# so they say a lot of women poo during labour but.....



## wishingalways

I have read over and over that most women will poo during labour/pushing but half the time you dont know you have and they quickly just clean it up but what happens when you are pushing in the birthing pool and you poo.... sorry for the topic but it is really starting to play on my mind as im considering a water birth and dont want to be embarrassed but floaters:blush::blush::blush::blush:

Has anyone experienced this or what is everyones. Experiences of pooing during labour. I had a forceps fir my first and have no idea if I squeezed out a poo:blush:


----------



## amotherslove

lots of people poo in the pool. they fish the floaters out. jusy pray they float lol, some sink!


----------



## Mummy&bump

Haha they fish them out with a fish like net lol I think .....


----------



## NaturalMomma

Yes most women poop during the pushing phase because you're pushing on everything. You likely won't feel it because of all the other sensations going on down there. Nurse will just clean it up and it's no big deal. I know thinking of pooping in front of people seems really horrible and embarrassing, but really, in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal at all. The nurses have seen it before and lots of things are going to be exiting your vagina/anus while giving birth (blood, fluids, a baby, pee). 

I pooped both times, didn't care either time. With my second son I pooped literally in my husband's face, we actually laugh about it :)


----------



## amjon

I'm pretty sure I didn't, but I think I cleaned everything out a bit before. I asked DH and he said I didn't. I couldn't really see down there and he was watching, but I guess he could have missed it if he was too busy looking at Taylor.


----------



## hercfreak

At our birthing class we were told to bring our own sieve if we want a water birth! Apparently it's their way of ensuring that there's no contamination between you and the next person and saves the nhs money.
That reminds me, I'd best go and buy a new one!


----------



## paigeypoo

i did during labour, it was awful. i felt it come out and the dr wipe it away.


----------



## xdxxtx

I did. I couldn't stop. I hadn't pooped in 9 months (well, not well anyway! lol) and I felt like it was all coming out at that very moment. The person who's delivering actually sees it as a good sign because it means you're pushing in the right spot. Unfortunately, you have to push as if you're pooping... so it's very, very, very common for poo to come out, too.


----------



## Jaxvipe

I did! I think the saline that they gave me had a laxative in. But I couldnt feel it because I had an epidural.


----------



## Harveysmum369

I don't think I did....although it did feel like it...I did however wee on my midwife :haha:


I told her I needed to push,she told me I didn't,I pushed anyway and wee'd on her shoes :xmas13: I apologised and she said if I hadn't of told her she would have though it was amniotic fluid :dohh: x


----------



## xx~Lor~xx

Yup they get them out with a net! My OH netted mine :haha: i didnt even see, was too busy dealing with a contraction!


----------



## wishingalways

Omg looks like I may need to prepare my dh for some sieving action.... or maybe I might give that job to the mother, less embarrassing I think. I just hope it goes over the top of my head and I dont notice because I think I will be mortified...


----------



## Eleanor ace

At my hospital they give the birthing partner a fishing net and he/she is on floater duty. I didn't poo during labour, for some reason I was really disappointed (G&A madness :haha:) and was asking the midwife "what, not at all? Not even a little one?!" :shrug: :haha:


----------



## lolita1990

Reading this made me laugh so much... I am not looking forward to this! I'll be mortified x


----------



## goddess25

I worried incessantly about this...I did poop both times and I really didn't care.


----------



## anita665

I know I pooped with my first. With the second it was a home birth and I don't think I pooped but I don't know. OH said he didn't think so. Fingers crossed there will be no poo this time.


----------



## tinkerbelle93

Pretty much everyone poos in labour. 

I remember being really paranoid about this during pregnancy and asked my midwife about it, she just said it's a standard, anticipated part of labour for virtually everyone and not to be embarrassed because they expect it, and you're no different from the person who went before you, and person who'll go after you, honestly it's part of the midwives jobs, they will not be phased by it whatsoever! 

Most women don't even know they do it, I have absolutely no idea whether I did or not. I had a forceps birth so neither me or OH saw anything going on at the business end. I probably did though. 

It's funny when you go on forums cause you'll get so many women saying 'nope I didn't!' when they most probably did, just didn't realise and people were kind enough to not to mention it, or tell them they didn't. xx


----------



## missy1

I didn't. When I was in ver early stages of labour I really had to go and I think everything just cleared out so I was lucky. It was something I had worried about but to be honest when I was actually in the throes of labour pushing my daughter out I think pooing would have been the least of my worries


----------



## Missy08

I did...I was sooo worried beforehand about it too...When it actually happened, I felt it and felt them wipe it away but I was so focused on pushing and getting her out I didn't worry that much about it. You'll be too focused on other things :winkwink:


----------



## NaturalMomma

You will unlikely care if you poop in labor and you know it. Your hormones and everything else going on will have you caring about more important things. A fish net works great for waterbirths.


