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Childbirth

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

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:
Shapesorted · 25/08/2021 20:36

My midwife told me they actually get a bit excited when they see poo...it means baby won't be long!

CheeseCrackersAndChutney · 25/08/2021 20:38

I definitely did (in the pool) and the midwife didn’t say a thing ☺️

Planty13 · 25/08/2021 20:39

@Babdoc
Women have been having babies for thousands of years. You’re the odd one out here. A bit of poop is nothing!

CovidCorvid · 25/08/2021 20:40

@Babdoc

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!
We don’t do that anymore, there’s a lot less unnecessary fiddling about.

I just discreetly remove anything on the inco pad. Fresh pad down, repeat as required. It’s not an issue and I genuinely don’t think anything of it so don’t be embarrassed.

GetOffTheTableMabel · 25/08/2021 20:40

@Lj8893

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.

Absolutely this! I was trying not to be inhibited about it but someone told me this was likely and I really believe it caused me to hold back a bit. I kept ordering my DH out of the room because he was the issue for me. I would have been ok with the midwives but I couldn’t handle him seeing me poo. I ended up with an episiotomy and a ventouse extraction. But also with a healthy baby and no poo Smile
Original poster
StressedButBlessedx · 25/08/2021 20:42

Reading everyone's experience ms, opinions, stories etc... is incredibly reassuring! Thanks everyone:) I don't know why this is the only thing that makes me stress about labour x

OP posts:
Peppapigforlife · 25/08/2021 20:43

İ projectile shat out watery poo and wee at the same time for 30 mins non stop after I have birth into a plastic tub on the side of me that my doula grabbed. İt was so bad I couldn't hold my baby. İ had had this pain like another baby was trying to get out and the OB kept saying that's just the pain because you've just given birth, but it was actually 15 hours of poop backed up in my colon from being on the epidural for so long. The midwives had already left the room and when they came back in for something and the epidural had finally worn off for me to sit on the toilet to poop some more, İ saw them say 'oh' at the sight of the paper sheets on the bed and whisk it away. There was a huge yellow stain on the blue mattress about half a metre wide from it and I'm sure they would have had to replace it. I'm pretty sure my daughter's seperation anxiety for the first two years came from that, but i could be wrong. Seeing birthing videos of people pooping a regular poop or a few nuggets looks so clean to me after that experience. 😂

00100001 · 25/08/2021 20:45

@Babdoc

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!
What a helpful comment...Hmm
PeanutButterFalcon · 25/08/2021 20:46

I was on all fours in labour so the midwife just caught it in a bowl and took it away. I was refusing to push as I was worried but she told me everyone poops. If I hadn’t of been worried about it I don’t think I would of noticed otherwise. Now I wish I had pushed hours earlier as I’d been holding on for so long

iamtheoneandonlyyy · 25/08/2021 20:47

Ladies..
A very specific worry OP, I'm sure google can reassure you

Applesandpears23 · 25/08/2021 20:47

@Peppapigforlife

Thanks for sharing. I had something similar happen after my first was born and I have always wondered if I could have stopped it some how. I also had an epidural. I now feel I can cross it off the list of things I feel guilty about.

MyHairNeedsASnip · 25/08/2021 20:47

@Lj8893

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.

Me ✋ I didn't realise that "push into your bottom" was code for "push like you're trying to do a massive shit" so my pushing was ineffective as I was trying to .... oh god knows what I was trying to do 🤣 it all became much easier once I was told.
00100001 · 25/08/2021 20:48

@Babdoc

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!
So you didn't bleed...no fluids of any kind left your system...didn't eject an entire organ?

We're (supposedly) here to support each other and reassure women that this is perfectly normal and fine. What help is your comment? Apart from implying it's embarrassing???

QueenHofScotland · 25/08/2021 20:49

Just asked DH if I did a poo giving birth to dd2 (dd1 was born by c section) and he said “I dunno 🤷‍♂️ “

So I maybe didn’t. He watched it all from that end - the midwife even let him touch dd2’s head while it was still inside. So I assume if there was poo he would have seen it.

It’s the kind of thing I worried about while pregnant too, but once in labour it becomes the least of your worries and you just focus on all the other stuff.

IHateCoronavirus · 25/08/2021 20:49

I did with all five of mine, couldn’t care less at the time as I just wanted the pain to be over. Luckily the babies came quite quickly afterwards, I guess it was the head pushing everything out.
If you poo, know that you are almost there! Good luck

EarringsandLipstick · 25/08/2021 20:51

@iamtheoneandonlyyy

Ladies.. A very specific worry OP, I'm sure google can reassure you
It's a perfectly normal question, that many expectant mothers have.
BuffySummersReportingforSanity · 25/08/2021 20:51

I know I did. Normal and just not a big deal. Midwives very used to it and it indicates baby is close, usually

iamtheoneandonlyyy · 25/08/2021 20:52

Indeed

EarringsandLipstick · 25/08/2021 20:53

if so many women are apparently defecating on their newborns!

That's a daft thing to say Babdoc.

Women are not 'defecating on their newborns'. Surely as a debtor you realise that the poo comes during the pushing stage, but before delivery. By the time baby arrives, any poo will be long gone.

EarringsandLipstick · 25/08/2021 20:54

@iamtheoneandonlyyy

Indeed
What's your problem? Report if you've a concern instead of pointless comments.
iamtheoneandonlyyy · 25/08/2021 20:55

I can comment however I like, Thankyou

BuffySummersReportingforSanity · 25/08/2021 20:55

Yes, thanks for the daftest and least helpful ever comment, Babdoc. Strangely enough, it's really not necessary to give a woman in labour an enema and risk hurting her when you can just, you know, quickly clean it up, job done.

Handsoffstrikesagain · 25/08/2021 20:56

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Muchmorethan · 25/08/2021 20:57

@Babdoc

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!
Luckily times have moved on since your training. Probably still made women shave and stay on the bed too Hmm
Handsoffstrikesagain · 25/08/2021 20:57

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.