Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

demon heartburn, can change of diet help?

27 replies

deaconblue · 16/01/2008 20:37

Had monstrous heartburn with ds and although I'm only 23 weeks pg now it's back with avengence. I can go down the swigging Gaviscon route like I did last time but are there any foods I need to avoid to make it less painful?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Original poster
deaconblue · 16/01/2008 20:46

come on ladies, it's burning, sort me out

OP posts:
jeanjeannie · 16/01/2008 20:52

Have same problem - 20 weeks preg - it's just vile. Acidic fruit - satsumas/grapes etc were making it worse - so I've dumped them in favour of bananas (which I don't like ) But I've found milk and yogurt really, really help - especially in the evening, when it comes on with vengence. Not sure if there are any hard and fast rules on food - or if there are just some things that just set you off. If you do find a cure - please share!

Original poster
deaconblue · 16/01/2008 20:55

thanks, will stick with yoghurt after dinner then, was wondering if dairy made it worse. Mum suggested I eat with ds at 5pm but I really would rather have grown up dinner once he's asleep. Do they think you have a big baby? Mine is supposed to be quite big and I wondered if that's why the indigestion has come earlier this time

OP posts:
bubblejumping · 16/01/2008 20:56

I had the same problem with ds 1 and 2. i took as much gaviscon as I wanted, after a discussion with the pharmacist who explained that the problem with extra gaviscon was thesodium content so bad if high blood pressure. mine was low so I did have a few extra doses

I did look at alkaline forming foods on the t'internet and did find that the problem was alleviated a little.

bubblejumping · 16/01/2008 20:57

Not just by looking at t'internet- eating the foods recommended as well (doh)

Lmccrean · 16/01/2008 21:01

I get awful heartburn from time to time (both when I was pregnant and in last few months although not preg) and of all the things Ive tried, a large glass of milk before bed when I feel it starting, has helped the most. (tho gaviscon made me puke, so i needed an alternative!)

Maybe try a smallish dinner with your ds and then a small portion later for "grownup dinner"??

TheYoungVisiter · 16/01/2008 21:01

Oh god I had awful heartburn with DS and tbh it's partly what's put me off trying for another one so far! Isn't that wussy?

DS was not a very big baby (7lb 3) but I am quite short so maybe that doesn't help, but tbh I think you are either prone to it or not.

My tips:

eat solid food - liquids and liquidy foods are much more likely to force their way up. Soup was killer for me.

try to eat a few hours before bed and stay upright as long as possible after the meal (hard I know when you are pregnant and knackered)

avoid acid foods and spices

I found the best meal for me was something mild and stodgy like cottage pie or spaghetti carbonara. The worst was something like minestrone soup or hot chilli con carne.

and don't feel bad about taking the medication - the benefit of a good night's sleep is sooo important for you and the baby...

mumofk · 16/01/2008 22:21

Had it awful last time myself, got GP to prescribe ranitidine- fab, just one tab a day and no symptoms.
For me though, this time stress and exhaustion make a huge difference- a few days off work sick (exhausted) and I had NO heartburn. Went back to work this week- its back with a vengeance.
Sorry, no diet advice.
mumofk

TheGabster · 17/01/2008 15:51

OOoh - I can add a few more tips, as long time sufferer who cannot take her meds because of the pregnancy.

Fatty foods DEFINITELY make it worse.

I have milk and yoghurts, but make sure they are fully skimmed/fat free.

Things like tomatoes and apples are just as acid producing as spicy food, even though you would not think it.

Try small snacks rather than large meals, and I am a big believing in eating earlier is better too, I'm afraid.

Might also find it better sleeping half-sitting up if you can - takes some getting used to but now I am in week 37 I am glad I trained myself into it as not many comfy positions I can get into (much to randy DH's disgust !

Good Luck!

flamingtoaster · 17/01/2008 16:35

Try eating a few inches of raw celery - conventional remedies give me IBS symptoms so I found the suggestion of celery on the internet while looking for alternatives. Surprisingly it works!

Original poster
deaconblue · 17/01/2008 19:05

celery sounds easy, will try that. I had it so bad with ds that after the epidural kicked in I ended up crying with the pain of the heartburn! Dh thought it was funny as I hadn't cried or complained from the contraction pain at all.