----------



## mrstrouble

I'm so worried about this, too. It'll be my first time and I'm planning a waterbirth...but there's no way in hell I'd let the hospital make my DH fish it out, it's not his job!


----------



## wishingalways

Thanks Ladies, I have kind of accepted the fact that its probably going to happen and theres nothing I can do about it and I have warned the DH that nearly all women poo and its normal and I dont need him telling me I have etc. My friend was convinced she hadn't and her daughter is now 12, her husband just pipped up and said you did actually and she went a very dark shade of red. LOl but we laughed about it too. x


----------



## Bevziibubble

I pood - lots :blush: However at the time I couldn't have cared less! :haha: They just picked it up


----------



## doggylover

wishingalways said:


> I just hope it goes over the top of my head .

I hope you don't mean that literally!!! :rofl:


----------



## Bevziibubble

doggylover said:


> wishingalways said:
> 
> 
> I just hope it goes over the top of my head .
> 
> I hope you don't mean that literally!!! :rofl:Click to expand...

Hahaha! I just laughed so much at that image! :rofl:


----------



## wishingalways

doggylover said:


> wishingalways said:
> 
> 
> I just hope it goes over the top of my head .
> 
> I hope you don't mean that literally!!! :rofl:Click to expand...

pmsl, that is such a funny image and yes not literally that could be messy. LOL


----------



## Reidfidleir

I had a water birth but did not poop. Intestines had really cleared out earlier on so I thought I would still poo cuz my body is like that. Quite regular lol. But I didn't to my own amazement. I peed though.


----------



## Bats11

I did with my first, didnt even know it, my DH told me!! How romantic!! After the fact I was embarrassed :blush:


----------



## katlin

My dh has been on the entertainment end both times and says I've not pood thank goodness lol though I'm sure I wouldn't have cared at the time.


----------



## babyerin

I did, about 4 times in front of various people.
MW said she got covered in diarrhoea once!


----------



## Sophie001

The thought of this scares me... a lot! is there anything that you can do/take to avoid it?


----------



## Butterfly89

I wondered this too!! My hospital doesn't do water birth anyway, unfortunately. But I'm kind of glad now. OH isn't going to be in the room anyway as he's too freaked out by it all but I'm secretly happy he doesn't want to. Then I can poo and do all sorts of undignified things and not have to worry, rofl. I know a lot of people say its great to see your child come into the world, but neither of us are really worried about that... OH will see him soon enough after!! I don't want to change his opinion of me and he's the kind of guy that it would. I swear he thinks I never poo at all.


----------



## Mazzy17

I have told Hubby that i am 99% going to poo during birth and if he laughs he will be sorry!! :growlmad: He asked why am i going to poo so i showed him this thread...he now understands and wont laugh


----------



## wishingalways

Mazzy17 said:


> I have told Hubby that i am 99% going to poo during birth and if he laughs he will be sorry!! :growlmad: He asked why am i going to poo so i showed him this thread...he now understands and wont laugh

Its just as well we all have bnb to back us up. Lol. Xx


----------



## Gertie beetle

... But what if the poop isn't solid & you're in the water?!


----------



## jenniferttc1

Most women do poop, and the doctors are so discrete about it. But with the pool, they fish them out. It's not a big deal to them at all, it happens so much and honestly its expected cause your pushing the same way you poop. I think the women that don't poop are the ones that have a huge clear out before labor.


----------



## Butterfly89

Lmao. I just told him how common it is and he said "spooooooked! but you never poo so I don't have to worry..." Then he started saying how his friend told him how disgusting and traumatizing the placenta is, bahaha. Poor man. I agree with my grandma who always says "If men had to be the one's having babies, our species never would have survived".


----------



## wishingalways

Butterfly89 said:


> Lmao. I just told him how common it is and he said "spooooooked! but you never poo so I don't have to worry..." Then he started saying how his friend told him how disgusting and traumatizing the placenta is, bahaha. Poor man. I agree with my grandma who always says "If men had to be the one's having babies, our species never would have survived".

Love it, so true. My DH does not know whats coming and Im worried he is going to freak out big time but hopefully he will hold it together. x


----------



## katieeandbump

haha I did both times! I had really quick labours so I was still having the whole 'clear out' whilst pretty much pushing stage! I was so embarresed and kept telling them I was so sorry and my mum and the midwives kept telling me I wasn't pooing! BUT my oh insisted I was and was laughing the bugger!! But I knew I was anyway because I could smell it hahahaha! Oh the shameeeee! It deffinately puts me off a waterbirth but I think at the same time, ulthough my oh and mum will see the poo atleast they wont actually be watching it come out of me like the other 2 times haha!


