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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

peeing in labour with malpresenting baby?

llandb · 2010-09-10T23:20:54+00:00

Do other people pee themselves in labour, or was it just me? I hear about pooing and farting but one never reads of peeing. (To the point where I nearly name-changed for this! [blush]) But when I was trying to push out DC1 (who, as it turned out, was OP-deflexed and was finally yanked out by c-section with mahoosive bruise sort of to left of her forehead), there was a stage when every push caused me to issue great involuntary jets of pee (or so it felt to me). The MW evidently didn't notice as it happened (and I was in no state to say, what with being out of it with pain and G&A and somehow being in stirrups and barely able to articulate). She went to break my waters and then said 'oh they've already broken'. Then, after a pregnant (as it were) pause, she said, with evident disgust, 'oh, it's ^urine^'. I thought (but couldn't say), didn't you see me squirt it out, you silly moo? You were right there and evidently it was too boring to pay attention. Just kind of wondering, a) whether it's normal to pee :o - if so, why doesn't it get the sort of mention that pooing does? and b) whether it's symptomatic of a deflexed presentation (I think I read somewhere that it was) and c) if it isn't that normal but it is typical of OP-deflexed baby, whether the MW was being a tad inept not thinking 'oh wait, maybe there's a reason she's been pushing for hours to no avail, here I've been shouting at her to stop giving up because of the pain, but, er, maybe she's actually pushing her very hardest and 'I can't' really means 'I can't' and maybe the baby is just stuck?' (Eventually the machine that went 'bing' was called for, then when blood showed and DD's heart rate went a bit ropey, we went to theatre) Partly asking just out of curiosity about the pee thing! And partly because I have some issues with how the MW handled things and it would be helpful to have some idea of how reasonable that MW was in advance (could and should she have known, was she just being a bored jobsworth, was there any real danger), as I may have the chance to talk things over with a consultant MW (in deciding whether to vbac or elcs for imminent DC2). Don't want to unfairly diss consultant MW's colleagues but on the other hand, want to know if I'm being fobbed off and told not to worry my silly little head about it (as have been fobbed off before and know others who also have been). Sorry to post and run but have to go and look for missing neighbours' cat and wake DP up :)

10 replies

llandb · 11/09/2010 00:20

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saoirse86 · 11/09/2010 00:27

I was under the impression that it was so normal to wee in labour that it wasn't worth mentioning! Not sure though.

ShowOfHands · 11/09/2010 00:27

Please talk to somebody about what happened.

My dd was a malpresentation (LOT and asynclitic so facing the wrong way, ear first) and my labour was noteworthy because I didn't wee at all for 28hrs. I wonder now if there is some link?

Anyway, just talk, ask questions. I had a lot of questions about what had happened, how the presentation had affected things etc and a debrie 3yrs later was very helpful.

Sounds like a similar labour to mine. I pushed for 6hrs, no baby and they did try an episiotomy and ventouse/rotation but then dd was in distress and they couldn't budge her so em cs. Weird bruises on her head too.

Original poster

llandb · 11/09/2010 01:05

ShowOfHands that sounds rather unpleasant (huge understatement)

I think you're right about getting a debrief - what's put me off is the fear that they'll fob me off (as community MW did - sent a strong 'shut up and don't rock the boat' vibe, but now have a different CM) and then I'll regret asking. Can't really hurt to ask, though, can it?

So based on the above responses, I conclude that it's normal to pee, but if you have a malpresentation then you might save it all up for a big gush!

Thanks for the replies :)

OP posts:

Sarahlou8 · 11/09/2010 18:54

Oh I've been chuckling so much at your post!

when I had my Ds I remember my waters broke with such a gush towards the end, when I was in so much pain and not thinking straight, I thought 'I may as well pee too, there's water everywhere now' so I did. Nobody batted an eyelid.
maybe I shouldn't be owning up to this!!

EdgarAllInPink · 11/09/2010 18:58

i peed during all of my labours - at least a little bit. after all, using the loo in late labour risks popping the baby into the pan! (Which is where i was very nearly born, thanks to the hospital telling my Mum she wasn't in labour)

really, it's the least of your worries!

FloraFinching · 11/09/2010 19:05

DC1 was presently oddly (ear first, hand up to face and held there with umbilical cord). Like SOH I couldn't urinate, although the lovely midwife attending my HB said my bladder was full, and I really should go. She popped in a catheter, which I did not even feel, and lo, everything gushed out - poor DH was trying to catch it all in several icecream tubs.

After many hours of labour with no urge to push I was transferred in for ventouse.

MiniMarmite · 11/09/2010 20:09

My waters broke a few days before I gave birth. By the end I had no idea if I was gushing amniotic fluid or weeing. No one seemed to care (except me)!

I remember saying to the midwife that I was feeling embarrased because I thought I had peed and she just laughed (kindly) and said that I may or may not have done, there was a lot of fluid about!

My MW for my current pregnancy suspects DS was back to back given I finally had to be induced, wanted to push before my cervix was ready and was pushing for quite a while before they intervened with a ventouse delivery. Understanding these things a bit better has helped me to feel a bit less anxious about my forthcoming second labour.

You have the right to discuss any concerns you have about your labour so do raise them.

PrivetDancer · 11/09/2010 20:24

Hello fellow novemberite!
I didn't pee at all through my labour but had a normal presentation (I think!). The fact that I didn't pee at all but kept having drinks foisted on me by dh (it was his way of helping :)) meant I had to be catheterised before they could get placenta out as full bladder was blocking the way apparently. Like flora, there was an awful lot!

ShowOfHands · 11/09/2010 20:27

Like Flora I had no urge to push at all and was transferred after 6hrs of directed pushing. I was catheterised on arrival and it was like a waterfall.

Original poster

llandb · 12/09/2010 13:14

Sounds like peeing and/or storing up pee is quite normal then (and MW was being a moo). Lots of different stories/circumstances (some :() that can lead to various pee scenarios, too.

LOL Sarahlou - owning up = empowering others!

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