Indigestion - help!

[helbo]

Hi there - I'm 22 weeks and have had monster indigestion since about week 5. Any ideas on how to help?
I've tried drinking lots of milk - no change at all.
It's made worse when I bend down to pick things up - and as I have a 2 year old I spend half my life on my hands and knees cleaning up after her.
any advice welcome - it feels like someone's poured battery acid down my throat tonight! ow!

I find if I cut down on wheat and anything with sugar (particularly refined sugar) tends to do the trick. Milk can make it worse as it increases the acidity - try mint tea instead.

Peppermint tea can really help. Drink it cold if that's more soothing. If you want something a bit stronger Gaviscon is great, esp the stronger one. You can get it free from the docs. Mine's just run out and I'm going to get some more in the moring!

Normal Gaviscon liquid is the pregnant mum's elixir! Got through bottles of the stuff when pg with ds. Make sure you get the pepperment one, rather than aniseed, though. Have also heard rumours that the mw can give you a prescription for it, although do make sure it's the right flavour!

Oh, and apparently there's an old wife's tale that the worse the indigestion, the more hair your baby will have. Proved that wrong as both my kids pretty much bald, but you never know!

Another shout out for Gaviscon mint! I got the same thing in a giant bottle prescribed by GP and then when I couldn't drink any more of the stuff I tried the double action tablets which were also good. I remember so clearly how it just vanished the minute DD popped out! DD had the biggest wig of hair you've ever seen...

Gaviscon works for me too!!
I take 2 spoons before bed and at various times during the day.
Couldnt get through this pregnancy without it

Gaviscon it is then! I'll try peppermint tea as well - I don't know why I didn't think of that before as I've got a huge box sitting in the cupboard.

Interesting point about indigestion and baby's hair.... Nobody in my family (or my husband's) is short of hair (on the head, and eveywhere else too!) so that might be one of the reasons I feel so grim!

thanks ladies

I hate the taste of liquid Gaviscon and was doubtful how much difference it made, though I did get some tablets. Then I had a really horrible few days when I was taking it and it seemed to make no difference.

The last few weeks and particularly since Easter - I finished work on 5 April, I've found ice pops help deal with the burning and I've only been sick once - that's after 4 times over 3 days at Easter with really burning acid pain for the whole time. They don't cure it but they do take away the pain a bit.

I think small quantities of milk have helped me plus they've tackled what I was advised was probably a calcium deficiency causing numb legs.

Luci

Aniseed gaviscon tastes much better IMO!

You can also try the effervescent calcium tablets. Disolve it in water according to instructions, seems to work quite well. I take 1/2 a tablet at a time so that I dont take more than 1 or 2 in a day. Probably best to check with GP / MW if you want as it is calcium and if you are taking other meds or supplements, might want to just check...

I also heard from yoga teacher that fresh apple will help indigestion - this has not worked for me but you could try it. Good luck.

god I remember swigging Gaviscon straight out of the bottle when preggers !

Whizz - I do that too. Must get through a pint a day somedays!

I had a big bottle under my desk at work, a big bottle at home and various mini bottles in different bags!

Hi im 35 wks and am too suffering from heartburn which i also use gaviscon tablets for, I keep them eveywhere especially next to my bed, can guarante i wake up every night not only for countless wees but heartburn too,would definatly recomend gaviscon