Fellow moms love Ashley Tisdale for keeping it real about ‘horrible’ pregnancy reflux
Getting a good night’s sleep during pregnancy is so important… but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. From the restless nights of the first trimester to the tossing and turning of the final months before baby arrives, your body is experiencing all kinds of changes, which means you might find yourself counting sheep more often than you’d prefer.
Ashley Tisdale can relate, and fellow moms everywhere are cheering in solidarity with the High School Musical alum. She’s currently expecting her second child with husband Christopher French, and she recently took to Instagram Stories to detail the “horrible” pregnancy reflux she’s experiencing at night.
“Women at night during pregnancy: has horrible acid reflux, can’t get comfortable enough to sleep well, has a baby inside them jumping around and dancing. Can hardly move their body from left to right. Congestion so they can’t breathe well,” she wrote in the post, which has since expired.
“Men: I have to sleep in the guest room your snoring is keeping me up at night,” she joked.
Fans and fellow moms loved Tisdale’s candid admission, with the 38-year-old sharing some of the hilarious messages she received in response. “WOOOOF IN THE DOGHOUSEEEE,” wrote one person. “I feel seen,” shared another. “Exact conversation I’ve had with my husband,” said another. “My man recorded my snoring to show me how bad it was like yeah okay sorry I grew an organ today and I’m exhausted,” added yet another person.
Tisdale replied to the commenters, writing, “Thank you for making me feel less alone in this. Love you mommas.”
All jokes aside, Tisdale has been open about experiencing acid reflux during pregnancy before. In 2021, shortly after she gave birth to her daughter Jupiter, now 3, she revealed in a blog post that she’d been battling terrible back pain during the fourth trimester, eventually linking it to the OTC med she’d been taking to the “horrible” acid reflux she’d had during pregnancy.
“I think it’s really important to talk about our real experiences and not hide the parts that aren’t so pleasant or cute enough to show on Instagram,” she wrote.
If you’ve experienced acid reflux during pregnancy like Tisdale has, you’re in good company. According to the Cleveland Clinic, as many as 80% of pregnant people experience heartburn, which is that burning feeling in your chest and throat that accompanies indigestion (dyspepsia), aka pain or discomfort in your stomach after eating. Despite its name, heartburn has nothing to do with your heart—it’s actually related to the painful feeling that occurs when stomach acid flows from your stomach up through your food tube (esophagus) in your throat.
Though anyone can experience heartburn, the Cleveland Clinic notes that it’s particularly common during pregnancy, both due to the increased hormone levels and the pressure of the fetus on your stomach.
Eating yogurt or drinking warm milk with some honey mixed in can provide immediate relief, as can chewing gum, which helps neutralize (weaken) the stomach acids, according to the organization. Dietary changes like avoiding fried or spicy foods, citrus fruits or juices, carbonated beverages, and caffeine can also help. Minor tweaks like eating small meals more frequently, chewing slowly, and sitting up straight as you eat, can all help prevent heartburn from coming on in the first place. OTC meds can help, too, but checking in with your doctor is a must, especially during the first trimester.
Here’s hoping that Tisdale is able to find relief soon, so she can get the sleep she needs and deserves.
