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Childbirth

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

Original poster

All those of you who say you didn't poo in labour...

136 replies

SoupDragon · 17/09/2006 11:09

... how do you know??? Did you ask?

I never asked and nobody said so I'm sticking my fingers in my ears, singing lalalalala and assuming that I didn't.

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pupuce · 17/09/2006 11:20

No it's an endearing name in french! A bit like sweety or honey!

CristinaTheAstonishing · 17/09/2006 11:22

I suppose if men were to give birth they'd know for sure if they'd pooed or not. At least going by my DH and DS. Of course us girls are more delicate.

misdee · 17/09/2006 11:24

i dont know if i did, and i dont ant to know.

scotchick · 17/09/2006 11:24

If giving birth for them would be anything like doing a poo, they'd be there for days!

CristinaTheAstonishing · 17/09/2006 11:28

couldn't agree more, Scotchick.

Kelly1978 · 17/09/2006 11:29

I don't know if I did or didn't with ds1. I knew with dd because they kept wiping it for me. Def wouldn't ask!

Kelly1978 · 17/09/2006 11:30

actually I think I got ratty with the midwife for doing it, becos I didn't realise what she was doing!

serenity · 17/09/2006 11:38

I did ask, and no I didn't with any of them. DS1 and DD I went in the evening and then went into labour early hours of the morning. DS2 I needed to go, but he came out so fast I didn't, but as soon as they let me I had to leg it round to the ladies to go

Position wise, I think I would have noticed!(standing and then hands and knees)

Daisymoo · 17/09/2006 11:46

I didn't buy a sieve for my home waterbirth because I was NOT going to poo so I didn't need one

Haven't a clue whether I actually did because the water was so murky afterwards (with blood and amniotic fluid and nothing more, I'm sure). Used it to fertilise the vegetable patch and boy, was it good asparagus that year.

mum2monkeys · 17/09/2006 11:52

I did with my first, I'd had an epidural and wasn't sure what I was feeling, said to DP 'I think I'm doing a pooh' - to my horror he went down to have a look, 'yup, you are' was the response Made him promise never to tell, we laugh about now

Second time with DS, after it was all over DP says 'you didn't pooh this time'

chocybickie · 17/09/2006 12:12

I had a student midwife looking after me. I'm pretty sure it was one of her first births as she tried to pull the afterbith out with a screech from the qualified midwife shouting NOOOOO!
Anyway close to the birth my body just automatically doubled up, I actually ended up sat up and I said to the student midwife "i think i've done a poo".
she said "oh no, women often have that sensation during labour, i really doubt you have".
she looked and then went pale before clearing it up.

before my second birth i was constantly on the toilet and then labour started afterwards so i doubt there was anything left.

YellowFeathers · 17/09/2006 12:15

I didn't with dd but did with ds.
Tbh I couldn't have cared less and still don't. The labour was hell and if it meant me having a crap to get one step closer to pushing him out then so be it!

lockets · 17/09/2006 12:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Seashells · 17/09/2006 12:41

I asked dp with all 3 and didn't with any, I believe him because he would have loved making fun of me if I had!

mears · 17/09/2006 12:44

I have been at loads and loads of births and many many women didn't poo. Often women have diarrhoea just as labour starts so the bowle is empty.

I personally had a small enema so I was sure I wouldn't poo - I worked with these people FGS!!

Dior · 17/09/2006 12:46

Message withdrawn

JosephineSmith · 17/09/2006 12:48

What a fab, hilarious thread

I didn't go into the labour ward until i was 8cm's, had really bad trots and just thought the contraction pains were from my bad tum! So, from the 5 hours i spent on the pan I'm sure i didn't!!
However, i do remember asking the midwife "Oh, did my waters just go??" but no, i had wee'd myself

FrannyandZooey · 17/09/2006 12:50

I said quietly to dp afterwards "I did a big poo in the middle, didn't I?" He just said "Yup." He said there was various fluids and solids coming out all over the place and the midwives were just sort of sweeping it all into a big bucket

Tinker · 17/09/2006 12:55

No-one told me I did 2nd time, but, had had a curry the night before...and the midwife's face at a certain point made my partner wonder (he was at head end).

Definitely didn't first time, no-one told me, lala lala not listening to pupuce.

BettySpaghetti · 17/09/2006 12:57

I asked DP afterwards and he said I didn't -I believe him too as just before both DD and DS I had a "natural clearout".

Mears -did you really worry about your colleagues seeing you poo when they were seeing everything else anyway!?

mears · 17/09/2006 13:02

Yup - there is just something about pooing in public isn't there? As a midwife I don't bat an eyelid but discretely remove anything. When it was me I just didn't want to poo in front of people i knew I was coming back to work with. The other 'bits' didn't matter.

southeastastra · 17/09/2006 13:03

i remember my midwife saying if you pooed that take it away on a silver platter

janenevie · 17/09/2006 13:05

Lovin this thread!!
It was bizarely by BIGGEST fear about childbirth!
Remember vividly feeling like I was going to poo so not pushing quite as hard as I could
Ended up with 2x failed vontouse and successful forcep delivery though, whoops!

Still pretty sure I didn't poo though!!!

LittleSarah · 17/09/2006 13:24

If there is anything in there it is bound to come out isn't it!?

Weirdly it was a big fear for me too, I did a little bit, I was on my knees and one of the midwives had some paper towel over my, ahem, hole and afterwards my mum cleaned it up and made sure I knew about it!

RedTartanLass · 17/09/2006 13:42

This thread reminds me of when I ds1 in the 80?s as an unmarried mother. My MW was aggrieved that I ?allowed? my dp to stay will I was given an internal.

So when I was offered an enema, the MW nastily asked me if I wanted dp to go to the toilet with me as well!!! When I tell people how awful she was, most people don?t believe me, but she was about 60 so must have done her training in the 40s and still held old-fashioned views!!