Best treatments for Hemorrhoids postpartum

Hemorrhoids are among the common complications that happen postpartum. About 40% of women who give birth vaginally suffer from hemorrhoids postpartum, they are painful and uncomfortable. In this article, I will go over this condition's causes, symptoms, and treatments.

dr karen.webp
Karine Chahda
Published on:Jul 2nd 2023 |Updated on:Sep 10th 2024
البواسير بعد الولادة

What are Hemorrhoids?

They are enlarged blood vessels in the rectum, they become inflamed and bulge out, causing pain and discomfort.

Causes

  • Not drinking enough water.
  • Following a low-fiber diet.
  • Chronic constipation.
  • Excessive weight gain.
  • Pressure on the pelvis by the growing pregnant belly.
  • Hormonal changes during pregnancy.
  • Pushing the baby during delivery for a long time.

Prevention during pregnancy

Symptoms

  • Pain in the rectum especially while pooping.
  • Blood in stool.
  • A painful bulge in the anus.

Best treatments for Hemorrhoids postpartum

Pushing them back in

This is what the OBGYN or Midwife does right after delivery, where they manually push the hemorrhoids back inside.

Following a high-fiber diet

Fibers are great for your health, and they also reduce the discomfort caused by hemorrhoids. As they soften stool and prevent constipation.

Laxatives

Doctors usually prescribe laxatives that are safe during breastfeeding for women postpartum to prevent constipation and relief pain and discomfort.

Ointments and suppositories

Medical ointments and suppositories relieve the pain quickly and sometimes immediately, as they help shrink the enlarged blood vessels.

Sitz baths

Alternating between hot and cold sitz baths helps shrink the size of the hemorrhoids significantly. Sitz baths also provide excellent relief after episiotomies.

Surgery

In some severe cases, when all the above methods fail, surgery is done to remove the hemorrhoids.

Breastfeeding

A new mom sits for a long time in the early days after delivery to breastfeed the baby, who needs time to latch properly. This prolonged sitting worsens the pain. Therefore, we recommend that new moms pick a side breastfeeding position, sit on the donut, or wrap a towel in a form of a ring and sit in it, to prevent pressure on the rectum while sitting.

 

Check out Your guide to vaginal infections

 

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dr karen.webp
Karine ChahdaMidwife Nurse

A new mom and Licenced Midwife, she holds a degree from the Lebanese University. Karine worked in the NICU unit at St. George University Hospital in Beirut. Then, she worked as a Midwife in the same hospital for five years. She joined the maternity ward at Danat Al Emarat Hospital in Abu Dhabi in 2021. Karine has a great passion for her role as a Midwife; she believes it is a blessing from God to witness the miracle of life born from another life. She thinks nothing is more beautiful than witnessing this miracle daily through her work. Karine believes that each of us has a specific role in life. She sees her role not as a job but as a vocation where she can assist others, and she is grateful for this blessing.

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