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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

does everyone poo during natural childbirth?

103 replies

pcnot · 16/02/2011 00:01

well did you????

OP posts:

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ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 16/02/2011 08:35

No, I had 'loose stools' in early labour both times. I hope to God it happens like that again this time. But if I poo I poo, what can you do???

Lulumaam · 16/02/2011 08:40

I didn't , but lots of women do

the MW will whisk it away discreetly. the pressure of the baby's head coming down and the pushing will expel anything in the rectum.

it's perfectly normal if you do.

marriednotdead · 16/02/2011 08:42

I didn't realise it was such a regular occurence until watching things like IBEM tbh.

In answer to the question, not at all, early labour cramps shifted anything that needed to be.

Didn't stop an evil midwife 'offering' to give me an enema with #1 (24) and telling me she'd slap me if I messed the bed when I refused

Yes I did complain, nothing came of it.

notyummy · 16/02/2011 09:14

Was glued to the loo in the early stages so thankfully no appearance by the time I got round to pushing with a few sets of eyes on me!!

ChestnutSoup · 16/02/2011 09:19

No, and I'm another one who managed to break my waters down the toilet (for both DDs) - the midwives were very cross with me.

notnowbernard · 16/02/2011 09:22

yes every time

a huge floater features in the immediate post-birth shot with dc3 (bet the ILs liked that one)

DP tried to fob me off telling me it was the baby's

MaybeTomorrow · 16/02/2011 09:22

Yes! With my only DC. I was also told that MWs learn to discreetly clear it up... I could definitely tell the difference between poo and baby's head at the time though - even with an epidural! So I knew... and was mortified...

Chica31 · 16/02/2011 09:24

DD1 no

DD2 a huge great big smelly one!

I kept telling midwife I wanted to push and needed a poo, she checked me and said, no not yet you are only 8cm. 2 mins later I yelled did a huge poo and DD2's head appeared, much to everyones shock!

Bonsoir · 16/02/2011 09:24

No, but my bowels emptied at 7pm the night I went into labour. That was the first sign - I told everyone that DD was going to be born that night. And she was! Contractions didn't start for another 6 hours though.

ChasingSquirrels · 16/02/2011 09:24

ds1 - no idea, but was told not
ds2 - definitely not

CurlyCasper · 16/02/2011 09:27

No. It stayed in before, during and for a few hours after. And made the delivery even more uncomfortable

sparklingsea · 16/02/2011 09:27

Yes and was mortified to see the sweetcorn from the previous nights dinner!

Dropdeadfred · 16/02/2011 09:28

No...I'm another that spends hours on the toilet in early stages of labour...

crazygracieuk · 16/02/2011 09:30

Once out of 3 births.

FickleFreckle · 16/02/2011 09:32

I was really worried about this before I gave birth. I have absolutely no idea if I did or not now - it was the last thing on my mind when, er, push came to shove.

I actually thought I was doing a big poo when I pushed dd out and what amuses me now is not so much that I mistook dd for a poo as the fact that I was quite happy to crap from a height on the delivery room floor in front of dh and the midwife. I was very politely apologising for not being able to get on the bed (I'm really sorry, I must just do this poo..)

I don't know why I worried so much now - if you're squeamish about bodily fluids you would probably not go into midwifery!

ChocolateMoose · 16/02/2011 09:35

Sort of - I went to the loo as midwife thought I should empty my bladder, a little bit of poo came out, and I wailed "I've done a poooo" and accepted gratefully her wiping my bum since it just wasn't something I could do while having contractions.
at marriednotdead's evil midwife.

megonthemoon · 16/02/2011 09:38

Not sure with DS (was a very long labour so I imagine I'd emptied my bowels long before he appeared). A very definite Yes with DD. I was induced and on hospital food the night before, so a bit bunged up. The midwife who induced me in the morning told me to try to go, but I just couldn't so when I eventually went to delivery the first thing I said to the midwife was 'I should warn you now that I will poo loads so I'd like to apologise for the mess in advance' and she laughed and said 'Well most women do, I'm kind of used to poo'. I'd warned DH too who was a bit and .

I did indeed poo as DD was being born, DH said the midwife was very good at whisking it away before the baby landed on it!

It was a teeny bit embarrassing, but because I'd warned DH and the midwife we all managed to treat it as just one of those things and laugh about it rather than being mortified in any way. And now it's just a story that DH threatens to share with anyone if I bang on for too long about how wonderful DD's birth was :)

HecateQueenOfWitches · 16/02/2011 09:39

Very probably. I didn't notice as I was at the time (both times actually) busy pushing a ten and a half pound person from my body.

It would have had to have been a bloody big poo to compete with that!

GothMummy · 16/02/2011 09:41

Well DS was born on the loo because I thought I needed to go, rather than realising I was actually having a baby (I was at home and had just been told I was being transferred for non progression of labour, LOL).

So I may have done, but I was on the loo anyway so dont know.

kalo12 · 16/02/2011 09:43

no i didn't but i felt like i did. asked my husband and mw who both said no. didn't seem like they were lying
if you do I'm sure its normal, sounds like it is for plenty of people. Don't let it worry you

Guildenstern · 16/02/2011 09:44

Definitely with my first. That was what finally convinced the midwife that her estimate of '5cms dilated, ages to go' should have been 'fully dilated, baby ready to come out'.

There's nothing you can do about it. Baby puts pressure on the bowel and out it comes. It's not voluntary!

katiepotatie · 16/02/2011 09:45

No, but both times had to use the loo a lot before hand.

Binfullofmaggotsonthe45 · 16/02/2011 09:51

I was paranoid about this before the birth and spent a good part of the day in labour shuffling to the toilet in my flip flops.

I did a huge poo during initial labour and can remember trying to wipe my bum with big wadges of toilet roll in between the bloody contractions which was very difficult. I also couldn't reach round my back very effectively as I fell down our stairs on my back a few days before.

So more likely that when I climbed back on the table the midwife had to stare at a load of chewed up bog roll stuck up my behind.

I do remember trying to clench my bum hole in a ladylike way whilst pushing out a 10 lb baby and that effort was overwhelming so I just gave up and pushed very pore and orifice available.

DH would still be ribbing me senseless if I had done a poo so I think I got away with that one. I'm sure with the size of my son there was no room anyway!

The scary thing was the next morning doing a poo and having to push with 14 stitches up my fanjo - terrifying!

TarheelMama · 16/02/2011 10:05

I did. In the midst of all the pain, I distinctly remember the MW getting cotton wool to wipe it away and my husband looking shocked. I didn't care at the time and he's never mentioned it.

SummerRain · 16/02/2011 10:08

Only once out of three births. Thankfully the third so all my dignity was years gone at that stage anyway

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