Hemmorrhoids

[hottmama]

HELP!
My butt has been attacked my huge, painful hemorrhoids! I am in so much pain, sitting is awful and standing is not much better. Even lying down is bad. So far I have tried:
-hot baths 2X a day (helps temporarily)
-frozen witch hazel soaked pantyliners (helps a tiny bit but the cold is unbearable so I quit)
-preparation H cooling gel (didn't seem to help)
-knees chest position (helps some, but is hard)
-using a lubed finger to push them down (helps a lot, but is painful and obviously not something I can do when out, and stops working as soon as I get up)

What am I missing? These have got to go!

Also, what can I do during birth to keep them from getting worse, and how long will it take for them to go away after the baby is born?

[lizajane30]

My OB recommended using hydrocortisone cream mixed with prep H, which worked for me when plain prep H didn't. Apply both once an hour or so, if you aren't already. Mine were so painful as to make even wiping with witch hazel pads unbearable, so I also used a small spray bottle of cold witch hazel occasionally. I sat on a Boppy to keep direct pressure off. I use baby wipes after a bowel movement, much easier on the heiny than dry toilet paper. Lastly, I take a stool softener, a generic for Colace, every day to keep things under control. (Adding fiber and liquids to my diet at an insane rate did nothing for me, but the stool softener helps.)
I thought I would be in horrible pain right up to (and including) the birth, but after a day or two of these remedies I began to feel fairly normal most days. Good luck!

[MistyB]

make sure you have super soft stools

keep doing everything you are doing as much as you can think of doing

have counter pressure applied the whole time you are pushing

they should get better a week or two after birth!

Try sitz baths with herbs

comfrey tea bag compresses

don't have a bm without having lube or something on the tissue

Ouch...I was right there with you mama!

[StarCat]

I don't have a prob with hemmorhoids BUT I had to have a few stitches this time around and I thought ahead and bought some of the earthmamaangelbaby bottom balm. It makes such a difference for me. It is so cooling and I don't even feel sore when I put it on but I am really sore if I don't. It says its for hemmorhoids, too.

[nonconformnmom]

I had hemmorhoids during the last few months of my pregnancy and was afraid that they'd be the size of grapefruit after the delivery. I just wanted to reassure you that, my fears at least, were unwarranted. I did have 'roids after the delivery but they were only slightly larger than before and the swelling went down fairly quickly.

A donut pillow is a postpartum woman's best friend.

There is an old home remedy that I got desperate and tried and it worked for me. Grate a bit of raw potato and roll it into a piece of paper towel, cheesecloth, or other absorbent material. You want it to be 'juicy'. Use old panties with this because the potato juice does stain. Put the poultice between your cheeks where the pain is and wear it there for an hour or so. This dramatically reduced the swelling of mine; however, I've tried it other times since and it didn't work. So it seems to only work for some 'roids and for some people. It's cheap and easy, though, so I'd say it's definitely worth a try.

Good luck and I hope your delivery and recovery go well.