My third pregnancy has been so much tougher than the first two! I'm 21 weeks and have terrible indigestion and gas. I'm also still struggling with so-called morning sickness. Right now I'm taking Dicleegis, which is a relatively new anti-emetic specifically for pregnancy and generic Zofran as needed (I try to take the Zofran only when desperate since it's been linked to heart defects, but thankfully everything looked great at my 20 week ultrasound.) I also take generic Zantac daily for indigestion, but it really doesn't do much. Tums after eating helps a bit. I have found out which foods trigger the indigestion and nausea and try to avoid, but frankly so many foods bother me I can't avoid them all. I eat 5-6 small meals a day and avoid eating and drinking at the same time.
What other remedies worked for you? I'm willing to try just about anything. My next appointment is Wednesday so I can ask for prescriptions if it will help. I'm also looking for any other tricks or tips.
I'm miserable and have only gained about 2 pounds total, though I have thankfully gained back the weight I lost in the first trimester. I'm desperate to feel semi-normal again!
Thanks everyone for all of the tips. I've bought some ginger capsules from Whole Foods and will talk to my doctor about both the Reglan and the Nexium. I've also started gas-x. The indigestion definitely seems to trigger the neasueas.
Ginger water always works for me.
I just mix a good amount of powdered ginger in water with a sweetener and drink it when I feel gross.
Try some crystallized ginger.
My neighbor just swore by almonds - just a few at a time. I thought it was unusual but they're good for you with healthy fats & all so why not? She kept them in a little container in the console of her car with another batch in her purse.
Ask your doctor if it could be your gallbladder. Each pregnancy may have created some gallstones and they are becoming bothersome. Hopefully it's not that but it's good to ask!
Feel better.
When sleeping, prop up your head with a couple pillows so your head is elevated. This helped me get some sleep when I had serious indigestion and acid. Kept things from creeping up. My doctor recommended this for sleep and it really did help.
I bought gin-gins at our local grocery store in the natural food section. They are ginger candies that you suck on. They made SUCH a difference for my morning sickness!
I found that Reglan works better than zofran. Zofran essentially just "covers up" the symptoms by preventing nausea and vomiting, whereas Reglan actually attacks the root of the problem.
During pregnancy, food is digested slower so that your body can absorb as much of the nutrients as possible. This means the food can sit in your stomach for hours. Reglan helps the food to move faster through your stomach (and the rest of the digestive system). Without food in your stomach, you won't have indigestion.
Sit up for a few hours after eating, I know it's hard. I also took Zantac along with prescription Nexium when I was pregnant. I would ask your doctor if you were to get the indigestion under control by possibly switching to an acid medication as opposed to a nausea medication if that would help your nausea. It did for me. Once I got my indigestion under control my nausea basically stopped.
There are many herbs to help with an upset tummy. They are safe to take during pregnancy. I have found cinnamon helps with nausa and diarrhea, it might also help with gas, make some cinnamon surgar and sprinkle in a peice of lightly buttered toast or add to applesauce. Candied ginger, found in the baking aisle with the dried fruit, is also a great help. The great thing about candied ginger is you can hold it in your cheek like a hard candy.
Peppermint tea will also help tummy troubles. Be sure you read the ingredients if you buy ready made tea bags. Pennyroyal, a member of the peppermint family, can bring on a miscarriage. You can also buy peppermint leaves and put it in a teaball and make tea with that.
I have been doing a lot of reading on acid reflux/gerd and in Europe they are using hydrochloric acid pills to help with reflux. It seems that the problem is actually undigested food, not too much acid. I know they are at the Natural Grocers here, but I haven't tried it yet.
When I was pregnant the only thing that helped was taking ginger and cutting it into rectangles and swallowing them like a pill. These helped way more than the zofran or the other meds. Be careful of taking Reglan it can have some nasty effects. If you do decide to look into do your research.
I feel for you! This is the hardest thing about pregnancy; or at least it was for me.
