the pharmacy, they say that they can only recommend Gaviscon. (May as well not bother as it does nothing for me)

I told the midwife at my booking appointment and she said, "Well you know that it will get worse don't you", and that was it.

Has anyone else suffered with this, and is there anything you can do to ease it? Is there anything else I can take in pregnancy? Obviously I am going to make a GP appointment, but I just wanted the heads up before I go.

hi,

i have one but its not as bad as yours - they dont seem bothered with it!!
just ask at docs...heartburn does get worse of course as stomach pushed up etc...

One of my best friends recently had a baby and suffers with a hiatus hernia. She just tried to 'deal with it' but was so sick all the time that she ended up at hospital at 12 weeks with Hyperemesis. If your doctor has been treating you for this then he/she would absolutely be your best line of support and be able to better advise you than your midwife I'd imagine. I cant quite remember exactly what the doctor prescribed her in the end but she did get help and managed fine later on. Certainly get booked in with your doctor and hopefully they can help you get the right relief xx

I have digestive issues too. Once thought to be a hiatus hernia. I have been taking omeprazole which prior to pregnancy has kind of kept symptons under control. Now using Gaviscon Advance aswell and touch wood it hasn't been too bad.

I have a hiatus hernia from before my last pregnancy which caused a bit of hassle as I also terrible heartburn and it hurts like a bitch if you get kicked in it - I found that boots own indigestion tablets helped to ease the discomfort, sleeping on my left side propped up with several pillows helped too.

It does seem bigger since giving birth but has not given me any notable discomfort. I'm pregnant again and have developed a peri-umbilical hernia (above navel) which has given me more trouble. Luckily the heartburn is nowhere near as bad this time.

Hope you find some relief and it doesn't cause you too much trouble

I've had a hiatus hernia from my teens and normally take esomperazole every day but obviously stopped once I found out I was pregnant.

You can take medication from the start of the second trimester but will have to get it prescribed from the gp. First one he tried me on was ranitidine (300mg - usual dose you can buy in supermarkets etc is 75mg) . Gp told me they normally like to try you on the that first as it is the most widely tested during pregnancy but I found it wasn't strong enough for me. He was happy enough to prescribe me omeprazole after that as it has also been tested during pregnancy with no bother.

It works up to the point for me, even though it's not as strong as my normal medication although I've found from the third trimester I'm taking an omeprazole in the morning and having to swig gaviscon at night. Much much better than my first pregnancy when all they would prescribe at the time was gaviscon and I spent the 9 months crippled with heartburn and acid reflux.

Hi everyone - thanks for the replies - sorry it's taken me so long to get back on.
I was taking omeprazole for about 6 weeks prior to having a gastroscopy to confirm the hernia. The consultant said that the treatment for it would be omeprazole but that I didn't need it all the time - just when the symptoms flared up. All this was before I got pregnant so I haven't taken anything for a while.

Nicecupoftea - Sorry to hear you have another hernia too - is that related to the hiatus one? The joys of pregnancy.........

ballroomblitz - Thank you for sharing your experience - that's very interesting. If I can only take meds from 2nd trimester then I will make an appointment for around 12 weeks and try to get by on Gaviscon just now. It's a bit naughty but I actually took a Zantac the other day as I was desperate and it made such a huge difference (Think that is ranitidine). I haven't taken any more as I wasn't sure of safety etc.

Thanks again everyone and I'll get booked in with the GP.

I haven't been officially diagnosed with a hiatal hernia but gp suspects but I don't see point in endoscopy if they ain't gonna operate. That said they have prescribed me omeprazole which they said was OK to take during pregnancy and it's available over the counter as well. congrats and good luck hope u find a solution

I suffer from anaemia and I was diagnosed with G.E.R.D and put on 40mg nexium 4 years after my first pregnancy and over the years suffer internal bleeding and I only just has a gastroscopy last year (6years after being diagnosed with G.E.R.D) and they found a large 8cm hiatus hernia which was supposed to be operated on August this year but unfortunately I only found out I was near my 2nd trimester only a week before(I didn't know I was pregnant) and the surgery has been put off til 2 months after I give birth. My dr. And surgeon kept me on the Nexium sometimes I have to take up to 80mg a day but to no avail to try handle to heartburn n indigestion I'm on my 3rd trimester now and apparently if I have problems breathing, vomiting even a little bit of blood to go to dr or the hospital as it can cause other complications and was told that since the hiatus hernia is large and will get bigger due to being pregnant that it's a highly likely situation that I'll have to have a c-section instead of natural birth(they are currently aiming at me trying to do normal birth)

I found sleeping on left side even when not pregnant to help with reflux in bed, unfortunately not much can help to relive the intensity of reflux and heartburn a

.I try to avoid any dairy,citrus spices,garlic,pepper,pork,sausages,cold meats and most drinks and to drink plenty of water to help as much as possible
Unfortunately there's not much relief half the time with the Nexium or Mylanta or gaviscon

Sorry to hear you've been suffering so badly!

I am the OP although name changed. Thank you for your advice, although this was quite some time ago - the baby in my tummy is now 10 years old 🤣

Hope it helps someone else 😊