Tums While Pregnancy - When a woman is pregnant, she is much more physically and mentally sensitive. The hormone imbalance and the inability to take particular dr*gs, combined with the stress of pregnancy make her much more likely to suffer from particular diseases of nervous origin.
Moreover, the fetus dramatically affects the metabolism and digestion of the woman. If you are pregnant, then one of the most common problems is heartburn. It is not invalidating but can generate complications, side effects, discomfort, and stress.
Surely you want to get rid of this disorder, but at the same time, you are afraid that the medicines can harm your child. Initially, you can endure heartburn, but sooner or later you will be forced to look for a remedy to defeat indigestion.
If you decided to take Tums during your pregnancy, then you entirely must read this post. We will examine Tums and clarify whether the medicine has any contraindication for pregnant women.
What is TUMS?
Tums is a type of antacid made using a particular combination of sucrose (i.e., sugar) and calcium carbonate. Tums is a specific type of antacid that comes from St. Louis, Missouri (United States) and is produced by GlaxoSmithKline.
The product is also available in a sugar-free version and is an OTC (Over the counter) medicine and is easily found in all the American stores. According to the producers, Tums helps provide fast and very efficient relief against heartburn and indigestion.
The origins of Tums date back to 1928 when a pharmacist named Jim Howe was looking for a way to heal his wife from indigestion.
Jim’s effort to find a cure produced Tums. The man worked in the basement of his house and once demonstrated the effectiveness began to sell it.
The medicine became very popular due to its effectiveness and production began to be industrial to sell the product throughout the United States.
Tums tablets are available in a regular and chewable way, and they have a variety of flavors to make them more pleasant.
Is it Safe to Take TUMS During Pregnancy?
Maybe you used Tums before being pregnant to treat indigestion or heartburn and then you are aware of its effectiveness. Now you would like to, use it again, but you’re afraid because you’re pregnant, are not you?
But you must remember that Tums was not designed and built to be a dr*g, suitable for a pregnant woman.
For this reason, you should never take any personal initiative, and you must talk to your doctor and have a doctor’s permission to take Tums if you are pregnant.
There are three things you need to know before considering taking Tums for heartburn if you’re pregnant:
- If you take Tums while you are pregnant, the dr*g will give you immediate relief from heartburn and will make sure your child will remain safe. There are no proven side effects.
- Tums can give you an extra dose of calcium. Every pregnant woman requires a lot more calcium than an un-pregnant woman, around 1000 mg and 1300 mg of elemental calcium every day, even if the value depends on the diet, health, and metabolism of every woman.
- If you take Tums during your pregnancy, make sure you take it separately from the iron supplements and never around the same time. The advice is to wait at least a couple of hours between taking the iron supplement and Tums so that you can absorb the maximum benefits from both medicines and supplements.
Before You Take Tums While You Are Pregnant
Of course, it goes without saying that before taking Tums when you are pregnant you must talk to your doctor and get his approval and the assurance that Tums is not harmful to your health and that of your child.
Here are some things you need to know before taking Tums if you are pregnant.
1. Make sure You Understand the Dosage
You must speak with your doctor and have clear indications of health and to take medicine correctly. Make sure you understand the exact dosage and if you do not want to risk any mistakes ask the doctor to write all the instructions on a piece of paper.
Learn these instructions by heart because they will help you always to take the right dose of Tums. Always follow the instructions and never take any action regarding the dosage of medicines.
Dosage is essential and taking too much, or too little medicine is very harmful to your health.
2. Don’t use Tums as a calcium supplement
Tums has a lot of calcium inside but never make the mistake of using it as a calcium supplement while you’re pregnant. Obviously, the calcium you have to take when you’re pregnant is higher than an un-pregnant woman but using Tums as a supplement is not the best choice regarding health and safety.
When you are pregnant you need about 1300mg of calcium daily, and you do not have to use Tums as a calcium supplement, but eat foods that are naturally rich in calcium, such as milk or all dairy products.
3. Be Aware of Teratogenicity in the first trimester
Try to avoid taking Tums during the first trimester of your pregnancy if possible.
Why?
Because taking Tums in the first trimester can lead to a disease called teratogenicity, a condition where the unborn baby can develop some abnormality while the baby is still in the womb.
4. Don’t take Tumbs if you have kidney issues
If you are pregnant and have kidney problems, then you should avoid taking Tums. Also, if your doctor has classified you as high-risk kidney disease, you should avoid taking Tums forever.
Tums has a significant amount of calcium and can lead to the formation of painful kidney stones especially if you are a woman predisposed to kidney disease.
