Enemas during labor or pregnancy

It is definitely not standard of care in the US anymore, but can be helpful at encouraging a stubborn, prolonged or prodromal labor.

Yes back in 1965 first child the wife was given a 3H enema by the time i got to her room she was not happy when I walked in the room I knew she had been made to have a bowel moment she bitch about how much soap & water that they gave her that was one of the things she was very unhappy every time she had a contracson everything was my falt but she came out of having the baby boy said lets have more children ! but was given an enema with the nex child in 1967 but the last one in 1970 no enema but when she came how it two days she asked for an enema with i gave a small water enema but she would never hold an enema she want to the toilet it took 3 small enema before she got the hard bowel out of her but she like mose female like to give anyone enema like me but did not like being the one with the enema pipe in her backside.

Most hospitals let the moms make their own birth plan ahead of time, but I know that having intercourse or an enema will speed up labor.

I think the reason for our maternity ward advising a suppository and pooping before leaving home was the inconvenience for the mother to get up and have a bowel movement... and also the risks of pooping during the actual childbirth. Better do it in advance.

RN1993,

Thanks for the post above about the Cochrane article. I have replied below.

The Drayton 1984 study using a low-volume disposable phosphate enema is not comparable to the large volume soapsuds labor enemas given to women in labor in the 1940s-1960s.

The Kovavisarach 2005 study using a 118 ml enema is not comparable to the large volume soapsuds labor enemas given in the 940s-1960s.

The Cuervo 2006 study is the only one listed here where the 1 litre volume enema might be compared to the large volume soapsuds labor enemas of the 1940s-1960s, but the saline enema solution is not comparable in any way to the soapsuds enemas since it is a saline solution that probably matches the salinity of the body so it would not draw any fluid from the body into the colon, which would tend to dehydrate the woman in labor.

In the Clarke 2007 study where the participant group received a standardized enema soap solution, what was the volume of the standardized enema soap solution given to the women? It doesn't say, but I suspect it was not larger than a liter.

The Cochrane article was a review of the previously done studies and what they concluded, but the conclusions of the various studies are based on labor enema procedures that are not the same exact labor enema procedures that were carried out on omen in labor in the 1940s through the 1960s. The four studies cited seem to be concerned with the enema's beneficial effect on infection rates, such as perineal wound infection or other neonatal infections and women's satisfaction. I can't say for sure, but I doubt any pregnant woman in labor in the 1940s-1960s expressed any satisfaction when she was shaved and then given a large volume 3-H soapsuds and glycerin enema while she was having labor contractions.

I just think that the those four studies and the Cochrane article are trying to compare apples and oranges when they try to

compare the enemas used in their studies with the large volume labor enemas of the 1940s-1960s. And it appears they were not really studying whether or not the old 3-H labor enema had any effect on the speed of labor, but concluded the small volume enemas did not speed up labor.

I'm sorry for the long delay in answering, but I didn't know you had posted the reply above until today.

I'm not a doctor, but I read quite a bit when my wife was pregnant. Be careful about looking at the '40s-'60s (or even beyond), as that seems to be pretty much an example in how not to do things from the standpoint of a good labor environment for the mother. Sure, the moms were safe and death rates dropped, but they generally had to do many more interventions than they should and the experience for the moms was pretty miserable.

Most women will find their colon clears itself out naturally during prelabor, and anything that's left is insignificant. I guess if she's very worried about pooping an enema early in prelabor might help ease her mind and help her relax, but that would be about it. Better policy is to ignore anything non-baby coming out and never bring it up again, except possibly the placenta which is kind of cool.

In most cases the best way to have a fast and satisfactory (to the mother) labor is to make sure she's as comfortable as possible and feeling safe, loved and cared for. As noted sex and nipple stimulation may help - they certainly increased frequency and strength of the contractions for my wife. The mom is not feeling good, so why do anything that makes her feel worse unless there's an extremely good reason? In almost all cases there isn't an extremely good reason for an enema during labor.

After reading all these posts I am somewhat suprised that I received ( my first ever ) an enema upon admittance to the L & D room back in 1984 . This was standard hospital procedure , not dr's orders alsogetting shaved as it was discussed when we took our child birth / Lamaze classes during pregnancy . I am glad I knew what to expect !

I would think that from the standpoint of the delivering Dr., I wouldn't want the mother having a BM on the delivery table and dealing with all the intestinal mess that would involve. I would think that a Fleet would empty the mothers' rectum and keep delivery cleaner.

As far as speeding up contractions, injecting the Pitocin drip would work best.

It has also been determined that pre-delivery shaving actually increases the risk of infection. The shaving causes micro-abrasions in the skin and can lead to more skin infections. This is also the reason that when prepping for abdominal surgery now, they only use an electric shaver, not a blade.

I would think that from the standpoint of the delivering Dr., I wouldn't want the mother having a BM on the delivery table and dealing with all the intestinal mess that would involve. I would think that a Fleet would empty the mothers' rectum and keep delivery cleaner.

In many women the prostaglandins clear out the colon during prelabor.

There's a removable basin right under the mother's bottom that catches everything but the baby. There's a whole lot that comes out, and most of it isn't from the intestines. Many times there isn't any poop at all. If anything misses the basin there are towels and gowns that are easily and quickly changed.

