Andrex Advert: Pooing in Labour!

[Roaminginthegloaming]

I’ve been watching a couple of programmes on ITV X this week and there is currently an advert from Andrex toilet rolls.

The advert is quite a long one; it’s all about various women all about to give birth and raising awareness that many women do a poo whilst in labour, whether in a birthing pool or on a hospital bed. (I can’t remember if they showed a home birth?). There was a guy with a fishing net to catch the floaters in a pool….

It showed a room full of heavily pregnant women in a childbirth class bouncing on yoga balls chanting “PUSH - POO”!

It also showed various women with their newborns saying things like “my partner wiped me when I did a poo” and another mum saying something along the lines of “well you might as well get used to the mess”.

There were a few shots of people waving an (Andrex) toilet roll around.

It all seemed pretty weird to me. I’m aware that over the years period adverts have become more graphic, but doing a poo whilst in labour isn’t something I’ve ever discussed with anyone before - not even my mum, my sisters or my friends (and they’ve never raised the subject either!). Maybe I’m getting too old…..

Thoughts?

It doesn't seem like a great way to promote Andrex, surely if you poo during labour the midwives just clean you up with whatever's available, not like you would be able to request a specific brand. I doubt many NHS hospitals have the budget for Andrex either, it always seems to be the cheap thin toilet roll they have.

That’s sort of irrelevant - it’s not about wanting people to request Andrew when they’re in the middle of labour, it’s about a message that will stay in your mind next time you’re shopping for toilet paper in the hopes you will recall their brand and choose them

Andrex! Not Andrew, whoever he is 😂

Probably better to know that it’s a possibility before going into labour. I wasn’t aware and it was embarrassing when it happened. I had a very nice consultant obstetrician attending to me and I’d never met him before.

My obstetrician was Thomas, no idea who Andrew is.

raising awareness that many women do a poo whilst in labour

What a relief to hear that Andrex are on the case.

The fact that you’ve never had any kind of conversation with anyone, including your own mother, about that element of labour is actually a good argument for ads like that to exist. It shouldn’t be something women are ashamed of or terrified to talk about.

I don’t have any kids, and until my friend became a midwife I wasn’t really aware that women sometimes shit themselves mid-push. When I said to my friend ‘God, I didn’t know that’ she said that quite a lot of women don’t have a clue that it’s even a thing and some are really distressed during their labour when it actually happens because they don’t realise it’s normal. So it seems like a thing it’s good to normalise.

That isn’t really how adverts work.

I saw that advert and thought it went on for far too long. It also suggests even if you think you didn't poo in labour, you did. I'm not sure that's true. Finally buying the toilet roll must firmly be women's work.

I really do think there is too much publicity around women’s less welcome bodily functions these days. We’ve gone from advertising tampons as things that allow you to go horse riding and swimming (say what now?) to graphic portrayals of older women needing “pee pants” to go to a gig or yoga, to “whoosh moments” as younger women flood their period pads, to endless, endless discussions of the menopause and all the hot flushes and brain fog etc. And now this? We all know we might poo in labour. Do we really need to give people (men) any more ammunition to help them think “yuck” when they think about women?
Caveat: I’m in my sixties, so maybe I am just old fashioned.

Perverts with weird fetishes work in advertising. It's just in plain sight now. Women don't need to be shamed during an ad break. I turn off dodgy ads, don't need their sick thoughts in my head.

Did the midwife not tell you?
I don’t think anyone was waiting for Andrex to put the message out, tbh.
It’s a very peculiar ad.

If a product sticks in my mind due to a really shite advert, I avoid it.
There’s such a thing as negative publicity too.

@FigurativelyDying I couldn't agree more, and only an imbecile thinks this creates a better more empathic world for women, it does the opposite.

I also notice these degrading adverts with sweaty vulvas, shitting in pregnancy and being a gross menopausal foggy brained moron are not the diverse and wonderful vision of the UK we see in other ads are they?

@FigurativelyDying - well, I’m in my 40s and feel the same. There does seem to be a big gleeful focus on women’s bodily functions right now. I’m not ashamed of having them and I’m quite happy to talk to doctors and close family/friends about particular issues. But ‘raising awareness’ via advertising or in the workplace can sod off.

I saw the advert too and I have to say I really didn’t like it. I do understand they’re trying to break that stigma of shame around pooing during labour, but really (in my opinion) it’s just an easy cause for them to look good while selling us toilet paper. I think women are really underserved in maternity care, I appreciate doctors and nurses do their best, but the whole system is so underfunded and care that only applies to women is an easy target for cuts. It’s a huge crisis and women are being failed every day, women and babies have died unnecessarily as a result. So maybe Andrex could set their sights higher than whether or not women are worried about pooing in front of medical professionals while creating a human life…but I guess that’s hard to relate to toilet paper.

I don’t know if they’re giving proceeds to a charity to help new mums or poorly babies? That would at least be nice, and some what make up for trivialising something that is very serious. It’s got us all talking about it I suppose!

Nice for all the pregnant women out there, to know everyone’s being reminded by Andrex that they may poo during Labour…!

Add to the long list of indignities…!

That explains a lot

I'm really sick of adverts that claim to be explaining stuff while just generally making things worse

These things should be explained by your doctor

Is it because parents don't teach their kids basic bodily information now? I really hate it. It's horrible.

And it does all seem to be about women I think men would be up in arms if there were adverts talking about their bodily functions

If it was a genuine campaign to raise awareness I would expect it to come from a group known in that field eg midwives or NCBT.

My grandma once said gracefully to me, you put your dignity down at the delivery room door - but you can pick it up again as you leave. Well, we bloody can’t now can we! Thankful she won’t ever see this ad.

It’s the kind of ad I’d be clicking ‘hide’ and ’see less’ of for sure

Bring back the puppy

I think it sends the message that poo is a nasty woman’s secret that needs discussion.
When toilet roll ads are less coy about the fact everyone poo’s once a day, then make a fuss about a shit in labour.
Frankly the stitches and internal scraping put you off ever pooing again. That last poo in labour is the most comfortable you’ll feel in days.

Surely we’re all in the poo with Labour. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This is not a positive association for me, good grief.