Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

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

Flip

Original poster

Ok I'm paranoid about this, sorry!

13 replies

Melly19MummyToBe · 04/05/2011 12:38

How common is it to poo during labour? Sorry, I'm just paranoid about that, I want a waterbirth and I reeeeeeally don't want that to happen, even if I don't get a waterbirth. I think I'm more worried about doing that than actual labour!! When me and DP went to tell his brother and SIL, and she stage whispered to me "and don't worry, EVERYBODY poos". I was horrified, I'm such a prude really. I even hate peeing when people are within listening distance. Even my DP! I know, I have issues. But they're my weird issues and I don't need anyone to tell me that :o

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Likesshinythings · 04/05/2011 12:46

Sorry, but there is a fair chance that you will poo during labour. I can almost guarantee, though, that you will not care as you will have other things on your mind!
If you do have a water birth, the midwife will just fish out the poo with a net and will probably be so discreet that you won't even notice.
Best of luck!

applecharlotte · 04/05/2011 12:48

Not everyone poo's - I didn't. But I have to say when I was in labour I couldn't have cared less if I had. DP and I are private about that sort of thing - I would never pee in front of him etc but in the instance of child birth him seeing a person coming out of me was far more shocking then a poo...

I'd try not to worry about it. Good luck :)

Mummy2day · 04/05/2011 12:49

sorry about this but you will most probably poo! you wont notice and you really wont care! its impossible for a baby to come out and not push a poo out if there is one there waiting (iyswim) if you are lucky you will clear out in early labour reducing the chance that you will poo, the staff won't care and your dp wont notice, mine doesn't know if i did or didn't and actually neither do i! good luck with your birth! x

NeverKissPigs · 04/05/2011 12:53

More do than don't. It's likely I'm afraid. But some women don't and some women don't know they have (the midwife will deal with it quickly).

I know when people say 'you won't care' you think but you don't know me, I'm seriously worried about this. I was the same. Utterly terrified that I'd poo and was ashamed in advance. I was annoyed at the 'you won't care' comments because they clearly didn't understand how important it was to me or how worried I was.

You know how this story goes don't you? Of course I was so focused and worried about just birthing dd safely that I couldn't have cared less what happened in the delivery room. Normal rules just don't apply. Of course, I'm pg with dc2 and just as worried this time round.

I didn't poo btw. But then I had an emcs as dd got stuck so there was no chance to.

Hassled · 04/05/2011 12:54

50/50 in my case - I poo'd with DCs 2 and 3, not 1 and 4 :o.
Like you I'm a bit of a prude about these things and was worried about it - but it really, really won't matter. The midwives won't say a word - they'll whisk it away before you can blink. DH didn't even realise it had happened at the time - I told him afterwards. And I know it sounds impossible to believe now but you have to trust us - at the time, you will not care. You might wince a bit about it the next day (but then of course you'll have your baby and nothing else matters!), but at the time it won't matter.

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 04/05/2011 12:57

Don't worry the mw will just fish it out with a net, she will have done it hundreds of time and will not bat an eyelid.

When having dd, dp had a quick look at the business end (I was on all fours) and said 'oh my god, is that the head?' the mw said 'wildthing just has quite bad piles and the pushing is extending them a little'

He thought we were just having one ugly baby.

Once you are in labour you would happily poo on anything if you thought it would help, there is no shame in labour.

Original poster

Melly19MummyToBe · 04/05/2011 12:59

Fish it out with a net :o I don't know why that made me laugh so much but it did :o

I'm already embarrassed about it and I still have 5 weeks to go before due day! Aaaargh!

OP posts:

Original poster

Melly19MummyToBe · 04/05/2011 13:05

To be honest it's not the midwives I'm bothered about, it's more the fact that I'll probably end up doing it with DP there. I'll just have to try and make sure I go to the loo before we go to hospital.

OP posts:

Hassled · 04/05/2011 13:10

Keep DP strictly head end. That was my approach. He had the obligatory "look at the baby's head" peep, but otherwise his job was to stay next to my head. And they deal with the poo so fast he need never know - obviously you'll have to eat rose petals the week before :o.

NeverKissPigs · 04/05/2011 13:10

Won't make any difference if you go beforehand or not.

If you have a homebirth, there's a reason they ask you to provide a sieve you know....

They do indeed just fish it out with a net.

Original poster

Melly19MummyToBe · 04/05/2011 13:33

Good suggestion Hassled, my rose bush in the garden is going to flower anytime soon now so I'll have plenty of rose petals handy :o

OP posts:

mannicmummyhavinaiccy · 04/05/2011 13:43

I was so worried about this with dc1, didn't help ex dp told me, laughing how his 1st wife pooped on his dd head during labour! I was so releved when didn't happen with dc 1and2, didn't occour to me might happen with dc3! And, yep, it happened! I was aware was happening. But was mid push. So thought, f'it. Won't see the mw again! I'm getting the bloody baby out! :) and have bumped into this mw 4 times now! You should get used to losing your modisty, once you've had 2 doctors with a masive torch 'down there' nothing will worry you again! :) just focus on a little bit of poo is a small thing to go through, to have your baby, good luck!

Backinthebox · 04/05/2011 14:05

It's not the same as when you need to have a poo. It's simple mechanics - if the baby has to squeeze out of you and there is poo in your bowels, the poo will get in the way. So it gets pushed out so the baby can get out. Nothing to worry about, really.

Flip