Pooping during a water birth?

missbritt77 · November 2011

I'm planning an at home water birth, do you poop during child birth? I know a lot of women poop during a regular birth but I've never heard of it during a water birth... any one know? Any thoughts?? I really hate the idea of pooping in my own bathtub, full of water...ewh...

sschwege · November 2011

I have seen it on birth shows where a MW uses a fish net to scoop it out. Not sure what would happen if it was more loose though.

Sawyerplus1 · November 2011

sschwege:
I have seen it on birth shows where a MW uses a fish net to scoop it out. Not sure what would happen if it was more loose though.

This. I've heard stories of MWs or nurses discretely scooping it with a net. I had a water birth with #1 and didn't, as far as I know, poo in the water.

iris427 · November 2011

Yes, they usually scoop it out with a little fish net. Once you're that far into labor, you probably won't care.

star173 · November 2011

iris427:

Yes, they usually scoop it out with a little fish net. Once you're that far into labor, you probably won't care.

What are you doing up?

indiana101 · November 2011

This is one of my concerns too! We are planning a homewater birth and the idea of floaties not only grosses me out but embarrases the hell out of me! It's not the midwives I'm concerned about but DH, who after almost 5 years together has yet to even fart infront of me )and vice versa).

iris427 · November 2011

star173:
iris427:

Yes, they usually scoop it out with a little fish net. Once you're that far into labor, you probably won't care.

What are you doing up?

Gus is boycotting sleep. He thinks he is a newborn again. What were you doing up?

pinksweetpea2 · November 2011

indiana101:
This is one of my concerns too! We are planning a homewater birth and the idea of floaties not only grosses me out but embarrases the hell out of me! It's not the midwives I'm concerned about but DH, who after almost 5 years together has yet to even fart infront of me )and vice versa).

You won't notice...trust me.

moxie9 · November 2011

I had a water birth, and I didn't poop (I had a really long labor and couldn't keep any food down, so I was "empty"). However, the baby's first order of business in this world was to unleash a ridiculous amount of meconium. So, just so you're aware, there might be sh!t in the water either way. And honestly? It doesn't even matter--you'll be too busy wowing over your baby.

kerryholmes · November 2011

I personally did not, but one of the items on my "to get" list from my midwife was a little fish net... for that very reason. Hey, sh*t happens

apple_green · November 2011

I've heard of nurses calling water births "poop soup." Sorry - lol!

LindseyJW · November 2011

yup, poop happens in waterbirth, too!!

my MW used a scoop as PP mentioned. and loose poop is scooped the same way, to the extent it can be.

i think if the words i said during my labor were counted for repetition, by far, POOP would win. i didn't talk much, but when i did it was to announce that i was hungry, thirsty or there was poop in the water (it was dimly lit, so hard for MW to notice otherwise).

[Deleted User] · November 2011

I did, during my final push. It was pretty loose, so the pool got clouded (eww). I didn't know until my husband told me a couple of days later. I felt bad that he was in the pool, haha. I certainly don't feel embarrassed, because hey, what can you do?

I was really glad I did though, because I hadn't gone for over 24 hours and I couldn't go again for like three days.

Mamasaurus · November 2011

It might happen. My MW recommends having an aquarium net on hand to use as a "pooper scooper." An enema is sometimes used as a natural way to speed labor if you're progressing slowly, so it must be safe. If the idea of popping in your water totally horrifies you, asking your doctor or MW about an enema can't hurt. Then you (probably) won't have any poop left when you get into the water.

frlcb · November 2011

Yes, I had to get a fish net scoop thing, and yes I pooped in the water, a lot according to my dh. I was worried about it before hand but could not have cared less during the moment.

Bluescarf · November 2011

I had a waterbirth and did not poop. I was super worried about it though almost the whole pregnancy. My midwives told me, when I finally asked about it, that you usually won't poop during a natural labor unless you get pitocin, because when your body naturally gets ready to give birth it tries to expel the waste beforehand. Super true for me. I pooped a dozen or so times the 10 hours before ds was born, while I was in "light" labor. I'm not sure if this would be true if you get your membranes stripped, but I didn't have any interference at all throughout the whole pregnancy.

frlcb · November 2011

Bluescarf:
I had a waterbirth and did not poop. I was super worried about it though almost the whole pregnancy. My midwives told me, when I finally asked about it, that you usually won't poop during a natural labor unless you get pitocin, because when your body naturally gets ready to give birth it tries to expel the waste beforehand. Super true for me. I pooped a dozen or so times the 10 hours before ds was born, while I was in "light" labor. I'm not sure if this would be true if you get your membranes stripped, but I didn't have any interference at all throughout the whole pregnancy.

I have had 2 natural births, no pitocin or 'interference' and pooped during both of them. I don't know how true what they said is.

wifeofadam · November 2011

I pooped during mine and it wasn't a big deal. They just scooped it out. Honestly, I was in too much pain to care at all.

And, I've pooped with all of my natural labors. My body never gets the memo to clean out beforehand. lol

BriDaily · November 2011

OMG! I wish I had taken a laxative the day before when I was in prodromal labor. I was on the toilet at one point and I was thinking to myself, "I just want to poop now, because if I don't then I know... I KNOW, I'm going to poop in the tub." Well, it just didn't want to come out at the time and decided to come out while I was pushing my DS out in the water. But hey, that's what a fish net is for

Bluescarf · November 2011

frlcb:

Bluescarf:
I had a waterbirth and did not poop. I was super worried about it though almost the whole pregnancy. My midwives told me, when I finally asked about it, that you usually won't poop during a natural labor unless you get pitocin, because when your body naturally gets ready to give birth it tries to expel the waste beforehand. Super true for me. I pooped a dozen or so times the 10 hours before ds was born, while I was in "light" labor. I'm not sure if this would be true if you get your membranes stripped, but I didn't have any interference at all throughout the whole pregnancy.

I have had 2 natural births, no pitocin or 'interference' and pooped during both of them. I don't know how true what they said is.

They just said usually, not always. They are a very large midwifery practice and see a lot of births everyday. I think they were talking about averages of what they see. Lots of women call from home and often say they've had a lot of bowel movements, then go into active labor soon after. I don't think they meant always for everyone. Turned out to be true for me.

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