Fear of postpartum pooping.

[Lizbiz89]

I'm pregnant with my second baby and I'm petrified of going to the toilet after birth. With my first baby I had an episiotomy and going for a poop after was absolutely horrendous. It was so painful it was almost worse than giving birth! I've had constant problems since but have managed to control it with movicol and drinking lots of water.

However because I've had constipation in this pregnancy it has reared its ugly head. I've stopped taking movicol because I really want to manage it without medication. But I'm just so worried it's going to be ten times worse after I've had my second baby.

Has anyone experienced the same as me? I used to think it was an anal fissure or piles but now I think it could be a prolapse or even that they stitched me up too tight! Does anyone who's had the same as me have any advice?

I didn’t experience anything as severe as you describe, but found prune juice very helpful, drunk in large quantities soon after the birth.

I took lactulose - given to me by the hospital. I has an episiotomy and a bad tear. The lactulose was really helpful. The MW advised using it for several weeks PP. I drank loads of water too.

Another one for lactulose here x

I was given lactulose after an episiotomy too. I couldn't eat anything without it coming out the other end within a few minutes! So I only used it a few times but it did get me over the fear of going!

Ah the postpartum poo! I remember mine with my first (forceps with episiotomy) I was totally swollen down there and had no control of anything, so basically had to sort of wait until there was so much poo that it would 'push itself out' but because I had no muscle control it took forever and I thought my daughter would have her first birthday before I finished! I also thought that was how every shit would be for the rest of my life!

For what it's worth it was much better with my second, even though it was a similar birth.

Also I had really bad constipation from chemotherapy a couple of years ago and found that Sennokot (sp?) worked much better than Lactulose (but don't overdose!)

Maybe try Lactulose first and see if that helps though. And yes, defo loads of water.

Oh yes, very much a low point, stuck on the toilet trying yet again to have an immovable poo with a tiny baby screaming her head off in the bedroom.
Try getting a squatty potty, to get a better position, I also drank fybogel like there was no tomorrow. I also stopped taking the iron supplements.
Sympathies.
But even though it was bad for DC1, I can't remember anything approaching as bad for DC2. Fingers crossed!

I am wary of fybogel now because someone told me that if you don't drink enough water with it, it can actually make things worse!

Shit hot on the advertising here MN

Yes I got that advert too!

Look at your diet too. If I have too much sugar or bread I struggle. Lots of fruit and veg and drink lots of water will help. Fybogel is like movicol without the stimulant. Might be an option.

so no one else’s midwife/pelvic floor team advised doing a poo in the bath postnatally?
I was advised to just lay on my side in a very deep bath and wait. Wasn’t my favourite thing to do but worked alternatively they may well be having a little giggle at my expense!

blush so no one else’s midwife/pelvic floor team advised doing a poo in the bath postnatally?
I was advised to just lay on my side in a very deep bath and wait. Wasn’t my favourite thing to do but worked blush alternatively they may well be having a little giggle at my expense

In the bath?!

With or without water in it?

Someone told me to eat 6 dried apricots every day for 3 weeks before due date. I stuck to it religiously and although I didn't poo for a few days, when I did it kinda sorted itself out IYSWIM. Very minimal pushing from me.

Lactulose here and I also think getting your feet up on a stool, and doing sort of panting / blowing breathing can help. I ate zillions of oranges and drank gallons of water too.

My post section poo last time was an Olympic event. I was in so much pain, it took days to come out properly. I’d been on iron the whole pregnancy as well.

This time I’ve stopped the iron and have already asked the hospital for lactulose post delivery. My husband last time wanted to call an ambulance it was that bad!

Thanks for the replies. I will make sure I stop taking prenatal a few weeks before my due date! Also get onto them about prescribing lactoluse when they discharge me from hospital. Funny you mention the pooping in bath @ThatPlanWorked as when my pooping was at it's worse I read somewhere to go in a bath as the warm water soothes everything down below. This is actually what has made me decide on a water birth this time around, as I'm hoping that it may somehow work with giving birth as well ha ha! Obviously pushing something a lot bigger out though!

@beerflavourednipples yep in a bath full of water... it’s not glam, but it worked and wasn’t ‘too’ horrendous. Thank god we had the lovingly named ‘poo sieve’ from my attempt at a home water birth. I have no shame, I’ll be doing the same thing again this time!

If you have some Movicol to hand, then use it. My midwife suggested using a whole to half a sachet a day for a week, then halving the quantity again for another week and then none. You bowel is an incredibly sensitive organ, and it is pushed and shoved around during birth, so it needs time to settle down after birth. Give it a gentle helping hand with the Movicol.

If it helps, I used Movicol for 3 pregnancies, half a sachet a day each time (and for the 2 weeks post birth). But was never reliant on it when not pregnant. So don't worry to much about using it.

You are going to have a newborn, so make life easy for yourself anyway you can. If you are still worried about piles or fissure or prolapse, mention it to a midwife if at 6 week check. They have seen it all I promise. Just take a big breath and say it. It's so so much better to say and do it. (Hard in the moment though!)

Lactulose and lots of water!