Embarrassed About Labour

[Disneybump]

So I had a really embarrassing labour and it's keeping me awake 2 nights later thinking about it...

I thought it might help put other people's minds at rest that, whatever you're worried about, it the can't be worse than this. Here goes:

I went into hospital two days early with strong, regular contractions thinking "this is it" only to find I was one centimetre dilated. The contractions had been so strong (but going nowhere) that they kept me in for 2 nights on a ward. I had some lovely painkillers, including codeine, which helped me get some sleep. I was also offered a c section the next day because she was breech, which I said no to because our hospital offers natural breech birth and I really wanted this. So I decided to go home and wait for my waters to break. The next day I lost my plug (still with the contractions) and 2am that night my waters went. Everything was progressing nicely and I was having a bath getting ready to leave for the hospital. The only thing was I really, really needed a poo and had done all that day but the codeine had made me really constipated. Which hurt so bad. My bowels never give me any problems and I don't usually take painkillers so my body didn't know what to do with itself.

By the time we got to the hospital my contractions were killing me and I was still desperate for a poo. The midwife, when finding I was 5 1/2 centimetres dilated, told me it was the pressure of the baby. I explained about the constipation and begged for some laxitives. Having already had contractions I knew I would cope with them so much better if I could just go to the toilet. They had me on gas and air for the pain straight away and agreed to get me a suppository laxative. Which worked really well...

But I was so off my head on gas and air I wasn't allowed to the bathroom so I had to sit on a bedpan in a chair with the midwife and my husband in the room. Because of the laxitives it was really bad but I was just so desperate to go. My poor lovely husband was looking away like I asked but he could hear everything. The midwife had to clean me up and I felt so embarrassed but I did feel loads better, when all of a sudden I projectile vomited all over myself and the bed.

I was having such a horrible time I kept up with the gas and air just trying to get through... then we found out her head was stuck and I had to go straight for an emergency C section. I was so out of it and emotional I cried all through the procedure and just wanted it to all be over.

I know some people poop in labour from pushing but I just think mine was so much more embarrassing because of the way it happened and I feel really ashamed when I think of it! I didn't even get to push...

Our baby girl is perfect and healthy, I know I couldn't ask for more. Please share any stories, there's no judgement here and hopefully this will make any other embarrassed mama's realise it doesn't always happen like the movies! An upsetting birth still results in a beautiful baby so we shouldn't be embarrassed (even if we can't help it sometimes)!

Op, I shat about 50 times trying to push DD out. My DM and DP saw the entire thing but it happens, try not to worry about it. I knew it was happening but I honestly didn't care. I had an epidural so they came along every hour or so and lifted my legs and manually weed me like a cow but I think a side effect of labour is every shred of dignity flies out of the window.

Whenever you recall the poo in horror just have a cuddle of your newborn and remember that is why it happened.

This thread has cheered me up so much. Thank you ladies for sharing. I'm fairly certain I pooped too, but I was so high on the drugs I didn't care.

in a few days when your hormones settle down you will feel much more rationally i promise don't worry they will have seen far worse and your husb will be feeling nothing but gratitude and admiration! i have blocked out most of my labour despite not taking any drugs so it must have been mortifying ^^

congratulations on your little girl!

I agree that will not have fazed the staff at all. My friend went into ketosis and had constant explosive diarrhoea so that it was running down the walls.

You will soon come to terms with the indignity. If you remain traumatised by this you should seek counselling.

Enjoy those lovely newborn cuddles.

I pooed with both my labours in a pool 1st time I thought I hadn't and the next day my other half told me I had and I cried he asked if it was too soon to joke about and I just cried and nodded second time I knew but tbh it didn't bother me as much sh** happens

Literally as the saying goes shit happens, let's be honest everyone poos.

Although it is mortifying and what not they've seen it all, I really wouldn't worry.

I didn't experience my waters bursting first baby, second one I vommited so hard they burst I then wandered out in the corridor full of people in a night dress with those sexy old stockings on and shouted down to the midwives "excuse me either my waters have burst or I've pissed myself" I was rather high on G&A, morphine and pethadine.

They laughed, I howled and then asked for a party hat (sick bowl) and went on my merry way

Labor pain is such a bad. I also faced it. I was in labor pain for almost 7 hours. I couldn't gave birth after so long. They asked me to waited for more time. I was not ready for this. I asked if they could a c-section. They were not willing. But when it couldn't be happened, they decided for c-section. I was always afraid of labor pain. Although in my case it was not sever. I felt it just like little back pain. I didn't know it until midwife told me that it's labor pain. C-section has side effects but if you take care of your health then you can recover all.

Congratulations OP. Love hearing embarrassing labour stories, makes my own seem normal! With my youngest DC my waters had been gone for over a week and I had an infection. The induction wasn't happening quickly enough, I developed sepsis and DC went into distress. So the most gorgeous looking registrar was called in to get ds out of my infected uterus via the sunroof. Someone wrote smelly ++ on my notes, cringe. As if that wasn't bad enough I puked on the operating table. And because I was numb from the boobs down it mostly went in my hair. And it was luminous yellow from all the lucozade I'd drunk.

I'm 35 weeks and I'm absolutely howling with laughter at some of these stories, but blimey, it could happen to me!!

So my dh delivered dc3 in the kitchen because she came very, very quickly. He dealt with the poo. That was pretty embarrassing. To his credit, he's only mentioned it once since..