POOPING AFTER BIRTH – 9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Whether you’ve had a vaginal delivery or a c-section, pooping after you’ve had a baby can be one of the scariest poops in your entire life. So, I’m here to answer your most common questions to help ease your nerves, and your bowels too.

You’re definitely not alone if you’re having anticipatory anxiety about having your first bowel movement after you’ve given birth. I’d have to say that it’s one of the top concerns that new moms ask me about.

So, I thought I’d share with you some of the most frequently asked questions I have heard in regards to pooping in postpartum, starting with the one I get asked the most…

1. “Do I have to poop before I can leave the hospital?”

Thankfully, no. Decades ago new moms were not allowed to go home from the hospital until they pooped, but their postpartum stay was usually longer than it is now.

I’ve never had a patient not be able to go home because they haven’t pooped. However, if you’ve had a c-section, you may not be able to go home until you’ve passed gas.

You are not required to poop before you’re discharged, but your baby is.

Your baby will not be able to go home until they poop.

Their poop for the first several days is called meconium. It’s dark green/black and thick and sticky, and hard to clean off their bottom. It’s from the digested amniotic fluid they swallowed in the womb. Pediatricians require that babies pass at least one meconium stool before they can be sent home, and the reason for that is to be sure that the anus in patent, in other words, to make sure the plumbing works.

Babies usually poop at least once in the first 24 hours of life and if they don’t, the nurse will notify the pediatrician. To help stimulate baby to poop, sometimes a rectal temperature is taken, or the doctor may order the baby to have a suppository.

2. “When should I poop after giving birth?”

How long it takes to poop after having a baby depends on a lot of things, but both methods of delivery (vaginal and c-section) should expect to have a bowel movement within one week.

Not having a bowel movement for up to one week after giving birth is totally normal. In fact, it’s so normal, that most of my patients don’t even have one while they’re in the hospital. But if they do, it’s like…

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Judging on what I’ve seen, and my own personal experience, the average time it takes to poop after having a baby is about 2-4 days.

Call your doctor if it has been longer than one week, and they will make sure nothing else is going on. They may prescribe you something like a suppository to help make that deuce happen.

3. “Why can’t I poop after a c-section?”

There are a few reasons why it may take a while to be able to poop after a c-section:

1. The anesthesia you were given during the surgery basically shuts down your GI tract, and it takes a while for things to get going again after the anesthesia has worn off. That’s why doctors and nurses may listen to your stomach with a stethoscope (they’re assessing if you have bowel sounds), or they may ask you if you’ve passed gas, because farting means things are moving again.
2. After birth, hormones like progesterone and estrogen are fluctuating. These hormones delay the time it takes for the colon to empty, therefore causing a delay in pooping, and adding to constipation.
3. You’re probably taking narcotics for pain after a c-section, and one of the major side effects of narcotics is that they cause constipation.
4. If you’re anemic or if you had a large blood loss during surgery, you may be prescribed an iron supplement to help increase your blood count. Unfortunately, a side effect of taking iron is constipation.
5. After a c-section, you’re definitely not moving around as much as you normally do. In fact, you’re usually bed ridden for at least the first 12 hours, and you may have even been on bed rest before the delivery. That lack of movement can cause constipation.

You can see why having a c-section is a real set up for becoming constipated. Yet, surprisingly, constipation is also common after having a vaginal delivery.

4. “Why can’t I poop after giving birth vaginally?”

Just like a c-section, there are a few reasons why it may take a while to poop after a vaginal birth:

1. You may have pooped all of your poop out during delivery. Many women poop when they give birth vaginally, and it ain’t no thang. Labor and delivery nurses expect it.
2. After birth, whether c-section or vaginal, hormones like progesterone and estrogen are fluctuating. These hormones can delay the time it takes for the colon to empty, therefore causing a delay in pooping.
3. You may take narcotics for pain if you had an episiotomy or if you had a vaginal or perineal tear during delivery. Narcotics also may be given for uterine cramping, especially if it’s your 3rd or 4th+ baby because the uterus has to cramp harder to shrink back down to size. Narcotics are known to cause constipation.
4. If you’re anemic or if you had a large blood loss during delivery, you may be prescribed an iron supplement to help increase your blood count. Unfortunately, constipation is a side effect of taking iron.
5. After a vaginal delivery, whether you tore or not, you’re usually very sore down below, and this discomfort, and/or your breastfeeding baby, my cause you to not get up to walk very often. You may have even been on bedrest before delivery. This lack of movement can cause constipation.

5. “Does pooping after a vaginal birth hurt?”

