Are you a first time? Do you have a lot of things in mind about what to take and what not during your pregnancy? Can you take Tums while pregnant? Well then, worry no more! In this article, I’m going to explain what does Tums do to your body and how you should intake it.
What Do You Need to Know About Tums
Tums is a type of antacid which is a combination of calcium carbonate and sucrose. This is usually a medication for heartburns. The Tums are available as chewable and regular tablets.
If you are pregnant right now, you might be experiencing discomfort namely heartburn or indigestion. This discomfort is not harmful but it is very uncomfortable. Heartburn or acid indigestion is a burning sensation that can be felt from the breastbone’s bottom to the lower throat. It is mainly caused by physical and hormonal changes in your body. Antacids can provide safe and fast relief to this discomfort.
During your pregnancy, your placenta produces progesterone or a hormone that soothes your smooth uterus. It helps in stretching your uterus too so that the unborn baby will have a bigger space for its growth and development. If progesterone relaxes the muscle, though, it also relaxes your digestive tract. This leads to heartburn.
Tums also produce calcium.
Calcium carbonates are the over-all active counter chewable antacid. They are usually taken to provide calcium supplementation during pregnancy. Calcium is transported to the mother’s placenta. The fetus in the womb is entirely dependent on the mother’s nutrients, including calcium. By the end of the pregnancy, the fetus acquires 28 g of calcium and 16 g of phosphorus for the development of bones.
The recommended daily calcium intake is 1,200 mg plus 250 g that is advised to take during the last trimester.
Aside from providing calcium to a mother’s body, it also provides a remedy for heartburns. If you are pregnant, you are also advised to take iron supplements. One thing you should remember is to take tums at a different time. If you take iron supplements at this hour, you should take the tums after two hours. It’s important to put space to your doses when taking these supplements.
If you still have pregnancy heartburn, one of the solutions is to adjust your diet and lifestyle. If you pay close attention, you will observe that there are a lot of foods (the foods you used to eat) are triggers of heartburn, and it will make you very uncomfortable.
A Guide to Taking Tums When You’re Pregnant
1. Talk to Your Doctor
You may have tried taking Tums for your heartburns before and found it very effective. However, you should keep in mind that Tums is a medication that is not made specifically for pregnant women. Make sure that you talk first with your doctor before taking it; it’s safer if you are given a go signal.
Here are some points that doctors may say to you: tums will provide relief from your heartburns, and there are no side effects for your baby. It can also provide calcium, as what I’ve said earlier. Again, take the tums separately from iron supplements.
2. Understand the Tums’ Dosage
Discuss with someone who’s expert in the field about the safety instructions upon taking the medication. Make sure that you really understand the medication’s dosage. Write it in every detail the things you should remember and the things you are confused about.
Jot down the instructions in the prescriptions to be able to know when to take the medication.
3. Do Not Take it as a Calcium Supplement
As what I’ve discussed earlier, Tums has a fair amount of calcium that your fetus might need. You really need calcium for the fetuses’ bones to develop; however, tums shouldn’t be the supplement for calcium. To add more calcium in your body, don’t just focus on taking Tums. Concentrate on adding foods which are rich in calcium in your daily diet. You can drink plenty of milk and eat foods with dairy products as ingredients.
4. Beware of Terat0genicity in the First Trimester
Yes, you can take tums when you are pregnant. But as much as possible, avoid taking it during your first trimester or the first three months of your pregnancy. Taking Tums during your first trimester might likely lead to a condition called teratogenicity. This is a condition where abnormalities are formed in the unborn baby while in the womb.
5. Avoid Taking Tums If You Have Kidney Problems
If you are currently diagnosed with kidney problems and are pregnant, avoid taking tums. Also, if you are at high risk of getting kidney diseases, you should stay away from Tums too. As what I’ve mentioned, Tums provide a good amount of calcium. But too much calcium might form stones in your kidney and will worsen your situation. If you have a healthy kidney, then you’re good to go.
6. Prepare for Side Effects
Taking Tums might lead to some effects. Some of it is stomach pain, mouth dryness, vomiting, nausea, belching and frequent urination.
A Guide on Reducing Heartburn
The primary reason why you are taking Tums is to relieve yourselves from heartburn pain right? I already gave you a guide on how to take Tums properly, and now I’m introducing you to a guide on how to reduce heartburn. If you are still in doubt whether to take Tums or not, but still wants the heartburn away, then you should read on.
1. Eat Less
If you are pregnant, there’s less room for your tummy to expand. Adjusting your diet and lifestyle and maintaining it throughout the pregnancy will stave off heartburn. Avoid gaining weight than the recommended one because it puts too much pressure in your abdomen. This is what triggers heartburn. You can implement six mini-meals into your eating habit with 1 ½ cup of foods in every mini meal.
2. Avoid Trigger Foods
Identify the foods that can trigger your heartburn. Avoid it, or much better, eliminate it. Heartburn is usually triggered by acidic foods like citrus foods. Fried or greasy foods, spicy foods and chocolate should be eliminated.
3. Sleep Smart
Avoid eating heavy meals three hours before sleeping. Elevate the head’s bed by placing books under the bed’s legs. Sleep on your left side because acids will have to travel tough to reach your esophagus.
4. Focus on Liquid Foods
You should start implementing milkshakes, smoothies, soups, yogurts and puddings in your diet because these foods are a source of protein.
I hope you enjoy this guide I prepared for you so that in the future you would know when and how to take Tums while you are pregnant. Putting up this article is essential for me because I would like to ease your confusion and concerns regarding this medication. Remember all the points I made about Tums’ intake, how it is important and why you shouldn’t take too much. Again, you can take Tums during your pregnancy but on moderation only.
If you like this article please let me know in the comment section below! If you have more questions, don’t forget to write it down too!
I am incessantly thought about this, thanks for posting.