The first poo after baby is born
This can be a dreaded moment, but it doesn’t need to be!
After your labour, especially if you had a vaginal delivery, but also if you spent time pushing, this first poo can feel pretty scary! After delivering a baby, the last thing you want to do is push again. It's understandable to feel vulnerable about this part of your body, but feeling tense or avoiding the poo will make it harder to pass.
You may not need to do a poo for a day or two after giving birth, even if you usually go daily.
When you feel the urge to poo, please don't put it off. Waiting can make you constipated!
A little gentle exercise helps assist digestion, so have a walk around, drink lots of water and eat plenty of fibre-rich foods.
Drink plenty of water, as dehydration hardens poo, which makes it more difficult and uncomfortable to pass.
If you've had stitches or a tear, doing a poo won't make the tear any bigger, or make your stitches come away. Your perineum (the area between your vagina and anus) may feel a little numb because the nerves inside and around your vagina are stretched from your baby's birth. Try supporting your perineum by holding a sanitary towel against it, or a wad of toilet paper, from the front. This may make you feel secure while you try. Once feeling returns to the area, this support may also help to ease any soreness. Normal sensation will usually come back in a few days, but it can take longer.
Make sure you are sitting in the ‘optimal toileting position’, see below, to help pass the stool. It makes SUCH a huge difference.
Do you know the optimal way to empty your bowels?
● Positioning
o Place your feet on a footstool or if you don’t have one, use rolls of toilet paper instead. Your knees should now be slightly above the level of your hips.
o Lean forwards with your forearms rested on your thighs.
● Brace
Widen your waist and smile. You can achieve a gentle o brace by making a ‘tss’ sound. Smiling will help your anal sphincter and pelvic floor muscles relax.
● Bulge
o Let your tummy relax and bulge it forwards away from you as you hold the brace. Do this with each urge. Remember not to strain.
Note:
Do not suck your stomach in.
Do not bear down to empty.
These are the actions of straining and pushing. They will actually close off the anus rather than relaxing and opening it, making it harder to empty.