Heartburn

So who out there struggles with heartburn? I know I do. That has been the one thing that is consistent with all of my pregnancies. Heartburn occurs when you have an excess amount of acid in your stomach and it leaps up into your esophagus. It burns!

Because I've been through this a few times, I usually have Zantac or off brand equivalent available in the house and take it once a day. If it's a really bad day I will take it twice. You can take 75 mg or 150 mg. I always start with the lower dose if I have it, because you can always take more but cannot take it back once ingested.

I also have Tums or off brand equivalent handy for those moments I need something now!

Other things that can help are milk, ice chips, eating something bland such as crackers, bananas or toast. I'm sure there are also natural remedies that I'm currently not familiar with, but will add to this as I learn more about them. This is my current experience.

What do you do to help with your heartburn?

Drink Water

I don't know why it took 6 pregnancies to get this into my head, but with my current pregnancy I have realized how important drinking water is. With my previous 5 I was not able to "stomach" the water, causing heart burn or nausea. This pregnancy has been far different than the others, and I have made myself drink water. I have found that when I drink the water and push through the nausea it actually goes away and I feel better. During the first trimester this was not so much the case, but I still was able to push through many times and keep myself hydrated. When I stay hydrated I feel better and I can eat better and keep up better. I have found drinking water to really help me this time and in hindsight wish I had pushed myself more with previous pregnancies to drink water in spite of how I felt. We are told everywhere how important drinking water is in general, and I would say it is even more important in pregnancy.

Keep yourself hydrated and drink plenty of water!