Pregnancy is not pretty is it?
Here I am about to be 22 weeks pregnant
And my least favourite pregnancy side effect has arrived
Piles
There is no way to put it other than plainly
I have them
They are not awful or painful
But they are there
And I need to take action to ease the symptoms
And to try and ensure that they do not get any worse
I realise that this is not a particularly nice topic to read about
But it is a reality of growing a baby
Any baby not specifically a rainbow
So what is a mummy to be to do?
Piles, haemorrhoids are swollen veins
They are common in pregnancy because of all the extra blood pumping around the body
Together with progesterone causing muscles to relax
They can be made worse by constipation so you should avoid this as best you can
I have been told to avoid getting constipated because of my funneling cervix
So I have two very good reasons now
I need to keep well hydrated
Eat a high fibre diet including lots of fruits and vegetables
And do some gentle exercise every day
All this without standing too long
And taking enough iron not to become more anaemic than I already am
I am really quite worried about it all
Pregnancy is not pretty
Nor does it seem it is going to be very straightforward for me
You can read more about haemorrhoids in pregnancy here
I am counting down the days now until my next scan
It is on Friday
To measure my cervix again
Hopefully everything will be the same
The worst case is that the cervix has shortened
And / or the funneling has gotten worse
I am assuming that then I would be monitored again in another two weeks
Hopefully everything will be the same
I am feeling the baby move much more now
She still feels very low down to me
I am wondering if this is because my muscles are just not strong enough to hold her up?
So here we are
Growing a rainbow
Feeling more and more pregnant by the day
There are chinks of light in the dark days now
But they are often clouded over with these worries
These fears
That my body is going to let this beautiful baby down
I am trying really hard to relax
But taking it easy is just not easy
When you are growing a rainbow and have three year old twins
And as well as taking it easy
And growing this baby
I also want to be making the most of this precious time with Esther and William
It will all become so busy once the new baby is here
It is funny to think that I will have three children here again
It will be so different from when Tilda was with us
I had three children under two when Tilda was born
This time two of them will be four
Four!
Such a great big space in our life
Our hearts
Our family
The space where Tilda should be
It is not easy to take it easy
Natures Choice Bilberry supplements were the only thing that got rid of my piles from my first pregnancy; they persisted for 9 months afterwards until I discovered those! Hopefully, you manage to keep them under control. Our forget me nots from last year’s walk have started blooming by my front door, so I always think of you all and Matilda when I leave the house or come home again.
Thinking of you Jennie and hoping you find some time to rest and relax. I know it’s not easy to do, but please do take care of yourself. Lots and lots of love xxxxx
I can’t offer advice on the piles I’m afraid (I know I’m lucky!) but I can tell you that you’re looking amazing and you ARE amazing. You are not going to let anyone down at all!
x
You are looking gorgeous.
Worries are normal for all pregnant mums.
If you are taking iron supplements then you will be more prone to constipation, so drink lots. I loved fruit teas with just a tiny spoon of sugar to bring out the fruit flavour more. Chamomile tea is also lovely to sip. All these teas Esther and William can enjoy with you. You can have a little tea party.
Take care lovey Lady! xxxo
Oh that doesn’t sound too comfortable! Can’t offer any advice on this topic I’m afraid, I just hope it eases for you. Wishing you all the best for Friday xx
Hi Jennie,
I’m a mum of twins too (a boy and a girl who will be 4 in October, born at 35 wks). When I was pregnant with them I had the irrational feeling that they would fall out of me. The nexcare maternity support band really helped – http://www.3mdirect.co.uk/maternity-relief.html?gclid=COjR2-OOv70CFViVvQodWj8ACw
It’s not pretty but goes under your clothes and really feels like it gives your muscles a helping hand. It might just be psychological but then that’s ok too :o)
Wishing a very safe journey for your Rainbow baby xx
Oh you poor thing – piles in pregnancy are the worst! Fresh orange juice – drink lots of it!! I have a 4 year age gap between Archie and Isobel. We hoped for a small age gap but mother nature had other plans… I’ve found its actually a lovely gap. By the time Isobel came along Archie was old enough and independent enough to understand that here was a new baby whom Mummy needed to look after. We didn’t have jealousy issues and he was old enough to ‘help’ take care of his sister. I also thought it would be too big an age gap for them to enjoying playing together – but I was absolutely wrong there – they are great friends. This rainbow baby will be a ray of sunshine in all your lives. Will be thinking of you on Friday and hope this next scan goes well. xxx