When I was pregnant I had the worst heartburn ever. It was so uncomfortable and would pretty much come on every time I ate or every time I tried to go to bed. I had that horrible burning feeling that often resulted in me having to sit up most of the night to stop it rising up my chest. Thankfully now I have had my baby the heartburn has completely gone away but I have no idea how people deal with this every day.

According to an article I read, Heartburn is common during pregnancy, affecting 22% of women in the first trimester, 39% in the second and 72% in the third. This is because during pregnancy your body produces the hormone, progesterone, which slows down digestion and causes the muscular valve between the oesophagus and the stomach to relax, increasing the risk of acid reflux.
As a result stomach acid is more likely to leak into the oesophagus and cause a burning pain in your chest and throat. Also, as your baby grows, the pressure on your stomach increases and this can force stomach acid into the oesophagus, again causing gastro-oesophageal reflux.

One of the things that really worked for me was Rennie products. I was given some of the chalk type tablets from my sister in law because she said these really worked for her. They worked well for me too but I never liked really taking them because they weren't that pleasant. I mentioned this to my midwife who prescribed me some of these Rennie soft chews. I was lucky enough to get them free on prescription which was nice as I was pregnant.


These were actually lovely and just like eating sweets. They had a lovely fresh mint taste and were lovely and soft and chewy. I didn't mind eating these at all and it was nice because they didn't seem like medicine. I felt quite safe taking them because they had been prescribed by a health professional and also according to their website, all Rennie products can be used during pregnancy if taken as instructed and if prolonged intake of high dosages is avoided.

I found these really worked for me and you could feel the mint cooling down my throat as I swallowed the chews. If I ate one now and again I could keep the heartburn at bay for quite a while during the day although it did come back at night. According to the Rennie website, "This medicine contains the active ingredient calcium carbonate, which is a type of medicine called an antacid. Calcium carbonate works by binding to excess acid produced by the stomach. This neutralises the acid and decreases the acidity of the stomach contents. Antacids relieve the pain and discomfort of indigestion, heartburn and other symptoms related to excess stomach acid, by reducing the acidity of the stomach contents. They work as soon as they reach the stomach.

Thankgoodness I don't suffer any more but I would definitely take these again if I had cause to.