Generally speaking, no. I’ve had three vaginal births with second degree tears and stitches, and it never hurt to go poop. Nor have I had any of my postpartum patients who have had vaginal births complain.

Very rarely a woman will have a very big tear, called a third or fourth degree laceration. Those tears extend from the vagina, all the way to the rectum. I’ve never had a mother with a third or fourth degree tear have a bowel movement in the hospital (because they all go home one or two days after they delivery), but I can only assume that they’re naturally going to be more uncomfortable when they do.

With that said, if you had an episiotomy or a tear that required stitches, the stitches are highly unlikely to rip if you poop. Just go about pooping the same way you always did before having a baby. Leaning a little to one side or the other may may help and may give you more comfort.

6. “Does pooping after a c-section hurt?”

Be prepared for it to hurt some since pushing out poop or straining to poop uses the abdominal muscles surrounding your incision.

It’s safe to strain and push poop out after a c-section. Nothing should happen to your incision.

Public Service Announcement: DO NOT delay trying to poop because you’re nervous about it. That will only make things much worse because your poop will just get bigger and harder and more painful to get out.

7. “How do you clean yourself after pooping after birth?”

The way you clean yourself after going poop after having a baby should be the same as it always has. Continue to wipe from the front to back so you don’t push poop and bacteria into your vagina or laceration if you had a vaginal delivery.

The only thing I would recommend is to wipe with flushable wet wipes. If you don’t have any, get your toilet paper wet with a little water. This will make wiping more gentle and it will go quicker.

Or you can wipe with witch hazel pads. Especially if you have hemorrhoids, wiping with moist witch hazel pads (sold at most grocery stores) will give your bottom some extra comfort.

A container of these witch hazel pads (common brand name is Tucks) are usually given to you in the hospital if you had a vaginal delivery. They’re very cool and soothing!

8. “What color should your poop be after birth?”

Your poop should be the color it was before delivery. Stool is usually light to dark brown. Unless, you’re taking iron tablets or Pepto-Bismol, those medicines can cause your stool to be black.

However, blood in the stool also looks black, so be sure to talk to your doctor or midwife if you’re having black stools, especially if you’re not taking iron or Pepto-Bismol.

Foods like beets and colored foods or drinks that contain dyes can also cause stool to change color. I was so taken back when I went to wipe my potty training toddler and his poop was BLUE. Then I put two and (number) two together and remembered the day before he had eaten some crappy cereal that had blue marshmallows in it. My point being, if your poop is blue and you haven’t eaten any crappy cereal with blue marshmallows in it, I encourage you to talk to your doctor, nurse practitioner, or midwife.

9. “What helps you poop after having a baby?”

It’s normal to not poop during the first week after having a baby, but there are things you can do to help things move along quicker.

Here’s a list of things you can do to help get back to your normal routine:

• Stay hydrated by drinking lots of fluids! Also try to drink 4-8 ounces of prune juice daily. Prune juice is high in insoluble fiber and helps stimulate bowel movements.
• Eat anti-constipation foods! Read this excellent article at healthline.com that lists 17 foods that are known to help constipation.
• Get moving! Walking has been proven to be an excellent natural remedy for constipation and gastrointestinal health overall.
• Take stool softeners, such as Colace or Senokot. They are LIFE SAVERS when it comes to preventing hard, painful stools after having a baby. I give one to c-section patients every morning and every night to help prevent constipation due to the anesthesia, limited activity, and narcotics. I also give one morning and night to patients who have stitches from a vaginal birth, and/or to the moms who had a vaginal birth and they are taking narcotics.
• Milk of Magnesia is another medication given to help stimulate a bowel movement.
• MiraLAX and suppositories are the next line of defense if new mothers are uncomfortable and really want to poop, but can’t on their own.
• While on the toilet, try blowing through a straw when you’re trying to push. Even if you don’t have straw, pretend like you do. Do it now just while reading this! You can see how it helps with bearing down on a poop that’s stuck.
• After you’ve tried pushing and straining, then try relaxing. It’s surprising just by the simple act of relaxing on the toilet and not trying so hard can encourage poop to come out. I liken this to when women get epidurals during childbirth. The epidural can make them and their cervix relax, which in turn can actually cause the cervix to dilate faster which may cause the baby to come out quicker.

Don’t Worry, you WILL get Back to Your Normal Pooping Schedule!

I assure you of this! My best advice to you is to follow my tips above and try to be patient. Nature will take its course!

And one more important reminder:

DEFINITELY DO NOT HOLD IT IN BECAUSE YOU’RE SCARED.

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Disclaimer:
The content that I share on Purely Postpartum is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. I encourage you to always seek the advice of your own physician or other qualified health care professional regarding any medical questions or conditions.