To avoid pregnancy heartburn, say bye to drinking water with meals
Around 25 weeks pregnant, the heartburn started with a vengeance. It usually flared up towards the end of the evening — right around when RookieDad Alec got home from work — and lasted until bedtime. Whine whine whine. Squirm. Complain. Wah.
I remember this symptom keenly from before. I once read that having a lot of heartburn meant your baby would be born with hair. When my second son was bald until about 18 months, I threw that theory out the window. This time around, rather than being a martyr waiting for a furry child, I did a lot of reading and research on the topic. I found a lot of websites willing to let me cut out my favorite foods. I also bought a big supply of regular strength Tums so I could pop them as needed.
Then I read the very best advice and tested it out! It was so awesome, I didn’t even want to blog about it for fear of jinxing my success. This amazing tip — Don’t drink during meals — allowed me to go one week with no heartburn and no Tums and still eating pretty much whatever I wanted. Sweet.
Not drinking was completely counter-intuitive to me because it seems like having lots and lots of water would dilute the acid and soothe the burn. Apparently, drinking with meals distends the stomach further and causes the nasty acids to reflux (or whatever it’s called, I’m pregnant, not a doctor!).
After eight days of great success, I got a little cocky. Last night, I drank a big glass of orange juice right before dinner. Misery.
So, I’m back on the wagon drinking lots of water between meals and letting myself getting a little thirsty while eating. Other advice I liked? Get calcium (AKA ice cream) and wear loose-fitting clothes.
Have you found any good solutions for heartburn pregnancy? I’m all ears (and throat).
Thanks for the heartburn tips!!! I am not drinking during my meals but am drinking a lot of water (16 oz) about 30 minutes before and then right after my meals and then getting heartburn…so frustrating! I will try making sure my fluids are longer before I eat and waiting awhile after I eat. I do agree with you on the calcium…I usually do milk and ice cream…ice cream works better, lol. Loose fitting clothes…I didn’t realize this had anything to do with it but can’t wear much else these days anyway so I will try and remember this too! 🙂 Cheers!
Oh I am 34 weeks and 2 days today if that helps anyone…I also started getting heartburn before my 3rd trimester hit…24 or 25 weeks like Heather. 🙂
How long after meals do you wait?
Hi Ladies. It’s been a while! Exciting news is that we launched “SkinnyScoop Guides” just yesterday. Think of a simple, fun way women can share tips, product recommendations and other information around topics. One of my first guides was “Stuff That Happens To Your Body When Pregnant” and it includes (of course) heartburn. Thought it was a fun read for you & your followers. http://www.skinnyscoop.com/list/eden/worst-stuff-that-happens-to-your-body-when-pregnant
That’s REALLY interesting and a good tip!! I remember toward the end… even WATER gave me heart burn. Uhg!!
I heard that drinking during meals dilutes your bile therefore you digest less efficiently, resulting in heartburn.
It’s considered “safe” to take ranitidine (zantac) during pregnancy. I took it from weeks 6-20ish before bed so I wouldn’t wake up barfing bile (cuz when I didn’t take the meds, I would).
I’m taking an occasional zantac here and there, and tums once every other dayish.
Too much tomatoes (sauce or fresh), citrus, and fatty foods (no fried food for me!) have been heartburn triggers, so I’m staying away from those as much as possible (or lessening my intake).
@Renee, about 15-30 minutes on either side of a meal seems to make a huge difference for me. Then, the rest of the day, I’m back to chugging water.
Great tip! I’m 37 weeks and have had heartburn since the very beginning! Wish I’d heard this sooner. Here’s hoping for a few heartburn free weeks!
My midwife recommended taking 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar every morning. I find that the effect lasts for a while and I really only have to do it once a week. I chase it with a tall glass of cold water and it’s not much worse than some REALLY bad wine.
The best thing is it works immediately (like when you have heartburn NOW) and as a preventative, too!
when i was pregnant with my son i had the worst heartburn and it lasted all night so my mother in law told me to start eating peppermint candies and to my surprise it actually helped or chewing peppermint gum
I had minimal heartburn with #1, but terrible and prolonged heartburn with #2. For me, ice cream helped. No idea why, but it was a sweet solution. (My post-pregnancy bum does not thank me for this remedy.) As for the heartburn-hair myth, my midwife told me that she read that there was a scientific basis for it, something to do with increased estrogen levels resulting in more hair and heartburn. My daughter was born with a full head of hair after weeks of heartburb. I do hope you feel better, mama!
I had heartburn pretty much 24/7 once I hit about 4 months with my DD (who was also a total baldy and who at close to 2 years old cannot still wear a barrette in her hair). Absolutely nothing worked for me, so I’m glad you found something that works for you. I went through three industrial sized tubs of tums during my pregnancy. At least I was getting my calcium. I figured it was karmic payback for always telling my acid-refulx suffering husband to take his medicine or quit his whining, lol.
At 38+ weeks, I have been suffering on and off from heartburn for the last few months. I have tried this no drinking w/eating tip for the past three days and am happy to report that it works for me! Thank you so much!!
@Erin, here goes nothing, I’m trying the apple cider vinegar remedy tonight.
I agree with the apple cider vinegar! Actually the thing I did the last time I was pregnant, was eat pickles and it worked great. I guess you have to like pickles, but it worked for me. I could hardly look at the bottle of tums anymore. It’s because of the vinegar in the pickles that calms the acid. It seems counter intuitive, but it made things sooo much better. I’m just now pregnant again and the first thing my husband bought me at the store after our first postivie pregnancy test was a big jar of pickles!
Hi, my naturopath recommended papaya enzymes and they’ve worked pretty well for most of my pregnancy, 3 after each meal. Had to resort to the occasional Zantac over the last few weeks though, to stop the choking in my sleep.
Papaya enzymes seems to work for me. They are these little chewable tablets and they help with digesting. I am only 7 week along, but good gracious the acid reflux is ridiculous! Thanks for the drinking tip, I will try it out tonight!
I did end up drinking a fair number of slurps of vinegar as part of my daily routine. I think it helped.
Drinking a large amount of liquids during a meal will dilute stomach acids. The stomach acid is needed to help trigger the LES to stay closed and for efficient digestion. The LES is the valve at the base of the esophagus that keeps acids in the stomach.
Sipping liquids through the day is a better way to keep hydrated. Avoid liquid 2-3 hrs before bed or laying down so stomach acid is less likely to leaking through the LES.
Omg it is 3:40am and my heartburn hasn’t let up since 9pm. I have not slept, I just writhe around and belch like a pig fed on beans with a few pints of beer (not dissimilar to some college dates). Add that to my stinking cold with my entire face frozen from congestion and my raw throat… yes I am feeling quite sorry for myself right now! I wonder if it is the paracetamol I took that had caffeine in it? I am prone to heartburn but not like this and not all through the night! My cold means I have had to drink tonnes of water too. Arghhhh. Will this end????! I might get see if I can book a nighttime appointment to get my DH snipped right this minute to ensure no more babies after this!
No one has ever told me this and I sat staring at my screen like “whaaaat did she just type?” I am constantly drinking when I eat. I’m really going to test this theory out. The ice cream is starting to catch up to me!
Ashley, I also found this to be VERY counter-intuitive advice. Let me know how it goes.