Ever hear the phrase "What happens in labor, stays in labor?" Alas, it's not a real affair (yet), but it definitely should be, especially when it comes to pooping. Indeed, ane of the nitty-gritty details that your friends likely omitted from the labor stories they've related is the fact that you'll probably poop during the process.

While information technology doesn't sound like a grand time, pooping during childbirth is very normal and even expected. Here'southward a bit more about this less-than-fun bath topic, why it happens to so many women and possible means to avoid it (or not worry about information technology) altogether.

Is pooping during labor normal?

Information technology's completely normal to poop during labor and, in fact, most women practice experience it.

E'er worry whether doctors care if you poop during labor? Information technology's actually one of the top childbirth fears that expectant women harbor. But rest assured your wellness care provider is solely focused on the wellbeing of yous and your baby on the way — and virtually nothing else. A safe and healthy delivery is all that really matters to doctors and nurses.

A little escaping poo may even occur more than than once, only anybody in the labor and commitment room is prepare for information technology because information technology happens all the time. The infirmary staff is trained to quickly and efficiently make clean up the mess, so you might not fifty-fifty notice it. The fix: One of the labor team nurses will whisk it away, without announcing its inflow, with a bit of gauze or a clean towel.

Why do you poop during labor?

Women ofttimes poop during labor for a number of normal, natural reasons:

Changing hormones

Every bit your body preps for labor, your hormones are in flux, causing the muscles of your uterus, cervix and rectum to loosen. Some pre-labor diarrhea and pooping during labor can result.

Baby'southward position

Certain movements during labor tin can shift your babe effectually and put extra pressure on your rectum, especially if she'southward caput down but facing out towards your front (called the occiput posterior position).

Begetting downwardly

Truth: Pushing a baby out kind of feels like having a bowel motility since the muscles y'all utilise for both are exactly the same. And, of class, as you lot behave downwardly, annihilation in the full general vicinity will get eased out along the mode — hence the pooping during labor.

Can you lot avert pooping during labor?

Back in the solar day, nurses had women empty their bowels before labor via enemas. Just it turns out that this practise didn't offering whatsoever medical benefits — and if y'all've ever had ane, information technology's not very pleasant to, um, sit down through.

Luckily, science backs up the change in exercise. A review of studies constitute that enemas didn't reduce infection rates and many women weren't peachy to endure them either.

Of course, you can inquire for an enema when you arrive at the hospital to attempt and foreclose pooping during labor. And you tin stay hydrated as well every bit consume lightly as your day approaches in the hopes of avoiding large bowel movements. But fifty-fifty with these efforts, keep in mind that it's pretty likely y'all'll still laissez passer some poop when you push.

Pooping during labor happens to many women, which means not only is information technology a normal occurrence, you're also in very good company. The all-time advice is to try not to focus on this niggling sideshow since the main event is what labor and commitment is all about: the nascency of your beautiful baby.