5. Don’t use Tums if you have Parathyroid Glad Disorder
The parathyroid glands are located behind the thyroid glands. If you have problems with these glands, you have a history of problems, or you are predisposed to having problems then you can run the risk of suffering from a severe imbalance of the calcium levels in your body.
Tums has a lot of calcium and taking this medicine while having problems with the parathyroid gland can irreparably worsen your health and that of your unborn baby.
Are There Any Side Effects of Taking TUMS While I’m Pregnant?
In the past, you may have used Tums to solve your heartburn problems without any side effects. But when you’re pregnant, you have to be a lot more careful about using Tums.
Here are some side effects that the dr*g has on pregnant women:
- Dry mouth
- Severe stomach pains
- Vomiting and nausea
- Belching
- Need to urinate very frequently
Heartburn While Pregnant; What is It?
Heartburn is also known as indigestion. In this pathology, you feel a sensation of fire inside the stomach that also reaches the throat. While you are pregnant, heartburn is caused (as well as by food) even by the hormonal and physical changes in your body.
During pregnancy, the placenta produces a hormone called progesterone, which affects the muscles of your uterus, allowing these muscles to be much more elastic and provide more space for the baby. This process of relaxation and the hormone significantly affect all the muscles of the digestive system and the muscular valve that divides the esophagus from the stomach.
This valve divides the esophagus and the stomach, but in some circumstances (such as pregnancy and hormones) it can not be completely closed, and the gastric acids produced by the body and by the digestion manage to come out and reach the throat, creating the sensation of burning of the stomach.
Natural Remedies to Prevent Heartburn if You are Pregnant
Being able to manage the many physical and hormonal changes of pregnancy is not easy and among this heartburn is very annoying, and in many cases, it is not possible to use Tums to solve the problem.
However, it is always a good idea to try to prevent this disorder, so you do not need to take medicine.
By slightly modifying some habits of our lifestyle you can prevent the manifestation of heartburn and avoid the problem.
Here are some handy tips to minimize the danger of heartburn:
1. Check what triggers heartburn
Take note of what you eat whenever you suffer from heartburn and anything that can increase your symptoms. Sometimes it is enough to eliminate certain foods from the diet to overcome this problem.
Start a diary where you will record everything you eat so you can pinpoint precisely what heartburn has triggered, recording what you eat, portions, cooking method, sauces and side dishes.
Do not forget to record everything you drink during the day, as drinks can also cause heartburn.
Remember that every food is different and something that has never given you problems could generate heartburn or vice versa so in case of indigestion do not immediately eliminate the food from your diet but always consult a doctor before any personal initiative.
2. Avoid some foods
Maybe you will not find food in particular that is directly responsible for heartburn, but some foods have a higher risk potential and eliminating them from your diet or eating them a few times is always a good idea.
Some foods can generate gas inside our body and be digested with a lot of effort. Eating them often, especially if you’re pregnant, can quickly lead to heartburn.
Here is a small list of foods to keep under control:
- Processed meat
- Vinegar
- Tomatoes
- Foods rich in acids like fruit juices
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Products based on mint
- Fried foods
- Very spicy foods
- Diet rich in fat
- Foods with too much seasoning
- Mustard
- Fast food and carbonated drinks.
3. Watch your portions
Always try to check the portions of the food and try to eat less food throughout the day, trying never to arrive at a hungry lunch or dinner.
In fact, if you eat a significant portion of food at once, it can be very annoying for your health, and it will be much harder to digest for your stomach. The result will be gas, flatulence, a sense of heaviness and heartburn.
The old notion that three meals a day were perfect without any snack between the meals is not true; you can divide your daily food into six small meals and eat small snacks when you’re hungry. You must never overdo the portions of food; you will only have health problems.
4. Chew and eat slowly
First, you have to reduce the portions of food and then you have to chew it properly. To chew food a lot and eat slowly will allow food to be smaller and easily digested.
You should not be in a hurry when you eat and try to chew your food at least three or four times, avoiding putting large quantities of food into your mouth. You must learn to eat slower.
5. Avoid having too many fluids during meals
Drinking during a meal is normal, but it can cause problems. You must try not to drink too much liquid during the meal (but you have to drink regularly throughout the day, at least one bottle of water).
Ingesting too much fluid while eating will stretch your stomach and make you more prone to gas and fluttery. While eating, always try to drink water in small sips and never too quickly.
Also, try to avoid drinking and chewing together, first chew and swallow the food and then drink. Try to avoid drinking carbonated drinks during meals because they will swell the stomach, limiting the consumption of alcohol and try to drink water at room temperature, not too cold and not too hot.
6. Maintain a Gap between Meal time and Bedtime
Make sure that there is at least one hour gap between the meal and your bedtime. This distance will help your body to digest better avoiding indigestion and heartburn.
