Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful moments in a woman’s life. You will have to gain more weight through the trimesters, experience morning sickness, hormonal spurts and occasional mood swings but when you finally give birth to your little bundle of joy, the memories of these discomforts are simply wiped away. But there is one discomfort that most pregnant women and new mothers experience from conception to delivery: the so-called pregnancy and postpartum hemorrhoids or ‘piles’. Gradual weight gain, hormonal changes that only occur during pregnancy and the occurrence of varicose veins are just some of the many things that cause piles. There are women who have to endure having this disease in the second or third trimester, and there are those who suffer from it just after they give birth.
Good thing there are certain measures that you can take to prevent and relieve yourself of the pain and discomfort brought by parturition and postpartum hemorrhoids. First of all, it is very important to incorporate fiber-rich foods in your diet. If you don’t eat a lot of dark green leafy vegetables, then you can toss them with a low-fat, low-salt dressing to make a delectable salad, add more fruits, whole grain cereals, and fluids into your meals. Fiber-rich foods provide roughage to facilitate easier passing of stools so you don’t have to strain when moving bowels. Water keeps you hydrated, and it helps to keep your skin elastic and glowing through the course of pregnancy.
If you already have postpartum hemorrhoids, a sitz bath will alleviate the itch and stinging pain caused by piles. They help keep your perineum (the area where the labia and anus is situated) clean. These baths also help to shrink the piles until they disappear for good.
Whether you’re with child or not, you should practice regular emptying of bowels, once per day is enough. You don’t have to wait for that urge to pass stool, set a regular time everyday to move your bowels; say every morning after you had breakfast or before bedtime. When you delay passing of stools even just for another 24 hours, water is reabsorbed from the fecal material in your large intestines back to your system, and that makes you feel bloated and unclean. Also, constipation is another aggravating factor for having hemorrhoids since hard, formed stools irritate the soft lining of the rectal area, so try to practice regular bowel movement from now on.
If it’s not contraindicated, add a cup of green tea per day to your diet plan. If you don’t like the taste of green tea, try a chamomile or fruity variety without sugar or artificial sweeteners. Teas help to cleanse and rid the body of impurities. Another way to relieve the pain caused by piles is to apply hot and cold packs to the perineum alternately for 15-20 minutes, thrice a day until the hemorrhoids heal.
These are just some of the easy ways to prevent the onset and alleviate the complications of piles or hemorrhoids during and after pregnancy. You can try them at home, but be sure to consult your obstetrician first to determine which regimen works best for you. Congratulations on your new baby!
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