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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

How do nhs staff deal with this

115 replies

StressedButBlessedx · 25/08/2021 10:12

Hi, just a curious question to ladies in the uk. I'm pregnant with my second child and I was wondering how the midwives deal with pooping during labour? My labour with DD was so traumatic that I have no idea if I did or didn't. But during a normal labour, do they make a fuss or even mention it if you poo whilst pushing?

This is actually the thing I'm most stressed about lol.

OP posts:

Wilmaa · 25/08/2021 10:13

My friend done it and she didn't know until afterwards, nothing was said at all.
Don't worry they've seen it all

Peacrock · 25/08/2021 10:14

No, it'll be cleared away before you know it's happened! It won't be mentioned (aside from if you explicitly ask I suppose)- it's not a big deal for hcps, just business as usual.

Lj8893 · 25/08/2021 10:15

Midwife here!
I don’t mention it at all, and will discreetly remove it. but if the woman notices and says anything I reassure her it’s part of the normal process and not to be worried.

Occasionally a woman will be quite obviously trying to refrain from opening her bowels and this can hinder the labour as could mean she is holding her baby back as well as the poo! So I might have a discreet conversation about this and reassure her it’s normal.

Tinkerbellfluffyboots79 · 25/08/2021 10:16

I’ve had 4 kids and I if I did have an accident I didn’t know about it, it didn’t even really cross my mind as you’re not thinking about it really.

ArchbishopOfBanterbury · 25/08/2021 10:23

My midwife just swept away the "incontinence pad" and it was as if nothing had ever happened. Don't worry, they are pros.

Jujujuly · 25/08/2021 10:26

I didn’t with my first baby but I did with my second, in the pool. I was actually aware of the midwife removing a piece of poo from halfway out of my arse to get a better view of the baby’s head 🤣. I didn’t care in the moment and when I apologised afterwards she totally brushed it off - they see it every day. Don’t stress about it!

SunShinesBrightly · 25/08/2021 10:32

The main reason I ignored ‘advice’ to eat curry to induce labour... 😅

ripplestitchblank · 25/08/2021 10:46

We just quickly and quietly move it away. Most women don't even know it's happened, and most women do poo, even if it's just a little bit.

I understand what your saying, but why stress about something that's supposed to happen? You're pushing a baby out! You're probably going to open your bowels. We see it every day, it's no biggie.

Original poster

StressedButBlessedx · 25/08/2021 17:08

Thank you everyone!! Nice to hear and very reassuring!! 😊

OP posts:

Applesandpears23 · 25/08/2021 17:13

If it helps you feel less weird about this, labour is really messy. As well as the baby and any poo there is amniotic fluid and the sac and the placenta. So there are a lot of things to clear away. I don’t think a bit of poo makes much difference to the total mess that the bed/floor/birth pool looks like. My birth pool looked like I had slaughtered an animal in there. A tiny floating bit of poo was nothing in comparison.

mummyh2016 · 25/08/2021 17:18

I pooed and despite me saying my midwife denied I had and discreetly cleaned it up

EatSprayGlove · 25/08/2021 17:19

I don't know about my first but I definitely did with second as I felt it and was really upset midwives just reassured and cleared before I saw anything. Absolute pros.

TensmumT · 25/08/2021 17:34

Well, while I don't remember doing business number 2 during the pushing phase, the odour afterwards gave it away.. However, I quite distinctly remember peeing just before baby was crowning. In either cases, there was no mention of it at all. Believe in the moment, it'll really be the last thing on your mind!

Ava50x · 25/08/2021 19:44

Never did with my 3 DC. I suppose it helped that I had bad diarrhea in the 24 hours preceding each labour so there was probably nothing left to poo! I did ask the midwife after each birth if I pooed and she said no... So while it is extremely common, it isn't a given that you will! But either way, it doesn't matter in the least. Midwives see this every day and couldn't care less- so don't worry.

Babdoc · 25/08/2021 19:52

I’m a retired doctor, and when I did my obstetric attachment as a medical student, we were taught to apply pressure with a pad over the anus to prevent any faecal soiling during delivery of the baby. Women were often also given an enema in early labour to empty the bowel in advance.
It sounds like neither practice is still performed, if so many women are apparently defecating on their newborns! Rather glad I had my own two babies over thirty years ago. Without any… accompaniments!

LegoCardSwapper · 25/08/2021 19:56

@Babdoc all I can say is I'm bloody glad you weren't my doctor ffs!

OP, I did with my second (but not my 1st or 3rd). Midwife simply said "I'm just going to wipe you quickly. Don't worry". My husband was slightly more traumatised. I literally couldn't have cared less, the midwives don't care.

Toasty280 · 25/08/2021 19:57

Baby 1-it happened to me I have no recollection of it midwives dealt with it very professionally however hubby saw it and doesn't let me forget!
I later found out it can happen as babies head also presses on back passage and squeezes anything out...

PeigiSu · 25/08/2021 20:05

I only knew from the smell. Midwife said she was just going to quickly change the pad as there was quite a bit of waters. Which there was! DH says he didn’t notice. Not sure if he’s being nice or really was oblivious!

nildesparandum · 25/08/2021 20:06

@Babdoc

Thankyou.I am a retired nurse, also a qualified midwife.I trained over 50 years ago and enemas were given as a routine to all women in labour then. It certainly worked as the only times I remember women pooing during delivery was when there was no time to give an enema
Both of my children were born by cesarian section under GA so I don't know about myself.

emmaluggs · 25/08/2021 20:10

I pooped with my first I knew I’d done it, and despite his head almost out I was very aware I had pooed and peed. The midwife literally whipped out the disposable mat from underneath and replaced, nothing said I wasn’t particularly embarrassed as I knew it could happen, and it’s just one of those things.

Chanel05 · 25/08/2021 20:11

I didn't but I honestly couldn't have cared less at the time and I had students in the room too.

Skade · 25/08/2021 20:13

I remember asking DH after DS1 was born (22 years ago!) whether I'd pooed myself - his answer was "honestly I couldn't tell - there was so much gunk coming out of you I wouldn't be able to say. The midwife was scooping it off the bed into a bucket at the side" it was weirdly reassuring!

Helenahandkart · 25/08/2021 20:22

My sister had a home birth and at one point she was on her hands and knees and did a poo and the midwife cupped her hands, caught it, put it in a rubbish bag along with her gloves, put on some clean gloves and carried on. It was excellent. Shit happens. Don’t worry about it.

CustardGoodJamGoodMeatGood · 25/08/2021 20:27

I shit myself 3 times in labour, the midwife discretely removed it but I knew I had. DP kindly told me I hadn't but I already knew, he told me after that I had and it was fucking awful but knew I'd of been embarrassed if he'd told me during labour

Asiama · 25/08/2021 20:32

I did with DC2, I felt it coming and couldn't stop it. I was so embarrassed and apologised. Midwife cleared it up discreetly and was unfazed.

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