OP posts:
iampgatlast · 17/01/2008 19:09

hi, i am 38+2 and have had the odd bit of heartburn and a friend told me to try gripe water. apart from tasting like heaven it did the trick!

cloudberry · 17/01/2008 23:57

I am 29 weeks with no 3 and had horrible heartburn with 1st 2 which I tried to deal with using homeopathy which was useless in both cases. Now got it again, have tried Gasviscon which has made almost no difference but read about celery on a thread here and HALLELUJAH!!! Don't know how to spell that but don't care, I have found my holy grail, only very minor concern if I can really call it that is whether this baby will have a life-long obsession with celery!!

flamingtoaster · 18/01/2008 08:41

cloudberry - glad celery helped. I've mentioned it on here a couple of times but am glad it's worked for somebody else because I did begin to wonder if I was imagining it worked!

debinaustria · 18/01/2008 08:59

I'll bear all this in mind as I can tell that I'll be starting with it soon.

Original poster
deaconblue · 18/01/2008 11:04

ok good, ,more celery advocates, will definitely get some this week. So do I eat it just before bed? Maybe will keep some in bedside drawer () as had horrible heartburn at 3am this morning

OP posts:
flamingtoaster · 18/01/2008 13:54

shoppingbagsundereyes - eat it anytime you feel it starting, or if you know you have it every night then eat it shortly before you go to bed. Hope it works for you too.

Original poster
deaconblue · 18/01/2008 18:36

ok, ahve bought M and S celery no less. Will report back tomorrow

OP posts:
moocowme · 19/01/2008 10:26

you need to avoid all caffeine (it makes your stomach produce more acid!) so that means no tea, cofee, chocolate, coke, diet pepsi............................

you get the idea - read the ingredients.

one that i used to use as a natural remedy many years ago (it had shown potential in medical research) was cabbage juice. it tasted awful so i mixed it with pair and banana. it worked well at the time.

banana on its own is also good as it is high in magnesium which is what antacids are also made of.

the other that is good is Deglycyrrhizinated licorice. normal licorice will do but do not have to much if it makes you move to much on the inside. i found one piece a day was good.

do not touch anything with Ulmus fulva, or Slippery Elm as it is commonly known as this can bring on a termination.

Original poster
deaconblue · 19/01/2008 12:01

great success with the celery last night. I ahd one stick at about 9pm, went to bed soon after and NO heartburn for the first time in a week! Very pleased indeed, i hope it keeps working as the thought of Gaviscon makes me want to gag. Thank you again mumsnetters

OP posts:
Tangas · 19/01/2008 12:17

isn't heartburn a sign that baby has got hair?? or is that just an old wife's tale???

I had it bad, and DS was born with a head full of it!!

Drink lots of milk in the evenings that helped me.

VictorianSqualor · 19/01/2008 12:36

Drink hot chocolate with marshamllows, I have no idea why but the marshmallows sooth it when they melt, every time I have it I get DP to do me a hotchoc and it goes every time.

I get it frickin awful as well, not just a little bit, and they really do work.

flamingtoaster · 19/01/2008 17:23

URGENT - decided to do some research re celery and pregnancy given warning from moocowme re slippery elm.

Don't eat too much when pregnant - the normal amount in a normal balanced diet is fine but apparently too much can bring on early labour. (Most of the warnings relate to celery seed and celery juice but I thought it best to research further on the vegetable and the answer is a normal amount so I am not sure you can eat it every day as they would, probably, be more than what is considered normal).

Also www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/2/530 states that high celery intake "increased the risk of sensitization against food allergens" in the baby.

Sorry folks - I should have checked all this before advising celery, but maybe you can use it part of the time.

lightwind · 19/01/2008 22:12

Hiya

My Obstetrician prescribed ranatadine for me - she said its safe for pregnant women - and it has helped a lot.

I also found that chewing on roasted fennel seeds after meals keeps the acid down quite effectively. (Its a traditional Indian remedy that aids digestion. You can buy the unroasted/raw fennel seeds in Indian grocery shops, just brown them lightly on a dry hot frying pan and store them in a jar. You can add a few grains of sugar if you like. I imagine some of the shops do them pre-roasted as well).

Good luck

mom2latinoboys · 20/01/2008 04:29

Mint tea always worked for me. Also, cut down on your portions. Eat more often, but smaller portions. One of the reasons (Or so I was told by my midwife) we get heartburn is because as the baby grows it kinda shifts everything else and the pressure on the stomach is what helps to cause heartburn, so when it is full it hurts more.

Dairy products help, and I always used it as an excuse to eat ice cream