Hemorrhoids

[zmzerbe]

Alright ladies, let's get really personal.

This is TMI So please don't read if you really don't want to know lol.

Spoiler

When I was pregnant with my son in 2013 I really had no idea what the heck a hemorrhoid was and I didn't know it was something that pregnancy could cause. I was constipated quite frequently and when I felt the urge to take a poop, even if it didn't come out early I still pushed to try to relieve myself.

Every once in a while it would hurt afterwards and sometimes there would be bleeding when I wiped. Towards the end of my pregnancy I thought maybe I had some sort of tear in my rectum because it would bleed... still unknowing about hemorrhoids.

During Labor with my son I was pushing hard for 4.5 hours as my son would not come into the birth canal. After labor, I had the dreaded first poo and it hurt more than anything, but I was told it would. About 2-3 weeks postpartum I had constant pain, itching and it was so so so very painful for me to use the bathroom.

I eventually did enough research and figured out what it was, but unfortunately my insurance wouldn't cover anything relating to them. I basically just had to deal with it. Changing my diet did nothing and neither did preparation-H.

I eventually started using wet wipes for my bathroom trips that I also put witch hazel on, make sure I was completely cleaned off. Then I would gently dry the area with dry toilet paper. I would then wrap an ice cube in a piece of paper towel and put witch hazel on that and hold it to the hemorrhoid until it was nice and numb. Then I followed with some Vick's Vapor rub... just a tiny bit because it was no joke, the ONLY thing that would keep the itching and pain at bay.

This worked for a while and ever since then the pain has been gone and I just make sure to use wet wipes to clean myself after. The hemorrhoid is more like a little skin tag looking thing and usually doesn't bother me anymore.

Now I am almost 7 weeks pregnant, I have been experiencing some minor constipation and my hemorrhoid is starting to hurt again! This morning I experience bleeding with it after only going pee. I really need to address this problem now, I want to know if anyone else has experience something like this. I have been at peace with this thing for about 1.5 years now so I never sought to get it removed. Now that it's constantly burning and itching again, I am seriously regretting that decision.

I guess I just need help and advice and for someone to tell me if anything can be done while I'm pregnant. Please share your stories below if you don't mind.

 

[Pamarin]

I am going through the same thing. I have a docs apt next week and was waiting to ask her..in the mean time, Im using warm baby wipes and I sit in warm water.

 

[Quantea]

I don't know much about how to deal with hemorrhoids in pregnancy, but I've been having problems with constipation as well. At some point, it got really bad despite my eating beans, greens and fiber supplements. It would get really painful and difficult, or have me spending several hours over a couple of days in the toilet.

So I approached my OBGYN, ready to ask for medical help to make things easier. His advice was to start by eating 2 kiwi fruits daily, chased down with an entire glass of water. He said we could try drugs too, but in his experience this usually worked best.

So even though I was a bit skeptical, I decided to give it a try. I gave up on the beans and fiber supplements and got a bag of fresh kiwi fruits. And it worked! After about a week I had to cut down and then stop because they almost took me over to diarrhea. Now I mostly eat 1 kiwi every day or every other day.

Now, I'm not trying to sing their praises or claim they can solve everyone's problems. But I though I'd share just in case they might be of any help. Hemorrhoid risk factors in general include constipation and spending a lot of time sitting on your bum, besides pregnancy by itself. So, I thought I'd share my little bit of experience with constipation at least. Good luck!

 

[zmzerbe]

Pamarin - the little routine I listed really did wonders for me when it was terribly inflamed and hurt like crazy. If nothing else you could always try that, every time you need to poop. I hope your doctor gives you good advice about it. I have to wait until the 24th when I have another scan, but maybe the doctor will be able to help me then with some advice.

Quantea - That's excellent advice! I am definitely going to try that. This is a great time of year for kiwi fruit in my area as well. The only thing I don't like about them is that they leave a weird fuzzy feeling on my tongue, not an allergy, just an odd sensation, almost like an aftertaste.

 

[Quantea]

I know, it's kind of a weird sour-numb tingling, isn't it? I noticed it as well but thought it was just me!

 

[happynewmom1]

So after I had my son, I had a terrible one and got desperate and put desitin on it. SO much better. I haven't had one that bad since thankfully. I didn't know witch hazel could help. I have a bunch of that so good to know for later I hope you get some relief and finds something that helps!

 

[zmzerbe]

Oh yes, witch hazel is wonderful!

and I always thought that I had an intolerance to kiwi fruit because of it hahaha but yes, that's the exact feeling!