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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

ok feel free to name change but who did a poo during labour

173 replies

starshaker · 14/06/2009 10:29

and if you pooed with your first did you do it with any others. Is there anything you can do to stop it. Im due in Jan (so ages away) and im paranoid about it lol

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

PootleTheFlump · 15/06/2009 17:38

PS - am utterly shocked at the dr and wonder what psychological damage she goes about inflicting on an average day. What a truly horrible and ill informed person. The problem, as is so often the case, is with her x

Thegreenfliesareonme · 15/06/2009 21:17

There is nothing disgusting about giving birth & for a medical 'professional' to say this is unforgivable & ridiculous.

I was given an enema before all 3 births & I thought it was great as I was so constipated, not unpleasant at all - if you're concerned, I'm sure you could have one. I don't know if I pooed when pushing, but I couldn't have cared less tbh. You won't either.

CacklingandBarking · 15/06/2009 21:30

I pooed with DD. It was a water birth and I just did a bit of a nobble (as they say). The midwife just calmly scooped it out with a seive she clearly had ready for the job. Nothing said and no embarrasment.

Don't know if I did with DS, just asked DH and he didn't think so, but he wasn't at the business end.

You've got no choice in the matter and tbh, it's the last thing on your mind when your in full labour.

thisisyesterday · 15/06/2009 21:36

ds1- no poo
ds2- poo
ds3- no poo

LoveBeingAMummy · 16/06/2009 16:04

I didn't, my body had the classi clear out before i left the house for hospital. My friend was very scared of this and DID poo but she agrees now she wasn't even aware she'd done it!

jenhden · 16/06/2009 22:55

i'm due my 4th dd in october and last time had really bad afterpains - do they get worse with each one and what treatment do they give if any?

Milliways · 16/06/2009 22:59

DS pooed on the way out, which caused more problems than if I had!

bumpsoon · 17/06/2009 10:56

Starshaker ,please ,please dont worry about this ,if your friend is a nurse ,she will have seen enough poo to sink a battleship and have developed a nasal immunity to the smell. If she has never been to a birth before ,it might be worth mentioning the possibility to her beforehand .I know i did a little one at the pushing stage ,but the midwife simply folded the blue square under me over it ,nothing said at all. The doctor who said you were disgusting is clearly unfit to work with any living being and should perhaps think of moving on to forensic science instead ,where she can comment all day long without fear of offending anyone other than her colleagues. good luck by the way . if the idea really freaks you out ,you could always ask for a little enema in the early stages of labour ,although this still wouldnt gaurentee you wont do a little poo!

PlumBumMum · 17/06/2009 11:04

I'm sorry but some of you who said you didn't poo, how do you know?
I pooed with 2 of mine not sure about ds, but with number 1 I didn't realise the midwives are so discreet she just gathered it up in the mat you sit on and disposed of it and changed the mat,
she changed the mat all the time because of my waters leaking so I didn't know!
With no3 my dh actually gathered the mat up and the mw praised him for being so good, that was the only way I realised I had pooed, wasn't embarassed because as soon as dd2 was out she pooed over everyone and everything!

CarrieBo · 17/06/2009 14:58

I pood both times. First time it actually saved the day - they didn't believe I needed to push but when I screamed "I need to poo" they checked and saw dd's head. I felt the midwife wipe it away (sorry tmi).
Second time I was in the pool and said "I don't want to poo again" and the midwife said if I did she'd fish it out so she'd send me to make the tea and toast. One of the first things she said after I'd delivered was 'tea and toast is on you then' which was a tad unnecessary as I had had no idea I'd done it and it was all cleared away very discretely.
I've been a friend's birth partner and can vouch for the fact that she did not poo.

helenlcfc · 17/06/2009 15:56

Hiya,

I defintely pooed during labour - I just remember how nice and cold the wetwipe felt when then midwife wiped my bum - I think I was embarrassed for about 3 secs and then remembered how much pain I was in and forgot about it! My husband swears blind that I didn't poo so he didn't even notice it was so quick!!

I have been in on two other births and both times the lady pooed - each time the midwife just cleared it up in a couple of seconds, the birth partner didn't notice and I didn't bat an eyelid - there are far more exciting things going on!!

I was hugely paranoid about the same thing but as the others have said - when the time comes, no-one will care!

Helen

smyler · 17/06/2009 16:13

it really doesn't matter if you poo during labour, the midwife will just clean it away without mentioning it, we see it all the time, you wont be the first or last we see. If you do not push coz you think you will poo you will be increasing the time of 2nd stage and may lead to baby getting distressed or even having a forceps or ventouse delivery.

BigusBumus · 17/06/2009 17:12

1st time i pooed and midwife whizzed it away before my exhusband saw it!

