Chorevia

Day 148 of 280 · 21 weeks + 1 day

Piles

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 5 sources · Plain-text version

Twenty-one weeks and one day. Up to half of pregnant women get hemorrhoids. Today you put together a small kit, and learn when blood means a call.

Size this week
about the size of a carrot
Length this week
around 26.7 cm from head to toe
A woman with a small bump in a loose t-shirt filling a tall glass of water at a kitchen tap, a bowl of pears and a bag of oats on the counter beside her, bright morning light.

Twenty-one weeks and one day. Today's note is about a part of pregnancy nobody puts in the announcement. It's common, it's treatable, and a few cheap things make it much better.

Your baby

One whole orange carrot with the leaves trimmed, on a plain pale wooden board, soft window light.

Around now your baby is around 26.7cm long from head to toe, about the size of a carrot (NHS). They're moving around a lot and establishing waking and sleeping patterns (NHS). In the weeks ahead you may start to notice when the busy times are.

Your body

Piles are on the NHS's list of symptoms for this week (NHS). Up to 50 percent of pregnant women develop hemorrhoids, and they tend to get better after delivery (OWH). Pressure on the anus during pregnancy can make the veins and tissue there swell (MedlinePlus).

They're usually not painful; painless bright red blood when you wipe is a common sign, and a clot inside one can make it very sore (MedlinePlus). Prevention is mostly about not straining: plenty of fluids, a high-fiber diet, and, if your provider agrees, a fiber supplement or stool softener (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The hemorrhoid kit

    Time: 15 minutes

    1. Fill a water bottle and keep it where you sit most. Fluids are the first line of prevention (MedlinePlus).

    2. Put high-fiber food on the shopping list: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans.

    3. Buy witch hazel pads and plain baby wipes to use instead of scented tissue, and wear cotton underwear; all three ease the itch (MedlinePlus).

    4. Plan a sitz bath: 10 to 15 minutes sitting in warm water when it flares (MedlinePlus).

    5. Ask your provider before buying a stool softener or any cream.

    Make it work:

    Don't scratch, however much it itches; MedlinePlus lists that too (MedlinePlus).

Watch for

  • Normal

    a little bright red blood on the paper, without pain (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider

    about rectal bleeding; MedlinePlus lists it as a reason to get in touch (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    itching and soreness that ease with a sitz bath.

    Call your provider

    if home treatment doesn't help (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    piles that don't hurt at all; most don't (MedlinePlus).

    Seek care immediately

    for a lot of rectal bleeding, or bleeding with dizziness or faintness (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    not always being sure which way blood is coming from.

    Call your provider

    for any vaginal bleeding; in months 4 to 9 it can signal a problem with the placenta, and MedlinePlus says to treat it as a potential emergency (MedlinePlus).

For you

Nobody enjoys this page. But piles are on the NHS's ordinary list for this week, alongside backache and heartburn (NHS), and saying the word out loud at your next visit is easier than putting up with it for nineteen more weeks. If it's sore, say so.

They also tend to show up again later: the OWH lists hemorrhoids among the common third-trimester discomforts (OWH). The habits in the kit, water and fiber, are worth keeping going.

If you're the partner: buy the kit without being asked, and don't make a joke of it.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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