----------



## bubbles

I don't think I did with ds but sure I did with dd. I could Damn well smell it but they insisted I didn't


----------



## Sophie001

katieeandbump said:


> But I knew I was anyway because I could smell it hahahaha!

This was my exact thought...how could you not smell it?!?! I'm dreading this sooooo much!


----------



## LillyTame

Gertie beetle said:


> ... But what if the poop isn't solid & you're in the water?!

This is the question me and OH came up with too and are still waiting for an answer!!! Any MWs experience loose poop in a water birth? Do they change the water? :dohh:


----------



## babyerin

Theres nothing you can do about it really, I was induced and spent the night before trying to poo out everything I had up there and I still crapped on the table. I never will forget the shame of the lovely student midwife wiping my bum while I was on all fours but nobody laughed. Its nature, animals poor too when they give birth..and I was definitely making animal noises at that point lol. MooooOoooo!


----------



## katieeandbump

Sophie001 said:


> katieeandbump said:
> 
> 
> But I knew I was anyway because I could smell it hahahaha!
> 
> This was my exact thought...how could you not smell it?!?! I'm dreading this sooooo much!Click to expand...

Haha they should make everyone wear a peg on their nose! :dohh:


----------



## NDH

I have no idea if I did or not. I kept saying I had to poo and yelling that I was just pooing when the mw told me not to push (spent 2 hours feeling like I had to push but not allowed) and I asked several times if I pooed but she never said if I did. I did pee several times, not on the toilet lol. I was concentrating too much ln not pushing and then on pushing to notice or care what other bodily functions were going on.


----------



## Sophie001

Maybe I do want a c section after all...:wacko:


----------



## wishingalways

Sophie001 said:


> Maybe I do want a c section after all...:wacko:

Lol,i know what are we getting ourselves into. Xx


----------



## MrsSmartie

I am a midwife, it really doesn't bother us. In fact when we write BO (bowels open) in our notes we know it will be soon that we are writing vertex visible (can see the top of the head!) Diarrhoea is a bit grim but really rare, I've hardly ever seen that. I have no idea what we would do in the pool with that! Probably get out... whatever mum wanted to do. And please don't think it is like a full on poo, it's just little bits. Most people have their bowels open in early labour at some point so it's just little bits at the end and we sweep it away. Lots of people never know. Please don't worry about it, I have had so many women terrified/refusing to push literally because they are scared they may poo! Worth it to get your baby in your arms! xx


----------



## Hopefulk

I worry about the smell... Especially if my third tri wind is anything to go by! Lol!


----------



## socitycourty

i did, i was pushing and no one said anything but my DH told me later:blush:
i had no idea


----------



## Sophie001

MrsSmartie said:


> I am a midwife, it really doesn't bother us. In fact when we write BO (bowels open) in our notes we know it will be soon that we are writing vertex visible (can see the top of the head!) Diarrhoea is a bit grim but really rare, I've hardly ever seen that. I have no idea what we would do in the pool with that! Probably get out... whatever mum wanted to do. And please don't think it is like a full on poo, it's just little bits. Most people have their bowels open in early labour at some point so it's just little bits at the end and we sweep it away. Lots of people never know. Please don't worry about it, I have had so many women terrified/refusing to push literally because they are scared they may poo! Worth it to get your baby in your arms! xx

Can we literally do nothing to stop it then?


----------



## MrsSmartie

Sophie001 said:


> MrsSmartie said:
> 
> 
> I am a midwife, it really doesn't bother us. In fact when we write BO (bowels open) in our notes we know it will be soon that we are writing vertex visible (can see the top of the head!) Diarrhoea is a bit grim but really rare, I've hardly ever seen that. I have no idea what we would do in the pool with that! Probably get out... whatever mum wanted to do. And please don't think it is like a full on poo, it's just little bits. Most people have their bowels open in early labour at some point so it's just little bits at the end and we sweep it away. Lots of people never know. Please don't worry about it, I have had so many women terrified/refusing to push literally because they are scared they may poo! Worth it to get your baby in your arms! xx
> 
> Can we literally do nothing to stop it then?Click to expand...

Well frankly, no. The baby's head is also pushing on your back passage as it comes down so even if you have been to the loo already the baby is going to move bits down. Add that to the pushing intensely for a couple of hours and I think it's pretty unlikely not to! Some people don't though. It's really not a big deal. You really won't give it any thought at the time so please don't worry about it now.


----------



## Srrme

I have no idea if I did. :rofl: It sure felt like I had to though. I'm assuming my husband would have told me (and possibly made fun of me for it afterwards though) since he was center stage.

I'm content not knowing. :haha:


----------



## MummyClaire28

May as well be honest and say I didn't fully poop, mw had to keep wipin me bum though apparently!!! I wont go into anymore detail LOL


----------



## Shadowy Lady

My midwife said like 90% ppl do and it's natural. So even if ppl tell u they didn't they likely did just don't know it lol!