2nd time i had a water birth and my poo floated to the top whereupon my partner (new one) fished it oput with his hand (ahh,thats love) and ran to the loo with it. He never told me till the baby was 6 months old!

Don't worry, everyone does it. Absolutely everyone. (nearly.)

Tamlin · 17/06/2009 17:17

I was one of the Exorcist-style pukers from early on. I didn't poo during the pushing phase because there was absolutely nothing left in my system (and my DH is absolutely the sort who'd let me know if I had!)

TheOldestCat · 17/06/2009 17:21

DH swears I pooed not, but I did see the midwife scooping stuff out of the water and remain suspicious to this day (he says it was blood clots she was retrieving).

Please don't worry about it starshaker - and that doctor was a disgrace.

Summerfruit · 17/06/2009 17:26

I did..but was given the impression I didn't ..my husband told me a year after the birth as he saw it ...the bastard told me because I was taking the piss out of friend who did (well before dh told me I didn't know I did)..second time it was a homebirth and I made sure that I was ermmm empty !!! But please don't worry about it, it's all part of the process of giving birth !!!

digitalgirl · 17/06/2009 17:28

OP The consultant from your last birth is definitely in the wrong job.

I had the clear out before 2nd stage, but still managed to squeeze out tiny mini poos that the MW (and my mum!) discreetly wiped away, all the while encouraging me that I was now pushing the CORRECT way, ata girl!

I wouldn't worry about it, you need to focus on something else to get you through the labour so that this issue doesn't become the one thing you keep thinking about. For me it was staying upright, I didn't want to lie on my back and 'slow the labour down'.

wolfnipplechips · 17/06/2009 17:35

starshaker i accused dh of watching hollyoaks whilst i gave birth, it was the gas and air, i also thought people were talking about me, so perhaps what you thought you'd heard was just your gas and air paranoia have you asked the person who was with you. Dh was able to tell me a completely different story.

I was freaked out about pooing with ds, i hadn't done it with dd but had been induced.

With ds i was on all fours and kept smelling the most horrendous smell i was in tears and kept asking for her to send my dh out and she kept laughing at me telling me i hadn't pooed, again i think it was mostly paranoia, that and my bottom turning inside out . I wish i hadn't been so stressed about the whole thing now because its not like anybody remembers and i can laugh about it now.

My friend is a midwife and she swears its very discreet.

melmog · 17/06/2009 17:49

Catriona99, may be a joke but my mw told me if I wanted a water birth and was worried about poo there was no need, she had a big sieve!
I didn't with either, but only as had the runs before hand. Lovely!

BriocheDoree · 17/06/2009 19:01

Didn't with DD (horrendous diarrhoea with onset of labour).
Did with DS - and had to get DH to call midwife as I was all hooked up and monitored (VBAC, large baby, in France so they wouldn't let me walk around!) and sent DH out of the room. Didn't mind him watch me give birth, DID mind him watching me pooing
However, wasn't really "prepared" for labour with DS. He was a week early and I was in complete denial. Went back to bed well into established labour telling myself that he couldn't be arriving then because MIL wasn't coming to look after DD until the next day...
(Cue middle of the night ambulance to hosp. as DH had to care for DD and DS arriving one bloody hour before MIL arrives in the country). Pooing was the least of my concerns at this point

FanjolinaJolie · 17/06/2009 19:36

When I was in labour both times I was back and forth to the loo in the early stages and must have done about five wobbly poos over the space of two hours.

This is quite common and is nature's way of 'clearing things out' and helping the baby come down.

So I know I didn't poo in the pushing stages at all, DH confirmed this.

So you might be like me and empty out before it becomes an issue.

But if you do, it's nothing to worry about at all. DOn't you think the midwives have seen it all before? They don't care and neither should you.

Good luck for your delivery and think positive thoughts!

viennesewhirl · 17/06/2009 19:54

While I was in labour, I kept having to go to the loo and do soft smelly poos, so was fairly sure everything was out. However, when I really started pushing the baby out, I suddenly felt a small pebble SHOOT out (I was on my knees, leaning forward onto the end of the bed) and saw the midwife sort of leap through the air like a goalie to catch it. I didn't really care and was just quite pleased with myself for not having let out a great stonking fart.

HLaurens · 17/06/2009 20:23

I didn't poo with no.1 but did with no.2 when I was pushing. However, I was in the pool and, as others have said, MW just got the sieve, lifted it out and flushed it down the loo without turning a hair. DH was also remarkably matter of fact!

Starshaker you obviously got a real cow of a consultant - please don't worry about it this time.

madmissy · 17/06/2009 20:53

i did with dd2 and thought wtf is that so put hand there and yes you guessed it hand was covered.... then proceeded too grab dh who totally freaked out

embarrassing but hey ho lol

expatinscotland · 17/06/2009 20:55

I cleaned myself out before going to the hospital.

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