The Slow, Cruel Burn of Heartburn, or Gastointestinal Distress
Come to Mama
Although I know that Barney and Friends sing otherwise, I do not actually think that I’m particularly special. However, at 21 weeks pregnant, I really thought I was special in one particular way: no heartburn.
Besides a few flutters and kicks, I have been utterly convinced that I could star on one of those reality shows where the women didn’t know they were pregnant until a baby dropped from their vaginas onto the floor of the bus or during a presentation in a board room at work.
That all changed two days ago, and now I know Barney couldn’t have been more wrong. I’m really, really not special. Because I really, really have heartburn.
I haven’t taken a Tums since I was pregnant last time. That will change in about an hour when I go to the pharmacy. Like an addict longing for a fix, I am dreaming about some serious antacid relief.
I’m thinking to call it heartburn is to undermine what it really is, which I’ve also seen described as gastrointestinal distress. That sounds more in line with what I’m feeling. I know I should double check my diet to ensure that I’m not eating any foods that are causing me additional and unnecessary gastrointestinal distress, but let’s be honest, I’m sure everything I’m eating is the culprit.
I have stayed awake the past few nights and imagined crunching on a few fruity Tums. I was tempted to ask my husband to go out and get them for me — especially since I’ve barely cashed in any pregnancy craving chips — but I kept thinking it would go away. It hasn’t. It won’t. It’s here with me for the next 18 weeks or so. That is, until I walk out the door and go to the store. Heartburn, er, gastrointestinal distress, begone!
At least I know there’s a cure for what ails me physically. As for feeling special, that’s something only a serenade from a big purple dinosaur can do for me.
How bad is your pregnancy-related gastrointestinal distress?
It’s bad! My ultimate cure is a Zantac (ranitidine) followed by a two Tums chaser. The Tums for immediate relief and the Zantac for the long-term. Before I started taking Zantac my pharmacist hubby decided I was overdosing on calcium from too many Tums!
@AlbertaMom — Ugh, I’m trying to avoid a prescription until absolutely necessary (although I couldn’t really tell you why, especially if it’s more long term relief). I just got back from the store and have my Tums. Relief is mine at last (even if it is just short term)!
I never really had heartburn at all until baby number 4. She was bad though. It hurt so bad I couldn’t drink water without being in pain. Oh that was just awful. Tums wouldn’t touch it either. My doctor never put me on a prescription for it, but she did tell me to try Mylanta and Zantac. I never tried the Mylanta, but Zantac helped it slightly. Mostly I just toughed it out. But let me say at least in my case the old wives tale of a lot of heartburn means a lot of hair was true. Baby #4 was born with the most hair of all my kids.
I’m 21 weeks with my 2nd pregnancy, and had Horrible, Nasty heartburn with both starting around week 12. For me, the Tums did not work unless i had one like every 15 minutes.
At first i didn’t want to take “real” meds, either (in normal non-prego life, i rarely pop even tylenol or advil) but my midwife pointed out that the calcium in tums, when consumed in excess, deletes other vitamins and encourages kidney stones- eek!
So, I tried prescription-strength Prilosec and Prevacid (i like the Prevacid better- the other one sometimes made me queasy). Both worked extremely well at Totally Eliminating All Heartburn. Even at a 1/2 dose (15 mg) and even if i skipped a pill every few days.
@Monica — I had heartburn with my first pregnancy, too, and my daughter had lots of hair as well. Maybe there really is something to that old wives tale…
@Jepea — Mine isn’t that bad (knock on wood) . . . what you’re going through sounds rough. I hope you find some relief soon.
There actually is truth to the old wives tale about hair and heartburn correlation. Towards the end of my first trimester is when heartburn started for both pregnancies. Sleeping on a reflux wedge and Zantac 150mg twice a day helps for a while and then it doesn’t anymore. Then I’ve had to switch to prevacid, which works very well until the last few weeks when I have to choke down gaviscon before bed. Just a few more weeks and I can get the ultimate cure: child birth!
papaya enzyme might work! i had the worst and yes, everything was the culprit. so nasty- my own mouth was my worst enemy. the memory gives me chills. good luck.
@Ceridwen — I’ve never heard of papaya enzyme. It sounds delicious!
I would recommend two things for pregnancy heart burn:
1) prune juice mixed with bubble water
2) acupuncture: it is totally safe during pregnancy and works wonders!!