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hey guys...i have suffered from irritable bowel syndrome for a very long time and i have diarrhoea at the best of times.
i am so worried abotu being in labour and making a huge mess!!!
i normally get thee runs when i am nervous so obviously i will e nervous in there!!
i have also heard it is quite normal for women to poo during labour but has anyone had any horror stories for me so i know im not the only one?
do they give enemas any more?
They don't give enemas as a standard procedure any more but you can ask for one if you want or if you prefer I saw an enema kit in a chemist last week so maybe you can DIY.
I did a poo while I was pushing - they say that you don't mind and on one level I didn't but on another level I did IYKWIM.
Its not likely that you will make a huge mess and the midwives are used to cleaning it up.
On your birth plan you can ask DH or your midwives to remind you to go to the loo reguarly and to try to empty your bowels at the beginning of the second stage of labour.
Hi Danni,
I dont know about enemas..... I think this is one of the major fears/concerns of women heading into labor.
I didn't personally have a bowel movement during labour but I know my sister did. She said it was all very proffesional & the nurse quickly 'cleaned away' & she didn't skip a beat, she was so into the process of labor that it didn't stay in her mind for more than a passing second. My other sister knew she had been blocked up for days & asked her OB for a reccomendation on sapositries (that were safe) so cleared herself out (as luck would have it) the night before going into labor.
Those are just two different experiences that I am aware of.... You are an IBS sufferer so you would be all too aware of the inevitable nature of the bowel thing & I know a hundred women will say to you "When you are in the thick of labor you really wont care" & you are sure you will because you associate 'present day' feelings of embarrasment relating to bowel movements but it really is true... you literally wont get hung up on it or embarrased at the time. Trust me, it is a normal & natural occurance through labor and any nurse/doctor present will have seen a lot worse & experienced it countless times. :-k
Try not to put too much angst & energy into it.... ;) Good luck.
For lots of mamas an early sign of labour is diarrhoea which empties your bowel and leaves less to come out as the baby slides past. So hopefully your bowel will be fairly clear anyway :D It's pretty intense in labour by the time poo is appearing so I'd bet you won't notice at that stage ;)
My labour started with my waters breaking and then me sitting on the toilet with contractions as i had diarrhoea.. I felt like i had no control over my bowel at this time.. I was actually happy to be sitting on the toilet! I was able to use the safety rail ( i was already in hospital as i was induced) in the hospital bathroom and thsi gave me something to hold on to with my contractions! ( i had such a sore arm the next day from holding so tight! )
By the time i went to the birthing suite i was all out of poo! ( Sorry TMI) but it did help my reach the magic 10cm very quickly!
Dont worry too much about it... I was more shocked by the amount of blood that comes out afterwards than a little bit of poo!
good luck !
Well I did with Lindsay, but didn't know until afterwards when DH said something about it (very considerate LOL). When I had Erin I had a examination and the midwife said I was 6cm and I had a full bowel so she nicely asked if I could empty it. I asked nicely if I could have an enema and she said she didn't want to put me through that. I though how could she put me through trying to go to the toilet with contractions. Anyway as soon as I did empty my bowel, Erin crowned and I nearly had her on the toilet. So it did help immensely.
But concerning your irritable bowel condition you may find you will empty out before labour starts due to nerves.
Danni, I can almost guarantee that when you are in labour it will be almost the last thing on your mind. Having said that, I can understand your concern with IBS.
In the final stages of labour, when I was pushing, I was so in tune with my body that I felt like there was a little poo coming out, and I told the midwife exactly that, and she said no, that is just the baby moving down. But I was adamant, no midwife (however good she was!) was gonna tell me what my body was doing. I was persistent, I just wanted to warn her that I was going to poo. She didnt believe me until it came out. I never even saw it but it felt very small and looking back it is a funny, amazing story that I was so in tune with my bodily functions even during such a painful time!
Danni, have you seen the poll about this here?
I'm pretty sure that I did, but the midwife was very discreet and just quickly wiped it away and never said anything. At that stage of labour I couldn't have cared less anyway LOL!
I must be a really uptight person because everyone else didn't care but I did LOL 8-[
Dach - my tummy got quite upset during labour and I know I was pooing a bit BEFORE I started pushing. The only reason I knew was because I could smell it...sorry if TMI! I was a little embarassed at the time but more so later because hubby had a giggle about it!
Hi danni
It is very common for women to poo when giving birth.
Try not to let it concern you. Most midives use it as one of the signs that your baby is not far away from being born. We consider pooing just another part of birthing.
danni
when i had my first child in 1998 i was petrified at the pooing so i asked my midwife for an enema (which she did give to me) and it made me feel alot better lol - anway with my 2nd and 3rd bubs it didn't worry me if i would poo or not - am pretty sure i did with my 2nd but the midwives were great and it is all cleaned up quite quickly and you really aren't aware of it - can't remember if i did or not with my 3rd as i had her in 1hr so it was all very intense and quick i couldn't tell you what happened lol.
i guess if you are concerned then you could talk to your midwives and they will give you an enema if you want one.
Honestly darl this will be the last of your worries and its so normal for it to happen.
I **know** i pood this time...lol I smelt it but so didnt care...i even had the big cleanout prior to labour too but if there is anything in the way of that babies head its coming on out.
99% of midwives are pure angel...Mine was just the best ever...she still kisses and cuddles me every day she visits...shes just the best....anyways back to the question...lol I smelt it and she had gotten rid of it (dont know how much there was either) before DH even knew about it...he told me I didnt...I said yep I did!!
Danni
If I had pooed I could not have cared less! Trust me you'll be strutting around nude and won't care who sees you. I think I could have walked the corridors of the hospital parrading around nude with poo on me and I wouldn't have cared!! 8-[
thanks guys for reassuring me
ive had a good giggle too
i feel much better...thank you all
Has anyone else ever peed on thier midwife? 8-[ :oops:
When I was in labour I felt like I needed to pee but then it just didn't happen so I felt like a bit of a doofus but during my next contraction (it was a pushy one) I peed on the midwife.
No-one ever told me about this - has it happened to anyone else?
hey dach, id rather pee than poo on her!
great to see your www too. What a big boy! :)
OMG Dach.. lol.. sorry for laughing.. but :lol: Thankfully I did neither. I had bad diarreah for a day and a half before the labour, so I was pretty cleaned out. And it's funny.. they say to keep emptying your bladder during labour.. but I hardly did.. at least I don't remember going regularly.
But I asked DH if I pooed while pushing and he said I didn't. But I gotta say.. the midwife was right.. it feels like your pushing out the biggest poo ever! LOL. So don't hold back just because it feels like you're going to poo.. it's a good thing! Means baby's on his/her way out! :)
I didn't pee on my midwife - just vomited on her instead!