Pooping During Childbirth
Updated July 9th, 2018
The truth is most people poop when they are giving birth. If there is poop in your colon then the pressure of your baby moving through your birth canal will push it out.
The reason you poop is because you use the same muscles to give birth as you use to poop. You will often hear your nurse, midwife or doctor telling you “to push like you are pooping”.
Hot labour and delivery tip:
- Try not to resist pushing in fear of pooping. This can make the birth of your baby more difficult and longer.
- No need to worry… your nurse or midwife will wipe away any poop, you probably won’t even know it happened.
Can I prevent this?
Not really! The practice of giving enemas is no longer standard practice. So for the concerned parent to be, take heart because it isn’t as bad as you imagine. Enjoy everything that you can about your experience of having a baby. Pooping is the last thing you should have to worry about ….poop happens!