Why Pooping During Childbirth is Actually a Good Thing

Mum shares a little secret her birth coach told her before her first child was born.

Nancy Redd tells TODAY that when was pregnant with her first child, her birth coach told her some secrets about labour to help prepare her for what was going to happen.

“She said, ‘You need to listen to (me) and listen good. You are going to feel like you need to poop, and you are going to poop … Just relax and act like you are on the can and you’ll be fine,’” Ms Redd, 36, of New York City, told TODAY.

“If women poop during the delivery they are using the right muscles,” said Dr. Christine Greves, a doctor at the Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology at Orland Health.

Ms Redd was surprised, but she felt relieved someone told her about it.

“I was luckily prepared,” she said.

The mum shared her story because she wants to destigmatize pooping during labor.

“You might poop, and I want you to know it is OK,” she said. “I would like to live in a world where we are confident and comfortable.”

It’s extremely common, because the muscles used during labor are the same as used during defecation.

It is also good for your baby!

“Babies are born with a sterile gut. They don’t have any bacteria in the large intestine,” Tracy Shafizadeh, director of scientific communication at Evolve BioSystems, told TODAY.

As the baby travels through the vaginal canal she’s exposed to mum’s bacteria. When mum poops, baby can pick up important gut bacteria, Shafizadeh said.

“We think ‘Oh god I don’t want people to see me poop,’” said Shafizadeh. “But that is how mom’s bacteria can be transferred to baby.”

Were you told this by your midwife or birth coach?

Share your comments below

25 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 23 Jul 2022
    8:51 am
I have had 3 kids and didnt do this at all. Perhaps I was using the wrong muscles….ah well…too late now 🙂

- - Jbuttxx said
  - 04 Sep 2019
    4:16 am
This knowledge needs to be more common

- - tessie said
  - 31 Aug 2019
    12:54 pm
That’s good to know. So many women would be embarrassed to poop while delivering their baby. To know that it’s safe and normal may help a lot of women understand this.

- - mumof2 said
  - 29 Aug 2019
    3:41 pm
Very interesting! I didn’t poop with my first but did with my second. ???? my midwife was about to leave the room and I told her I felt like pushing and felt like I was going to poop. She said no your not it’s ok and I was like yes yes I am! lol and it happened. She’s like ok yep you are. Hubby didn’t say a word but I was soooo embarrassed!

- - rovermum said
  - 29 Aug 2019
    9:59 am
I wish someone had told me. I had no idea what was happening and I couldn’t believe it. Would have been nice to know, and less embarrassing.

- - Ellen said
  - 29 Aug 2019
    7:52 am
Interesting to read. It’s good when a midwife or birth coach explains this and takes a bit of the embarrassment away

- - mom265671 said
  - 29 Aug 2019
    12:03 am
Very interesting

- - shanika said
  - 28 Aug 2019
    10:27 pm
It happened to me once.

- - mom101628 said
  - 28 Aug 2019
    10:14 pm
Never heard of this before and I did have 4 babies and not a poop at any time.

- - dancingqueenloz said
  - 28 Aug 2019
    8:29 pm
I didnt poop during labour but I wouldnt have mind as its just a normal thing in my mind. Everyone does it.
- Ellen replied
  
  30 Aug 2019 , 7:22 am
  Good attitude !
- - karina_hutchesson said
  - 26 Aug 2019
    11:38 pm
I pooped during the birth of my first baby, in front of my husband, but the midwife was amazing…told me it was perfectly normal, no need to be embarrassed and she cleaned me up, changed the sheet and got back to the business end very quickly. Hubby says he doesn’t think I pooped for babies 2 or 3 and I can’t remember. My question is…do I now tell my 28 year old son that he was healthy because I “pooped” him out?? 🙂

- - rnash02 said
  - 26 Aug 2019
    9:32 pm
Never knew this

- - ella12 said
  - 24 Apr 2018
    10:56 am
I have never heard of this either.

- - tessie said
  - 21 Apr 2018
    3:16 pm
Never heard of this before. Would have helped with the embarrassment

- - alrevedup said
  - 19 Apr 2018
    10:26 pm
My fourth child was late and needed to be induced. I was already dilated and expected to give birth overnight (one of many things my contrary baby fought)
When i was taken to the birthing unit in the morning, all I wanted to do was poop. I believe that means that on some level my body was ready to deliver but something was holding it back. There were a few set backs but I eventually got the stubborn bundle out and if a great big poop came out with it, no-one said a word and i couldn’t care less

- - mom206279 said
  - 19 Apr 2018
    12:58 pm
Nobody will tell me if I pooped or not. My husband will go to his grave telling me that he didn’t see it if I did. But its a great way to describe delivery. It really does just feel like the biggest poo ever.

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 19 Apr 2018
    11:17 am
Very interesting- I never would have realised!

- - Cookfromscratchmum said
  - 19 Apr 2018
    10:21 am
Wow this is new to me and no one told me about

- - rovermum said
  - 19 Apr 2018
    9:37 am
Well, thanks for raising this. 17 years ago I did this and noone told me this was normal. I was so stressed and worried that I needed to poo, and was embarassed. But, it was necessary. My husband was with me, had to see me through it, had to help me. I wish someone had warned me or prepared me for this.

- - Ellen said
  - 19 Apr 2018
    4:21 am
It might be a good tip, but personally I absolutely don’t feel for pooing in the presence of other people.