Will I Poo When I Give Birth?

This can be such a worry for women approaching birth. Everybody poos but lets face it, we are used to being in privacy, alone and behind a bathroom door, not with an audience while in a very vulnerable state. 

Sorry to be so blunt but yes, as the saying goes sh*t happens. The likelihood some of your number 2 will be visible for others to see is, I’m afraid, likely. Seen as the proximity of the vagina and the anus is pretty close, while baby is descending the birth canal it may way well push a little poo out on its way. 

You’ll be glad to know I have a couple things to tell you that may ease your mind. 

For starters, you might not believe me now, but you really won’t care in the moment, and even if you do, you will have more pressing matters on your mind!

Secondly, your midwife will be extremely discreet and won’t draw any attention to it, they’ve seen it all before!. They know where and when to place the pads and actually have a special little sieve they use for water births and they are very swift with the clean up.

If you ask a midwife, they will probably share with you that they find it an exciting and joyous sign that baby is very near!

Another interesting fact is that there is some (relatively new) research that suggests pooing during birth may positively contribute to baby’s microbiome development, possibly giving them a healthier start (basically building up immunities from the start). 

Once baby is here, you will become almost obsessed with the brown (or sometimes green, yellow or even black!) stuff, you’ll be discussing it with other mums and your partner like it’s a segment on the daily news. And from the very start, you’ll be told to keep an eye on the contents of your little ones nappies to ensure they are healthy and hydrated.

And let not forget your dreaded first poo after birth. I wonder if anyone has shared with you just how awful it is… well it might not be! Especially if you stay clean, hydrated and relaxed-yes, you can even use some hypnobirthing techniques to get through it- dont let it be another worry on your mind.

So, I hope this has helped ease your mind, just a tad at least, and remember -everybody poos!