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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Pooing in labour

113 replies

shalaa · 08/12/2004 16:14

Please tell me i'm not the only one with a fear of pushing really hard and delivering something other than a baby

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merrykittymas · 08/12/2004 21:05

I think an enema would be worse than a little poo.

wordsmith · 08/12/2004 21:08

an enema is worse than any size of poo!

codswallop · 08/12/2004 21:14

I have enemaed and pooed
do i get a medal/

hana · 08/12/2004 21:26

it's not so much a matter of not caring there are just other more important things on your mind, like how the is this baby going to get out?! It freaked me out, but wasn't the most important thing.

Fran1 · 08/12/2004 21:37

I dreaded this.

And did it

Dp described them later as several little nuggets, bless! (him not the nuggets)

But really, u do not care when in labour. I knew i had done it, but thought if i close my eyes and pretend i'm not here it won't matter. I was on the gas and air at the time so had ability to take myself away with fairies.

Nobody mentioned it and midwife discretely cleared it away and that was that.

Us poor women hey?

MarmaladeSun · 08/12/2004 21:39

It's so difficult tp out into words. I worried about it with all 3 of mine, and I did it with all 3. First time I was mortified although the midwives never said a word and were great. The second time was in the birthing pool and YES it does float! LOL...the midwives just scooped it up. Third time was on my living room floor during my home birth. All 3 times I cared very much, but it's not something you can even try to control. If it's gonna happen it's gonna happen. DH tried to tell me I didn't but...er...even though I couldn't see it I could...well...you know what I mean. FWIW I don't think it's losing dignity/control/self respect or whatever. Giving birth is the most awesome, dignified thing a human being can do. Messy, but what an achievement.

mediagirl · 08/12/2004 21:39

I was worried more about doing a number 2 than the giving birth bit but when it happened it really was no big deal.....well not to me anyway maybe to the midwife and my DH.........My DH was really winding me up afterwards and said he was tempted to put an "out of bounds until further notice" on the labour room door!

aloha · 08/12/2004 22:04

I'm not keen on nature & loathe anything primal! I really, honestly don't think I'm cut out for natural birth so will stick with my plan for an elective, I think. I'm not sure I'd ever quite get over the experiences posted here! I take my hat off to you all.

merrykittymas · 09/12/2004 00:27

Lying with your legs in stirrups while 3 midwives and a doctor discuss (and all have a feel) how to stitch up your unusual tear was worse than pooing in labour.

sallyhollyberry · 09/12/2004 01:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jammydodger · 09/12/2004 02:24

I was really worried about this and became quite obsessed with poo during my very long labour - probably thanks to loads of drugs too - but I kept asking DH and the midwife whether I'd pooed or not, and what would happen if I didn't...plus I saw the m/w write in my notes "rectum is loaded", which made me think of a little rectum walking round with a cowboy hat and two loaded pistols a la John Wayne - as I said, the drugs...!!!!!

In the end midwife gave me a suppository (yuk) and it made me do runny pooh (sorry, too much info) for what seemed like ages. Oh yuk yuk yuk.

Anyway, the end result was obviously worth all that embarrassment, but yes I was embarrassed, and feel so sorry for the poor midwife, know she's seen it all before but really, what a sight, and how yukky.

Hmm, just realised this probably isn't very reassuring.....oh well!

kinderbob · 09/12/2004 02:36

I asked not to be told if I had, so I'll never know. It was probably the thing I went in to labour most concerned about, that and being sick which I hate.

Our antenatal teacher stressed that both these things happen to provide maximum room for the baby to come out. Which cheered me up a little.

