Unwell

I’m finally back to the daily grind after getting 3 extra days off (with sick leave mind you) for the Chinese New Year holidays. Pre-CNY I caught the cold bug from David and it was my first time feeling under the weather during the course of the pregnancy. So joyful joyful my CNY holidays started early on Thursday last week (I had also taken Friday off so it was like an added bonus).

Then CNY came and my most dreaded and common pregnancy problem that I have been reading about extensively in books hit me. I think it kinda snowballed from being dehydrated (with the cold bug, and the extremely hot weather), plus this last couple of weeks I had been rather constipated and the result was a very bad case of hemorrhoids. On Tuesday night it got so bad I could barely walk, stand or sit without feeling extreme pain down south.

Honestly, I thought I was heading straight to surgery! Wednesday morning I went to the doctor’s and got some cream, and medication to help with the pain and swelling. That’s how I got 2 extra days of sick leave so I could get some bed rest. Oh yeah, and doctor assured me I didn’t need surgery. Boy, yeah I got a pretty long break for CNY, but it wasn’t like fun or rewarding. Lying on my side, in bed…checking workmail? Not my kinda holiday if you ask me.

It’s been 3 days since I saw the doctor and the swelling has reduced, pain still there but I’ve been able to sleep more comfortably. I’m now dreading that this will happen again come delivery time. All the tips I’ve been getting is to prevent constipation in the first place—but hey, it has never been this bad…so how to prevent when it’s like the very first time I’m hit by it?

So I went on and read more about it and really…how could I have prevented it? It’s like Mother Nature intended for it to happen to 50% of all pregnant women! It’s like you have a 50-50 chance to kena ok!! 4D also you won’t be so lucky I tell you!!

Babycentre states:

“Hemorrhoids are relatively common during pregnancy. Some women get them for the first time while they’re pregnant — and if you’ve had them before pregnancy, you’re quite likely to have them again now. They may also develop during the second stage of labor, while you’re pushing. Either way, they often go away on their own — or with the help of some simple measures mentioned below — soon after you give birth.

Why are they more common during pregnancy?

Pregnancy makes you more prone to hemorrhoids, as well as to varicose veins in the legs and sometimes even in the vulva, for a variety of reasons. Your growing uterus puts pressure on the pelvic veins and the inferior vena cava, a large vein on the right side of the body that receives blood from the lower limbs. This can slow the return of blood from the lower half of your body, which increases the pressure on the veins below your uterus and causes them to become more dilated or swollen.

Constipation, another common problem during pregnancy, can also cause or aggravate hemorrhoids. That’s because straining leads to hemorrhoids, and you tend to strain when having a hard bowel movement.

In addition, an increase in the hormone progesterone during pregnancy causes the walls of your veins to relax, allowing them to swell more easily. Progesterone also contributes to constipation by slowing down your intestinal tract.”

So now I have to try my best to keep constipation at bay, and hopefully the hemorrhoids will go away and that I won’t get them again when it’s time to push baby out.

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Photo courtesy of Hafiz @ WOWPhoto

On another note, we got this lovely photo taken by Hafiz of WOWPhoto. He was my classmate in school and he now runs a professional photography business. He was also a graduate of David’s inaugural Social Media Bootcamp. Big things he has done as he successfully achieved 3,000 fans on Facebook, just by utilizing the tips and tools that he picked up at the workshop! We were at his studio yesterday because David had a short interview with him to see how far they’ve come with their social media marketing efforts. Everything seems to be looking good for Hafiz and team! I wish him and his team a roaring Year of the Tiger with more big business coming their way! Find out more about Hafiz and his team on their Facebook page OR their website!