If you go to sleep immediately after the meal the body will not be able to digest correctly, and the likelihood of heartburn will increase.
If you want you can lie down, but you do not have to sleep, if you can stay awake you will allow your body to digest better. Keep in mind that if you lie down you may slow down the process of digestion and therefore it is better to remain standing or sitting.
If you want to speed up the digestion, you can walk after the meal and in this way you can do physical activity and promote metabolism at the same time.
Home Remedies to Deal with Heartburn While You are Pregnant
Instead of using Tums pills or other dr*gs that are potentially harmful to you and your baby, you can use natural remedies to defeat heartburn. Here are the natural remedies that are famous for this disorder.
However, if the trouble continues, you should consult your doctor and ask for a specific cure, do not insist on natural remedies if you notice no improvement.
Here are the main natural remedies for heartburn:
1. Cold milk and honey
If you begin to feel heartburn before going to sleep, then you can drink a glass of cold milk with a spoonful of honey. It is a natural remedy against this burning.
2. Plain yogurt
Instead of eating snacks with chocolate or fried foods as snacks you can eat a jar of white yogurt.
Yogurt is a dairy product that helps a lot of heartburn and promotes digestion. Do not eat yogurt just pulled out of the fridge, eat yogurt only when it is at room temperature.
3. Ice cream
Just like milk and honey, ice cream also helps a lot when you begin to feel the symptoms of heartburn. Do not eat ice-cream flavors like those with chocolate or elaborate flavors, eat milk-flavored ice cream and ice cream with fruit flavors.
Remember to eat ice cream slowly.
4. Fresh basil leaves
Basil is not only a fundamental ingredient in cooking, but it is also an excellent natural remedy for heartburn and indigestion.
Chew some fresh and well-washed basil leaves (it is essential to wash them, do not neglect this operation) can incredibly cure your heartburn and will leave a very fresh taste in your mouth that will counteract the sour taste that produces indigestion.
5. Slippery elm lozenges
Try to have some slippery elm lozenges at home because they are beneficial to fight heartburn by absorbing all the extra acid that your body can produce during digestion.
Also, tablets will help reduce all inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract caused by the digestion problem.
If you can not take the tablets you can buy the same product in the pharmacy in the form of powder and use them with water or honey to improve your digestion. You can boil two cups of water and add two tbsp of powder and then add a tbsp of honey and drink it as if it were a tea.
Adding honey is not necessary, but the presence of honey helps digestion.
6. Ginger tea
Tea and ginger are two of the most used natural remedies for various problems and are extremely useful for treating heartburn and indigestion.
Ginger tea is an adequate remedy to fix digestion and prevent heartburn, and if you can not find the ginger tea, you can scrape the ginger root in hot water to get a drink that guarantees the same beneficial effects.
Alternatively, you can chew ginger root for the same effects. You can drink tea several times a day, for example, a tea in the morning to prepare your stomach for breakfast and then tea in the evening after dinner to allow your stomach to digest properly and speed up the digestion process.
7. Fennel tea
Fennel is another very useful natural remedy for digestive problems. Try drinking fennel tea every day after a meal, and you will immediately notice the difference. This remedy is perfect if you are pregnant and are afraid of the side effects of dr*gs like Tums.
But you have to be very careful not to drink more than one cup of fennel tea a day because overdosing can have adverse effects on you and the baby. If you wish to try this natural remedy, it is essential to ask the doctor’s opinion and carefully follow all the doctor’s indications.
If you can not find fennel tea in the sachet, you can reduce fennel seeds to powder or buy fennel powder in herbalists or on Amazon. You’ll have to put the powder in hot water to have a fennel tea-like drink with the same effects, but you’ll have to be very careful with the amount of dust you’ll put.
Keep in mind not to overdo the doses because overdo can be extremely dangerous for your and for your unborn baby.
8. Apple cider vinegar with honey
Continuing with natural remedies, you can drink a cup of hot water mixed with a tbsp of honey and apple cider vinegar to solve the problems of heartburn.
Even in this case you pay attention to the doses and try to drink only one cup a day because of its side effects.
Conclusion About TUMS While Pregnant
Living with heartburn during pregnancy is extremely stressful and can significantly worsen your quality of life, but you can fight this disorder by slightly and intelligently modifying some aspects of your lifestyle and paying close attention to what you eat and how you eat.
Eating more slowly, avoiding junk food and fried foods, eating vegetables and fruits are changes that will allow your body to digest better.
Also, before taking dr*gs like Tums, it is better to try using natural remedies after talking to your doctor and not making any personal initiative.
How do you manage the problem of heartburn if you are pregnant? If you know other natural remedies feel free to write them in the comments and help women who have this problem.