I personally have a fear of being cut open and also of having things put in my spine (an appendix op and a lumbar puncture put me off these for good). Obviously I would have had both if needed, just like I would have had to have a poo or vomit in labour if needed. The worst thing was thinking I might need to do all 4 before I got my lovely baby!

dancer77 · 09/12/2004 07:57

I was really worried about it beforehand and didn't know what i'd do if I did but being so out of it on pain relief I didn't have a clue what was going on so unless someone told me I would never know! Also after pushing for nearly 2.5 hrs the only thing on my mind was how on earth am I going to get this baby out? I thought he would never come let alone anything else.

bloss · 09/12/2004 08:18

aloha, stick to the c-section honey!! I hated the thought of all this stuff beforehand, but I did end up totally naked, bellowing my head off and not giving a shit who I vomited on... Not me at all - I won't even fart in front of dh. (In fact I still deny that I fart at all. Children are useful for blaming the smell on. Can't remember what I did before them!) Knowing you even as little as I do, I think you should stick to the c/s (not that you need my advice on it anyway). I'm not humiliated by the memory, but it was a horrific birth and the fact that I got to that stage does - as you suspect - demonstrate just how awful it was. Honestly, in the pain I was in, I would gladly have got on all fours in the lobby if it would have helped... Sadly, nothing did!

Original poster

shalaa · 09/12/2004 09:04

Wow was only expecting to get a few replies!! Thanks for all you supportive stories, I guess what happens happens and there's not alot I can do about it! Will be mortified if it happens but hey what can you do??

OP posts:

MarmaladeSun · 09/12/2004 13:18

LMAo Merrykittymas. I had the unusual tear examination too. Without giving away too much information...well...oh to hell with it I'll give you all the information, I tore in 3 places with DS and one of the tears was dangerously close to my clitoris!!! Midwife wouldn't tackle it (excuse the pun) and got the specialist midwife in as she said one badly placed stitch and my sex life would be ruined forever!

aloha · 09/12/2004 13:20

Bloss, you have just made me laugh! Sorry it was so horrid, but at least you know your experience has amusement value! It must be the way you tell 'em.

joashiningstar · 09/12/2004 13:42

I just know that I did when having DS - to be quite honest, when you're in that position you realy don't give sh*t.

morningpaper · 09/12/2004 13:57

I pushed out more poo than baby. It was SMELLY. I remember saying to the midwife, "Can you open that window because it smells like a bloody farmyeard in here!" and DH said "I can't smell anything" and she sid "That's because I've just put that large fan behind you."

!!!!!!!

All true.

P.S. I really didn't give a toss.

skiingawhitexmas · 09/12/2004 14:00

pmsl @ sallyhollyberry!!

Shalaa - fwiw I was also horrified at the thought of pooing in labour but like lots of others... it happened - it wasn't commented on by anyone ('my thats a fine looking brown turd you've just delivered') was just matter of factly and discreetly wiped away by mw. Was vaguely embarassed at the time, am pink now thinking about it but at the end of the day realise there was absolutely nowt I could have done to stop my ds head squeezing my bowel clean as it continued its journey downwards!

It really wasn't such a big deal. Tbh I found it more degrading to have a mw stick her finger up my bum to assess the extent of my tearing. Now that was definitely one of my least favourite experiences of the whole event.

Original poster

shalaa · 09/12/2004 16:01

oh my god don't get my started on tearing!! I'm going to start doing that perineal massage, please god don't let this baby rip me a new one!! I've just got visions of DH shouting I can see the head, then screaming as I push out a big poo.

OP posts:

mrschristmaswallace · 09/12/2004 16:06

was worried about pooing too! instead i pushed out 10 gallon of wee instead! however i couldnt have give a s**t(pardon the pun!) at that moment in time and you really wont either!

skiingawhitexmas · 09/12/2004 16:08

Nah - you'll have pooed before the head appears!!

Def try the perineal massage - anythings worth a try!

bundleofyulelogs · 09/12/2004 16:09

wanted to do a poo during my 1st labour, but it wouldn't come and I had the morphine pessary too, but tbh wasn't really that bothered by that stage about my bottom, just about them putting all my guts back in place once dd1 was out

Socci · 09/12/2004 16:13

I was worried about this too and asked the midwife about it who said "Well once the baby's head comes down it will stop anything coming out of the rectum" - do you think she was telling a white lie?? In the end I don't think it happened but I agree with others who say it's ususally the last thing on your mind anyway.

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