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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

poo in childbirth

71 replies

Yummymummy24 · 04/01/2006 11:51

This is quite mingin i know but im pregnant with 3rd baby and absolutely shameful about childbirth because of the poo thing. I actually trumped last time i gave birth it was the most embarrassing thing ive ever done. I know most people do but for those who dont poo when giving birth please tell me how so i can avoid the shame!!!

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meggymoo · 04/01/2006 11:53

Message withdrawn

hotmama · 04/01/2006 11:56

I think it is quite normal. Jools Oliver admits she did in her book Minus 9 to 1.

WigWamBam · 04/01/2006 11:58

You can't avoid it, and there are far more important things going on than whether you poo or not! There's no need to be ashamed; the midwives won't bat an eyelid, they see it all the time and it really won't worry them.

4blue1pink · 04/01/2006 11:59

I always get diorrhea (sp) before any sign of labour. Thats how i know we call it ' natures enema' its not nice but at least i relax about the pooing. I always get diarrhoe at my period too!

rubles · 04/01/2006 12:03

I don't think you can avoid it unless you have absolutely nothing at ALL in your bowels, and I am not sure if that is 100% achievable.
The expulsive nature of pushing by its nature would inevitably get rid of anything there. Although some women don't push much at all and maybe they are able to avoid it, so maybe that's how you can do it.

flutterbee · 04/01/2006 12:08

I got really bad diorreah for about 1 week before I went into labour and I didn't pooh one little bit whilst giving birth there was loads and loads of wee though it just wouldn't stop coming. It did however then take me 5 days to have a pooh after giving birth think I was a bit scared to be honest.

SleepyJess · 04/01/2006 12:12

I have had 3 natural deliveries and have not, to my knowledge (and I asked to be told!) pooed when deliverying any of them. And my last 2 required a LOT of lengthy pushing..

A good poo during labour, whilst you are still able to do so with dignity into the loo , obviously reduces the risk of it happening during the delivery.

SJ x

Kelly1978 · 04/01/2006 12:12

I was told byt he midwife at antenatel classes that it is pretty inevitable. She said if you imagine your back passage like a toothpaste tube and the babys head is pushing along it, it is bound to squeeze out something left in there. Totally gross, but if everyone does it they must be pretty used to it!

Mum2OneAndBump · 04/01/2006 12:23

I know what you mean, but it's just so common & they see it all the time, the most important thing is that baby is ok & coming out safely.

I feel the same i never had any problems in my first labour but am thinking the same now, but to be honest i could not give a damn, i done a wee on the bed in my last labour & did not even know i had done it till a midwife pointed it out lol oh the shame

lockets · 04/01/2006 12:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

HappyNewFrannyandZooey · 04/01/2006 12:30

Aw bless yummymummy how did you manage to have 2 children and be so shy about things like farting and pooing? I think most of us give up any pretensions of dignity when we have the first one, let alone the third.

slinkstah · 04/01/2006 13:22

personally i pooed everywhere at both my fullterm births, it was horrible. unfortuatly i had been extremely constipated the whole pg and there was loads of the stuff
next birth if i am that bunged up i will ask for one of those supositorys they give you after cesereans if you still haven't gone for days after. those were quite good and cleaned you out no end.

sweetkitty · 04/01/2006 13:28

DP informed me afterwards that I had did a little poo whilst pushing but he said there was so much other stuff coming out (blood and water) that it was lost and the MW just scooped it up. Personally at that moment I couldn't have cared less.

I think it's unavoidable as you are using those muscles to push your baby out.

Original poster

Yummymummy24 · 04/01/2006 14:14

haha i feel better now my partner said he didnt see it but he smelt it!!!!! I wish he had to poo in front of about 10 people... I expect the midwives are used to it. Im an auxiliary nurse or was b4 kids and worked in theatre so i've sort of seen it all but i still cringe. Being on baby number three i thoght i'd get used to it but the more i have the more embarrassed im getting lol

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Original poster

Yummymummy24 · 04/01/2006 14:16

Happy franny you are soooo funny ru the one with the bed thing goin on?

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jessicaandrebeccasmummy · 04/01/2006 14:20

i didnt poo with Jess - and i know because i saw EVERYTHING!

DH tells me i did with Becky - i honestly cant remember - was in too much pain.

Maybe thats the difference - epidural with Jess - no pain, controlled pushing?! Nothing but gas and air with Becky?!

cupcakes · 04/01/2006 14:23

you might as well get it all out then - at least you might then have a day or so without needing to after the birth when it can be a bit traumatic (ouch!).

RosiePosie · 04/01/2006 14:27

It bothers me too, and I'm pregnant with my third. I know it's probably inevitable, but I just can't get over the embarrassment of it. I did during my second labour - I didn't see, because I was on my knees facing other way, but I smelt it, and even though I was in the throes of giving birth, I did feel ashamed. I asked the two MW's and my DH if I had, and they didn't say yes, but they didn't say no either - so I obviously did! I'm quite glad they just ignored the question actually, and my dh vows to this day that he didn't think I did - but I KNOW I did. I think if I was having a hospital birth ( I'm not, I'm having a home birth ) I'd ask for an enema.

Original poster

Yummymummy24 · 04/01/2006 14:30

how did you see everything???? i asked to see the placenta then when they took it away the nurse brought me tea and toast which she put on the table were it had just been ewww!! i think iwas probly still a bit high from all the drugs cos i have no clue now why i wanted to see it!! i had epidural with 1st child and not with 2nd pooed both times. its soooo theraputic talking about it!!!!!!

OP posts:

starlover · 04/01/2006 14:30

I was so scared of pooing when i had ds. but i didn't!
i didn't think i had, and dp confirmed.. and believe me, he'd have told me if i had! lol

i did go while i was in labour though, so i guess i was pretty empty in there!

Original poster

Yummymummy24 · 04/01/2006 14:32

i am going to try to go before i have to push this time, not due till june so got plenty of time to make a poo plan lol

OP posts:

kate100 · 04/01/2006 14:34

To my knowledge I haven't pooed during either of my deliveries, but when I was having ds1 I could not stop weeing, to such an extent the midwife gave a bag to stand on so we didn't all end up sliding around on the floor. Personally I didn't care and was far to preoccupied, but if you don't want to know ask the midwife not to tell you she'll probablt clean it up before you realise. I have a friend who didn't puch very hard as she was squeezing her bum cheeks together so she didn't poo and she manged to get her baby out.

maretta · 04/01/2006 14:40

I didn't poo first time round.

Second time round my poo makes me laugh. I had a very fast delivery and ran out of time to have a poo in the toilet. (This was very fast delivery - dh had to play midwife,)

I told dh I was starting to push and he said - it's only a poo - in his 'stop being so hysterical woman' voice. Te next moment is what we both remember. He looked down and saw the babies head and realised he was in trouble. I looked up and saw a little poo flying through the air towards the bath where he'd chucked it.

lyra41 · 04/01/2006 14:46

you can ask for an enema early on in labour if this is a worry to you. then you will be sure your bowel is clear and you can relax and know that poo won't be an issue. my friend did this as it was a worry to her too.

LIZS · 04/01/2006 14:49

With ds I naturally cleared out when labour got going but was induced with dd. I had an enema and it still happened .

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