Are there any foods to stay away from that may cause heartburn?
I am 25 weeks, and I am getting heartburn. Are there any foods to stay away from that may cause heartburn?
Is there anything I can take to help relieve the symptoms of heartburn, like Tums? Are they safe??
Yes, you can take Tums, Rolaids, etc. I would have died without them. I probably ate 8-10 a day seriously. I think that old wives tale about heartburn stems from people eating lots of antacids (which are full of calcium) which gives the baby a head full of hair. So go ahead and eat up.......most of the heartburn is caused by your growing belly pushing the stomach up. It will go away right after delivery.
Though indigestion can have the same cause (usually overindulgence) during pregnancy as when you're not pregnant, there are additional reasons why it may be plauging you now. Early in pregnancy, your body produces large amounts of the hormones progesterone and relaxin, which tend to relax smooth muscle tissue everywhere in the body, including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
As a result, food sometimes moves more slowly through your system, resulting in bloating and indigestion. This may be uncomfortable for you, but it is beneficial for your baby because this alimentary slowdown allows better absorption of nutrients into your bloodstream and subsequently through the placenta and into your baby.
Heartburn results when the ring of muscles that seperates the esophagus from the stomach relaxes, allowing food and harsh digestive juices to back up from the stomach to the esophagus. These stomach acids irritate the sensitive esophagal lining, causing a burning sensation right around where the heart is - thus the term heartburn - though the problem has nothing to do with your heart. During the last two trimesters the problem can be compounded by your blossoming uterus as it presses up on your stomach.
It's nearly impossible to have an indigestion-free nine months, it's just one of those less pleasant facts of pregnancy. There are, however, some pretty effective ways of avoiding heartbrn and indigestion most of the time, and minimising the discomfort when it strikes:
Antacids such as Tums, Rolaids, Gaviscon, Gelusil, Maalox, Mylanta, or Riopan can be used. Riopan contains significantly lower amounts of sodium. Tums has added calcium and tastes the best. Don't take baking soda for heartburn.
Stay away from garlic, onions, spicy, or greasy food right now. Some people get heartburn from broccoli. Any food that you know for sure has given you heartburn in the past, avoid right now. I eat mostly soup in my pregnancy - very healthy - and still helps with the morning sickness that I'm almost over with.