When I was pregnant with my first son, I was immediately anxious about four things related to childbirth:

1. How painful is this going to be?
2. Will I survive?
3. Will my baby survive?
4. Will I poop while pushing?

Not to be so dramatic about it, but I know I’m not the only one that ranked that particular concern so high…

Here’s the fact – sh*t happens – literally. 

There isn’t much data on the subject, but best estimates are that about half of all vaginal births include poop! And if you get L&D (Labor & Delivery) nurses talking, they might say that number is actually much higher!

In my quest for data, like any sane person, I went to TikTok and asked – Did you poop? What was your experience? 

Over 100 comments later, I tallied up the responses. Across all reported births I found 58 said yes, 63 said no, and 18 were not sure.

With this very scientific study (see: sarcasm), I found that postpartum women are fairly split down the middle. 42% said yes, 45% said no, and 13% were not sure.

I’ve had two vaginal births and I can honestly say that I have no idea if I pooped the bed. I was too busy laboring! My husband was too nervous to head south and watch, so I don’t think he would know either. Besides, I looked him right in the eye after a serious contraction had left me winded and said with the intensity of a simmering volcano before the eruption, “Do not tell me if I’m pooping.” 

He’s a good man and kept his word.

But here’s the thing, it’s actually nothing to be ashamed about and it is out of our control. Even if you didn’t go during the final pushes, you likely cleared the way earlier (see my post about labor). Let’s revisit our anatomy, shall we?

In the above image, shared by Lamaze.org, you can compare the pre-pregnant body and organs to the pregnant body at 36 weeks gestation. In the former, the organs have space. In the latter, the birth canal (the passageway from the uterus to the cervix and vagina) is situated between the bladder and the rectum. As the baby travels down the birth canal, it puts pressure on those organs and on everything that they hold. 

Next, let’s talk about the act of pushing. Whether you’ve had an epidural or not, as your body prepares for the final stage of delivery, you may feel an intense pressure on your rectum. Again, see how little space there is between the birth canal and the rectum? It will feel like a need to empty your bowels. You will use the same abdominal muscles that you use for the largest bowel movement of your life to also push the baby down that birth canal. So if you do the #2, you are actively engaging the right muscles and bringing your baby into the world!

Pooping during delivery is such a common and expected occurrence that your L&D team will handle it quickly, professionally, and sympathetically.

Towels, bags, and the like are on hand during delivery for this specific purpose. They want you to have a clean and empowering experience. They are literal angels on earth. 

One L&D nurse, @bethycooke80, replied to my TikTok post and said: “I’ll never announce that you did. If you ask, I will tell you that you didn’t, even if you did.”

Now that’s what I would call an Auntie – another woman looking out for you!

One last thought on this topic before I put the poop-theme to bed this week. My kids are now almost 10, 8, and 5 years old. Even just five years ago, I was mortified to even think about this topic. If anyone mentioned it to me, it was a hushed tone of pride that they didn’t poop during delivery.

I debated even posting about it on TikTok, thinking that people would be too embarrassed to share their stories. I was wrong. I was delightfully surprised by the candor that these women have about such an intimate part of their stories. As I am writing this, the comments keep coming. 

What a wonderful world we are living in that postpartum women are now willing to share their stories so that pregnant women can live without fear of the unknown or embarrassment of the normal. It’s a beautiful sisterhood of aunties and I’m glad that we are a part of it!

This reflection was written by Co-Founder, Ashleigh Riehl. Do not interpret this information as medical advice. If you have any questions about your anatomy or what to expect during labor and delivery, please speak with your medical professionals.