Patients Passing Stools During Labor

[MichaelBasic]

Many laboring women pass stool during labor. Does dealing with this issue bother you? We would never mention it to the patients as a nuisance to deal with but it is certainly an unpleasant part of the job.

What cleanup methods do you employ for stools passed on the delivery table?

What are your experiences and opinions on dealing with this issue?

I also notice the patients worry about it often and I just reassure them its nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm interested in hearing thoughts regarding your patients' experiences as well.

[bagladyrn, RN]

Doesn't bother me at all - childbirth just isn't a neat tidy business.

I generally just keep a pile of dampened wipes within arms reach and quickly swipe the area and replace the underpad as needed between pushes.

I try to reassure pts. who are concerned about this ahead of time that it is minimal,normal and in fact, is an indication they are pushing properly.

[Little_Babycatcher]

Ditto what bagladyrn said. Most of my mamas aren't really even aware of it happening when it does. I just reassure them that if it happens, it just means they pushed correctly!

[vandermom]

If you have a patient who is often verbalizing she hopes she doesn't poop pick up on this anxiety and offer her a fleets enema. Sometimes, when doing a vag exam, you can feel stool in the rectum. Again if pt has made mention of this fear offer an enema.

As fara as taking care of the stoll during pushing is no different than keeping dry pads under them except you swipe the anal area to clean off the stool before discarding. As stated by little_babycatcher it is a good indicator that she is pushing well.