Have any of you??? (Possible TMI) *Long*

I was just wondering if any of you have experienced this.....

Yesterday afternoon while "working very hard" to have a BM I started getting belly cramps. When I wiped (sorry) I noticed orangish-red blood. Being that I have been suffering from constipation since my RNY and worse since my BFP I usually find myself straining to have any kind of movement and thus have noticed the occassional rectal bleeding. This time however, was definitely vaginal.

I called my OB's office right away as I've never had ANY kind of spotting before. In the hour that it took for him to call me back I made several trips back to the bathroom and there was only an extremely light amount of brownish blood. (There is still a little today as well.) I trust my doctor alot so I'm not sure why I dont feel any comfort today. After talking to me he decided that he would hold off on seeing me because of the following:
1) The bleeding was associated with the strain and "corrected itself" very quickly
2) There were NO associated contractions
3) The baby was in the middle of her daily tap-dance routine - thus, no change in her activity

The possible reason:
1) The baby is SUPER, SUPER low and is constantly pressing on my pelvic area and since the blood vessels are closer to the surface at this point any way, they are sometimes prone to small ruptures associated with strain.

He did advise me that if I started to bleed again to go directly to the ER and have them contact him. Otherwise, he will see me for my regular appointment a week from today.

Have any of you experienced anything like this? I was 17 when I had my son and I had absolutely no issues with him. With this pregnancy I am in almost constant discomfort because she is SO LOW. I have down pressure in my girly bits all the time. I'm sure that my worry only adds to the physical stress.

Thank you for letting me ramble..........

~Mary

HI honey,
That has happened to me before. I've read on the Bump that it happens to ladies there a lot too. Not sure why.
If you are really worried, ask if there is a stool softner you can take that is safe.
I love the name you picked out :) Beautiful.

Chelle,

Thank you for letting me know that I'm not alone. I did speak to my doctor about adding a stool softener as well as increasing the amount of fiber I'm consuming. Hopefully the combination will help.

BTW, thank you for the compliment on the baby's name! It took us forever to find something we both liked. Our son is Christopher Michael Nathan so we wanted to stay with the 2 middle names.

~Mary

I thought "anal fissure" until you said there was definitely vaginal blood ...
Stumped! Hope you have no further problems.

I had A LOT of problems with very painful constipation starting at the end of my 2nd trimester when I was pregnant with Lorelai. I ended up in the ER because it was so painful. It can be helped. You can take stool softeners and if it gets really bad, use a Dulcolax suppository. Once I got on a regimen of those 2 things, I was golden for the rest of my pregnancy. I will say that I never had vaginal bleeding from how much I pushed, but I am sure your doc would have you come in if he thought it was a problem. Good luck! I hope you feel better soon!

Tina

I bet it is a fissure. The slightest bit of straining can cause a re-tear and the blood is bright, bright red. I'm sorry to get *really* personal, but when you're having a "movement" does it feel like a gremlin scratching its way out ...? If so, i'd bet yu have some tearing. Like Tina said, hit the water hard and start using a stool softner.

Thank you ladies! Sounds like you all gave me very sound advice! I spoke to my doctor again and he has me starting a stool softener, adding more fiber and increasing my water. Also, increasing my walking......