Q:

“Will I poop during delivery? I will be mortified. How can I stop it?”
– Ashley (asking for a friend, of course)

A:

Well, Ashley, that’s a pretty normal question. I get it at almost every prenatal class I teach. Here are five things to consider:

1.

It is less likely to happen if you go into labor on your own. You will often clean yourself out during early labor at home. If you come in for an induction, you miss out on that part.

2.

Doctors used to order enemas. You don’t want that. Also, it didn’t really help and just made labor even LESS fun. We will NOT do them anymore. I’ve had patients ask and the doctors just laugh.

3.

It is humanly impossible to clench the poop-exit area, while not clenching the baby-exit-area. Hence, you’ll be pushing against closed muscles. Average pushing time on your first baby is 2 hours. You don’t need anything preventing delivery.

4.

It’s what we do. We clean-up poop, and vomit, and urine, and blood. The nurse will stick a cloth there and clean you up regularly. It is NOT a big deal for us. Also, we are happy to see it, because it means you ARE pushing in the right area. That is a happy thing!

5.

If you do (and frankly, the majority do) no one will ever talk about it. If they do, you need to question your relationship with them. Gosh darn it, that baby pushes RIGHT on that area, it’s humanly impossible to prevent it. In the immortal words of our friend Elsa. Let it go. 🙂

So, those are my thoughts on pooping. Got any other questions?

Unlike me, Hilary is a nurse who has worked in various medical fields for the past 14 years, however, none of the information on this blog should be substituted for the care of a physician. You’re smart. You get it. Call your doctor if something seems weird.