Postpartum Panic: Mum’s First Poo After Giving Birth

Here’s something you don’t read about everyday. How often do you hear a discussion about the first time you dropped the kids off at the pool after giving birth?

Probably not much” – or never, but we at SAHM aren’t afraid to go there! You’re not alone if you feel, or felt, worried about doing your first postpartum poo.

When will it happen and will it hurt?

Most likely, you won’t even need to do one for a day or so and by then it probably won’t hurt anyway. After the birth of your baby the whole area will be numb, while the over-stretched nerves recover for a few days.After a tear or stitches, it is totally understandable that you would be feeling vulnerable about your waa-hoo just now. Answering the “call of doodey” won’t affect your stitches or make your tear any bigger. When it is time to go, support your perineum to feel more secure, using your hand or you could hold a clean sanitary pad against your perineum when you go to the toilet.

Time to go!

One should never strain when attempting to do a number 2. The optimum technique is to sit forward on the toilet with your feet on tippy toes and gently plunge your stomach muscles down (like a coffee plunger) to get the motion rolling rather than straining an already delicate area.

If you’re the nervous type, you could practice for weeks beforehand.

Make room for lunch

  For heavens’ sake, once it’s time to go don’t put it off. Becoming constipated is common after giving birth, so much so you’re likely to be given some sort of stool softener or laxative after your birth. Coloxal is a commonly used stool softener, available over the counter from the chemist. Laxatives that draw water to your bowels are best suited for the delicate, damaged lady parts. At a time like this, particularly if you are breastfeeding, laxatives should be prescribed.

Drink loads of fluids, walk around a bit and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables to get things moving. High-fibre foods help to soften your poo, making pears or pear juice more effective than any amount of licorice or prunes.

How about you? How did you get through your first postpartum poo panic?

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

See Full Bio