A way TMI pregnancy question

[andthentherewere10]

I'm 30.5 weeks. By the end of the day, my labia are so swollen and painful.  Last night at the restaurant I couldn't even sit there without squirming around.  I swear it is all 3-4x the normal size down there.  I felt like i was filming a hemorrhoids commercial.

Last night I ended up with an ice pack between my legs.  This morning I read about witch hazel to reduce the swelling.

Anyone else have this problem?  What are you doing?  I know I should stay off my feet but it is impossible as a teacher (well, to be fair, I've seen some colleagues do it but I refuse to dole out worksheets and run a jail style classroom.  I'm too interactive for that).

[VillainV]

Yep, I've had it, and it mostly went away. Sometimes I get discomfort at the end of the day.

It could be an actual varicose vein (just like hemmies, but in/on your labia), or it could just be pelvic discomfort. I find that sometimes when the baby presses his head down lower in my pelvis, it makes everything down there feel like it was beaten with a baseball bat. Warm baths help, you can try Tucks/Prep H pads if it's a varicose vein. Heating pads/ice packs help too. You can try sitting on a donut-shaped pillow, and sleeping on your side with a big pillow between your legs.

[ringstrue]

Ugh that sucks. Make sure you are laying down in the evenings. I didn't have that but I had a lot of swelling all over and laying down is really helpful. I know its winter but getting in an indoor pool feels awesome and also helps to lightly compress you to process out some fluid. It will also probably lift the baby off your pelvic floor a bit.

I dunno that you will have a choice eventually with teaching and sitting more. It's not really about our personalities its about doing what our bodies need us to do. GL!