Is there a way to prevent pooping while pushing? :(

[Almacham]

Originally Posted by hilaryisinked If I got laughed at for that, heads would roll.

This,

OP, I'm so sorry that they laughed at you. That is so cruel.

[crunchymamaNY]

I'm sorry that happened to you. Same thing happened to me, with me saying I wanted to poop, but they wouldn't let me. Told me to lay flat on my back and go in this huge cold metal bed pan. Of course, I couldn't go flat on my back, who could? I was only on demerol (first kid) and they could have helped me to a commode, but the nurses were NOT sympathetic, and very cruel. I pooped a bit on the dr while pushing, and I thought to myself "how embarrassing, but serves them right!"

Same thing happened with my 3rd baby but I went natural. The nurses wouldn't let me up because they said I may push the baby out into the toilet! UGH! Pooped on the dr again.

So with my 4th, I had a midwife. She let me labor MY way. I pooped while in labor at the hospital, and my baby didn't fall into the toilet. I was able to push easier knowing I wasn't going to poop on her.

I'm pregnant with my 5th now, and I'm going with that midwife again. She and I know eachother well, and she understands I know how to care for my body. (I'm an LPN now going to school for my RN) and she is so great with me. I found a real difference.

I tell you, it's horrible that your parents laughed at you. How cruel. I wouldn't let them in for the next one. But that's just me....I hold grudges sometimes.

You can give yourself an enema like PP said. I know some people try castrol oil.....but I don't have experience in that! If you are able, try to labor as long as you can at home. You'll be more relaxed and perhaps poop well before baby is born, and if not, take a quick enema

Good luck!

[karlitacat]

Wow, that's the least of my concerns - I'm more concerned about dealing with the pain! - but then I don't have all those people in the room with me. It's my understanding that the pressure of the baby's head coming out squeezes the intestine's contents out as well, so if anything's in there, it's gonna come out. I was told that it happened during at least one of my deliveries, but I didn't care - I was too concerned about getting the baby out. Medical professionals are used to it, and if your family can't deal with it, don't have 'em in the room!

[birdinhand]

This is a loaded topic, by how many replies there have been, lol.

As a doula and childbirth educator, I always tell mamas pooping is good for two reasons, one, it shows you are pushing correctly, and two, it gives the baby more room. It is totally normal.

I pooped with my first, which was an induction, so obviously my body didn't have time to try and empty things out. It was a big, hard poop .

With my second, I did go into labor on my own, and I pushed for 90 minutes. With just about every push, I had some very loose (yes, toothpaste-like!) poops. My midwife just kept cleaning my off (I have it al on video, lol). Dh never said anything. He didn't say anything the first time, either.

With my third, I was certain I was going to poop, it felt like that. So I pushed this baby out, he's on me all wet a slick and squishy, and I swear one of the first things I said was, "I can't believe I didn't poop! I was sure I was going to poop!" My midwife then told me two things. She said, "You know, it's a very thin membrane the separates the the rectum from the vagina, so that's how you feel. And we don't remember who pooped and who didn't. I don't run into you at the grocery store and think, 'Oh right, she pooped.'" LOL. I love my midwife.

I don't know what will happen this time, but being at home, a least I will have more opportunity to use my own toilet -- the toilet I use every day .

I have also seen plenty of poop in water births -- we just use a fish net to scoop it out. And I have seen lots of women poop even with they are doing self-directed pushing. It's a crap-shoot if you will or you won't.

[abunchoflemons]

i pooped beforehand.....

[forbes246]

I was lucky and hadn't really eaten much before going into labor. I hear this is very common. I wouldn't give it a second thought.

[BigSamsMom]

No no! Don't try to clear yourself out around your due date/induction date. I too pooped delivering DS1, and I was rather constipated too, because I was on iron supplements, so my poor OB, who was barely pregnant at the time, had to deal with my hard, stinky, poo coming out, piece by piece, the whole 2 hours it took me to push DS1 out. I felt so sorry for her, because I could see her gagging, knowing she was dealing with first trimester nausea herself.
So second time around, with DS2, I as on the iron again, but smart enough to take Dulcolax everyday, so I wouldn't be so constipated. DS2 decided to tease me with prodromal labor for a full two weeks before I delivered. So, I finally got to the point, that I was sure I'd make it to my due date or go later. So about 3 days before I was due, I had the bright idea to start clearing my system out early, and gulped down a full dose of Milk of Magnesia, in hopes this would help me avoid the dreaded "delivery poo". Wouldn't you know it, my water broke that very night, and off we went to the hospital, with my body still "processing" the full dose of MoM! My OB was monitoring me from home to begin with, since it was the middle of the night, and she instructed them to start Pitocin, which in turn blew my cervix open way too quickly. I went from 3-10 centimeters in a matter of 30 minutes! I was howling like a wolf in unbearable pain, while they were trying to get my epidural placed, which was embarrassing enough, since I am sure everyone on the floor heard me. So, I kid you not, as soon as the epidural took affect, the MoM kicked in and I couldn't hold the impending diarrhea long enough for them to get the bed pan placed under me. I shat all over the delivery table, and literally filled the bed pan up over the course of 10 minutes of constant, uncontrollable, pooping . While this was going on my OB arrived and walked into the room. She immediately gagged at the sight of it and walked out for a minute to catch her breath. Not until after I delivered DS2, did she divulge that she was again newly pregnant! Poor woman! I did it to her twice! But I wouldn't apologize this time around. I told her she deserved every ounce of it, because she wasn't there during my labor, and "pitted me to distress", unknowingly. She took it like a man, and emphatically apologized to me. So moral of the story, you can't win when it comes to pooping during labor, and if you take measures to avoid it, Murphy's Law will kick in and it will be worse than if you did nothing.

[momneedssupport]

How terrible for you

[NYEMom1231]

I think you can request an enema beforehand. I'm sorry you had such an embarrassing experience!

[solobluedancer]

I pooped on my sons head. I delivered him on all fours. He was not a good smelling baby.

Op, sorry your family was not being nice to you. I think that makes it worse.