Ok so I know it's part of pregnancy, but I did not get any until AFTER birth with my first. It wasn't a huge deal just a sort of "oh my, what the hell is that" moment in the shower. Would cause a little pain and bleeding sometimes but went away. Well, they're back - at about 32 weeks I noticed . . . bleeding, pain while going #2. Comes and goes and sometimes it gets really bad and uncomfortable to poop, like everything is just falling out (TMI I know) and after I go it just feels like there's still something there that I need to squeeze back in. My insides are falling out... omg. I started dabbing apple cider vinegar with a swab on the area, and it seemed to help for a bit but then it flares up again. Ugh. I'm just worried, if it's uncomfortable to go now, what's going to happen when I'm in labor??? Freaking out a little bit....
Time to start eating a pear a day., and peas. You have enough time to bring it down. Get hemorrhoid wipes, use these to finish after you go, and then put on prep h cream. Also, increase the amount of water you are drinking.
I can safely tell you that by doing all of that, the gift my first gave me, is gone, after two more babies.
Hemorrhoids are dilated blood vessels that push through the anal wall. Because of the pregnancy there is more engorgement of the vessels because of weight and pressure in that area. This is compounded by changes in your bowel elimination whether it be diet related, needing more fiber, constipation or diarrhea, etc.
Sometimes they can protrude out and not go back in, whereby they become "thrombosed". This means the hemorrhoid becomes swollen, painful with blood clots in them. They may itch and burn. In other words "MISERABLE".
Instead of vinegar, you might use TUCKS, which are little soft cloth like wipes of witch hazel. Use them for cleansing after going to the bathroom. Then "tuck" one on the hemorrhoid, fold of buttock and wear. Sitz baths of warm or tepid not hot water can be soothing.
Getting off your feet can ease some of the pressure.
You might find Preparation H helpful or Anusol cream or Nupercainal ointment, to be helpful. There are suppositories of Prep H and Anusol over counter, but if need something stronger, your Dr. could prescribe something.
If hemorrhoids are thrombosed, they may need to be lanced, (not as bad as it sounds). The Dr. can take a scalpel and cut small slit and remove the clot. Trust me, it's INSTANT relief and in a few days heal up and no pain. I have had this done twice and one time had it done in the morning and then went on a trip that day, it was nothing compared to the "before".
Hopefully they will go away after delivery, but the Dr. can perhaps do something with them at time of the delivery.
Good luck and best wishes!
When you are in labor, you should ask a nurse or your midwife to hold a warm washcloth on your rectum, applying light pressure when you push (a midwife will know how to do this). I had HORRIBLE hemorrhoids after my first child, and they eventually got better but not all better. They came back in full force with each pregnancy, and that is how I was able to birth 3 more kids comfortably. Now I have to have them surgically removed, so know that they may not just go away after you give birth. A high fiber diet and lots of water really will help in general, so I also suggest that.
Also, I always have a stool in the bathroom to put my feet up when I have to poop. Squatting is the natural stance for our bodies to do this, and our modern toilets are not good for our bodies as the position they make us sit in makes us push when we shouldn't have to. I was also known to stand on the toilets seat in a squatting position if my constipation was bad.
this problem is extremely common.
you can have hemorrhoids around the rectal area but also other places (like vulvar hemorrhoids).
you're baby and belly are getting larger every day. there is pelvic "congestion" as your veins are getting more and more squashed by baby and uterus. venous return (= blood's ability to leave an area of the body, like the pelvic area) is more difficult as time goes on. as a result blood pools in those areas, veins get engorged and purpley in color (and feel like worms), body parts/ body areas get "puffy" in appearance.
hemorrhoids get worse with pressure / pushing (ie, labor --- hence having hemorrhoids at and around delivery time --- also if you are constipated and having to push to have a bowel movement, that can make hemorrhoids develop and/or get worse)
it will all go away -- eventually.
what you should try to do now: avoid pushing/pressure/bearing down.
to do that: soften your stool.
best ways:
---- water, water, water, water - its a natural laxative (most any fluid will do if you don't like plain water - just avoid dehydrating beverages like coffee and alcohol, which hopefully you avoid anyway)
---- fruit and veggies (like prunes, green leafies, citrus)
---- avoid constipating foods (don't put extra-cheese pizza on your menu when you're already constipated) and supplements (like pre-natals with iron; Iron is a huge constipator)
---- Miralax is a very gentle stool softener that can be used daily and you can get it OTC - over the counter
---- If that all fails, talk to your doc about how to get your bowels moving easier
and remember - hemorrhoids OFTEN go away with time. [sorry - I should not have said WILL go away - sometimes, when very severe, they do require surgical removal as noted by "talkstotrees" --- MY BAD!!!
- but do your best to try to diminish and prevent them to avoid surgery]
Can you use prep H while you're pregnant? I had hemmorrhoids from delivery in May, and it took me until I finally just got the plain old Prep H original cream and used it every time I went to the bathroom for it to heal. My ds is 13 weeks and it's only in the last week or so that I can go poop without it feeling like I'm pooping broken glass. But before that I was trying different things that had worked after I had my daughter, and they weren't working.
Until it heals, see if you can take a stool softener, so that at least your poop will be softer until it heals.
S., have you modified your diet at all? I was having some trouble with regularity when I was pregnant and my midwife suggested the best thing ever: blueberries. She said you can eat up to one cup per day.
Keep your diet as high fiber as you can; if you are eating dried fruit, stew it first or just eat fresh. Dried fruit will pull moisture out of your colon to rehydrate while it's being digested.
There is a great homeopathic cream for hemorrhoids made from peony, I think. My midwife suggested this and I still swear by it. Stings at first and then really helps a lot. I stayed squatting a lot in labor and that helped. Good luck!
I remember way long ago having those and I was urged to eat, yes, am I allowed to say it? Total cereal. Filled with vitamins, fiber and helped the well you know process to move along. And the hemorrhoids seemed to go away. Now if any of those pop up (oh gee is that a pun?) I eat that or some other distinctive cereal and they seem to go away. No promises, but you could perhaps try. Um and vaseline helps as you help them along back to where they need to go.
prep H helps, but if the hemmies are severe, it won't fix 'em. do you use wet wipes? being very gentle with your nether regions is important.
i've found boiron's homeopathic tablets to be surprisingly helpful too.
it's likely, although not a given, that the condition will right itself after you have the baby. alas, for me it was not the case.
but if none of the basics are working, it's time for surgery.
khairete
S.