----------



## lizardbreath

Can no longer have posts here


----------



## bumblebeexo

They have a fish net thing. I got out the pool to push, have no idea if I shat or not, and I don't want to know!


----------



## tinkerbelle93

I think it helps if you know about all these embarrassing things before you go into labour. I'm glad that I read lots of things on labour because I was able to tell OH what to expect and how it's all normal for everyone. I'd hate to have no idea these things happen then have him tell me afterwards that I'd pooped, and for us to think it was an unfortunate, embarrassing accident rather than part of labour for many people! xx


----------



## Guppy051708

Ive pooped during both of my water births :smug: 

lol no one cared, as others have said they just fish it out, no big deal. and honestly you arn't going to give a crap while your trying to push a human being out of your foof :rofl: (no pun intended :haha:). It's so true! all modesty goes out the window!


----------



## rwhite

I can confirm that I did, in the pool, and they scooped it out like they were getting a goldfish out.

If it happens, don't be embarassed. Because like you said, it happens to a lot of women.

I think a lot of women don't know they pooped when they have a dry land birth because if they are distracted the midwife/doctor will often scoop it up discreetly before they even know it happened :haha:


----------



## special_kala

I did with Willow apparenly, i dont remember it but apparently my husband went to walk down to the interesting end of the bed (was on my hands and knees) and i pooped so he casually tried to wander back to my head without looking grossed out :haha:


----------



## wishingalways

special_kala said:


> I did with Willow apparenly, i dont remember it but apparently my husband went to walk down to the interesting end of the bed (was on my hands and knees) and i pooped so he casually tried to wander back to my head without looking grossed out :haha:


LOL, I can just imagine my husband trying to hide the look on his face but he would fail hopelessly I'm sure.:blush:


----------



## manchester1

i pood. three small ones haha.
the first i collected myself. the next two i was going to the midwife over and over im doing a poo im doing a poo and she was adamant i wasnt....anyway...i was! totally not embarassing due to the circumstances!


----------



## summer rain

I honestly never have. My OH is always at the business end because he finds the whole process fascinating and 'cool' and he swears hand on heart I never have and he was a bit surprised and grossed out that it is so common lol. I've had really bad diarrhoea for at least 24 hours before having all of mine except for my second eldest where I was so constipated even pushing in labour didn't shift anything for days xx


----------



## Blah11

You wont care :)


I didnt poo with either of mine (i know this for a fact as i watched them both coming out lol) but I did have loads of other gunk like my show come out onto a inco pad I was squatting over. So glam! But honestly, i didnt give 2 hoots at that point.


----------



## staralfur

I was so not bothered by the idea of pooping in labour. My OH has disgusting gas and I joked the entire pregnancy I was looking forward to pooping in front of him to get back at him for all the gas... 

And then I didn't poop. I was kind of disappointed because I was actually so okay with it happening! Haha. I think it would have been nice to poop too, when I was pushing it felt like I was constipated. Which evidently I was.


----------



## tooyoung

Haha this thread is cracking me up. I didn't poop but I felt like I was going to. I didn't know that was a normal feeling so I was a bit stressed about it lol. I kept saying, I'm going to poo!! The nurse said, if you do you do. No big deal cuz we've seen it all before lol


----------



## stardust85

I have been so worried about this!! Everyone say you wont care..im convinced i will because its such a big worry!! I know in the greater scheme its not impt but i cant help but feel completely mortified at the thought!!!


----------



## wishingalways

Im still with you on that one stardust.... I know I have told DH about it and he knows I really dont want him seeing it and I know when its happening I probably wont care but I still worry about it. x


----------



## Guppy051708

you'll look back at this thread and laugh once you have your LOs ;)


----------



## SophiaEli

An enema can help to avoid embarrassment :winkwink: , I was given one - so, no poo ) :blush: or I just did not notice it (I did it on land not in a pool).


----------



## bubbles

I totally did this time, hubby was the shit sifter :haha: He actually left one bit of poo in the pool for me to get out, as if he was getting his own back!


----------



## Xlaura_BellaX

i did yes and was completely aware i was too, did i care??? noooo haha was concentrating too much on other things and in to much pain to give a damn


----------



## Indi84

I did a little poo..but they just whipped it away! I did realise but didn't really care, I was pushing, no pain relief, poo was the last thing to stress about!  did make me and dh laugh and I said sorry to the midwife!


----------



## AJBliss

I was so worried that I would, but I didn't. My DH was greatly relieved that he didn't have to use the sieve! I now know that I would rather do a little poo while pushing than another clearout from both ends simultaneously like I had in what must have been transition. :D


----------



## jobiem

Seriously at the time when you are in labour you really couldnt care aless if you poop or not hahaha xx


----------

