Epidural, c-section and poo!

[Bellabelloo]

Hello! I'm booked in for a c-section on Thursday. I know that I will have a catheter, but what happens about bowel movements? Obviously there'll be no pushing, but do you feel if you need to go? Or do you just soil yourself? And can you even feel that...?!!

Ha no you won't soil yourself. You're only numb for an hour or two and to be honest the anaesthetic bungs you up a bit anyway. They actually give you laxatives after to help you go.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease!! X

I had the catheter until the next morning when I was allowed to stand up for the first time. I didn't need to poop and I was awake all night! I assume they tell you to press the bell and ask for help if you need it but it didn't even cross my mind. I think my legs were still all numb for hours!
Good luck with it! Hope it all goes well xx

I didn't have a poo for 3 days after my section

A c-section makes your bowels quite sluggish so you're unlikely to need to go for a while. However, some people do go without knowing during the op. It'll be the last thing on your mind though.

I had full use of my legs before I left recovery, catheter out within 3hrs both times and up and about within 4hrs. I was discharged 12hrs after one of them. Feeling comes back quickly in most cases.

The medical profession are notably shady about poos.

After a 36 hour labour as I was being rushed in for a category 1 emergency c-section I leant over to my midwife to ask what would happen if I needed a poo. Her response was "we will deal with it", I remember gripping her arm and asking again "no, tell me what happens"... she changed the subject. Shady as hell.

As it turned out, I didn't poo for 48 hours and when I did I WISHED I'd glugged some Lactulose. Glug lactulose!!

3 changes sections here and I was Scorrier about this too. Particularly as I get nervous urgent poo situations!

As.far as I know I didn't!

If anything the epidural will bring you up! Don't worry about it! Xxx

*bung!

Ha! Sounds good. Well...goodish! Days of constipation doesn't sound much fun! But I'll take that over public pooing....

No point in getting too caught up. I still have 5 days for the baby to arrive naturally in which case there will almost certainly be 'number two' incidents...!!

I think This would have been preferable to the awful constipation I suffered for days afterwards . When it finally happened I was so scared to go incase I popped my scar

It took me 4 days after my c section to be able to go!! I was terrified and sat on the loo for about 30 mins but it was fine, my insides didn't fall out(I did expect them too!) and I never felt constipated but I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I hadn't gone in so long. It was honestly fine, no pain and no laxatives needed

Do everything you can, everything, to increase your chances of pooping afterward. Prunes, flax, fibregel, lots of water, anything you can get. The first poo can be absolutely hell. I thought I was dying. Not to put you off or anything... I wish someone had warned me.

Hi, the spinal anaesthetic they give you actually relaxes your muscles including your bowel which really slows it down so it's very unlikely. This is why people get constipated afterwards. It also makes it really hard to push out gas in the hours/days following the c section (which is really a bizarre feeling) so don't worry :-)

I've had two sections and never pooed myself. In fact I'd be more worried about not pooing for several days due to the morphine and codeine. Good god, that first poo after, it was like a concrete bollard. I held a sanitary towel on my stitches just in case (they were fine though). I healed perfectly both times.

Sorry to be graphic. Stock up on lactose for constipation and peppermint tea for the terrible wind that can give you shoulder pain.

Once the first ones 'out' you'll be grand. Don't worry, just get the things listed in the posts above. I wish I'd known that the first time round. I too was just horrified at the thought of pooing myself and didn't realise the opposite would happen.

Good luck, I loved my elective section. It was such a calm and easy experience

I had an elcs 18 months ago, at lunchtime. In my case the spinal was very effective and I didn't regain my legs until late at night. I got up the next morning. (just adding this in case you worry, it can affect people differently)

I was given lactulose as a matter of course and the first poo was fine. I just took my time over it!

I didn't get the dreaded trapped wind either.

It was a few days and pooing a hedgehog after my emcs. The second one was planned so I had a massive spicy Mexican take away the night before, and found it much easier to poop the day after the cs.