The mother is the important part there. The doctor's preferences are mostly irrelevant unless there's an actual medical need for something and the mother agrees (unless someone's life is at risk). There isn't an actual medical need for an enema at labor and think about it - if you were going through labor would you want to be made MORE miserable for NO REASON? If my wife had wanted one because she was worried about poop I would have supported her (and probably given it to her at home early on so it would have the minimum of added discomfort), but she wasn't worried. While she was having the baby I was only concerned about her safety, comfort, and her feeling safe and loved - I certainly wasn't worried about non-baby things that were coming out. If the doctor was squeamish around poop then he's in the wrong line of work and you should get another one.

I had a home birth (well two, both of our kids were born at home). No doctor demanded enema or anything for me.

I did have enemas while I was pregnant. Seems my body decided to quit functioning on its own. So my sub/husband helped to keep me cleaned out and feeling fine every three days. It wasn't my favorite thing to do but I did feel much better afterwards.

I did have enemas while I was pregnant. Seems my body decided to quit functioning on its own. So my sub/husband helped to keep me cleaned out and feeling fine every three days. It wasn't my favorite thing to do but I did feel much better afterwards.

Sounds like you had one of the more frustrating pregnancies. I am very glad that my wife managed to get through our daughters with very few problems. I joke that I got the constipation, hemorrhoids and similar instead of her. Not true of course, the timing doesn't even match up (and they haven't gone away even though our daughter has been out for a while 😡 ), but it's a swap I would have made. Pregnancy does not sound fun.

You're right about feeling better afterwards. Sometimes my enemas feel nice, but even when they're neutral or mildly unpleasant having a colon that works better is so worth it. Not that that means I don't try and roll things back every month or two under a Pollyanna-esque delusion that "it should work just fine on its own." My body usually tells me otherwise within 2 weeks 😢 .

Here's to the women - making men look like wusses in comparison no matter what we do 😉 .

I would think that from the standpoint of the delivering Dr., I wouldn't want the mother having a BM on the delivery table and dealing with all the intestinal mess that would involve. I would think that a Fleet would empty the mothers' rectum and keep delivery cleaner.

I recall reading that pooping during delivery is fairly common but an enema doesn't always clean everything out. So if there's anything left, the medical staff prefer to deal with solid stuff rather than liquid stuff.

It really depends on your doctor. The older doctors still order A fleets enema upon admission and are pretty adamant about the patient complying. It was during my last prenatal appointment that my doctor informed me I would be receiving an enema before the delivery. I kept .my composure as I stared at him but inside I was screaming. This was my first pre-procedure enema and was administered by a female Nurse. It wasn't so bad. Before I had a chance to use the restroom, the lab gal came in to draw my blood. apparently , I am a difficult stick,so she tried for a very long time . Today I barely remember all the needlestick ( there should have only been two) ,contractions and the cramping . Speak to your OB/GYN if you would like one prior to delivery . I'm sure The doctors would not mind at all as it just makes the birth a little more cleaner and probably a little more comfortable for the mother. Congratulations and God bless

It really depends on your doctor. The older doctors still order A fleets enema upon admission and are pretty adamant about the patient complying. It was during my last prenatal appointment that my doctor informed me I would be receiving an enema before the delivery. I kept .my composure as I stared at him but inside I was screaming. This was my first pre-procedure enema and was administered by a female Nurse. It wasn't so bad. Before I had a chance to use the restroom, the lab gal came in to draw my blood. apparently , I am a difficult stick,so she tried for a very long time . Today I barely remember all the needlestick ( there should have only been two) ,contractions and the cramping . Speak to your OB/GYN if you would like one prior to delivery . I'm sure The doctors would not mind at all as it just makes the birth a little more cleaner and probably a little more comfortable for the mother. Congratulations and God bless

They probably won't mind, but they shouldn't be requiring it. I would be very hesitant about going with a doctor who was ignoring current research and making life more difficult for a laboring mother - what else are they ignoring? It is and should be your choice - and doctors who spring stuff on you "last minute" like that (especially if it is not current practice) are ones I would never trust.

For the one home birth I had was told as soon as I was sure the contractions were the real thing to use a suppository.

I did and emptied out within 10 minutes which I assumed helped. Not that I had any problems with other deliveries when I did not take a suppository.

I used to manage an Army training area which had unbelievably rough and steep tracks which could only be negotiated by tracked vehicles or low range 4WD. When the locals had a pregnant wife who was over the estimated date of confinement they asked my permission to take her for a drive in my training area. I understand it was never known to fail!

I have had three babies. It was the rule to get shaved when I entered the labor room and get the enema. Our hospital brought in a commode to use and I HATED it. Gave me an enema and made to use a rollaway potty chair, whats to like about that

On the birth of our two sons, my wife received a pubic and perineal shave, then was given a clear water enema by a rough nurse that made her mad, I helped and holded her as she went to the bathroom inside the prep room, standard procedure for all births

Having had 3 Vaginal deliveries, getting enemas all 3 times was the least of my concerns!

My wife had disposable bag enemas both times in late 70's. The first time they had her done by the time I parked the car and filled out the forms. The second time I hustled up in time for the enema which was done at night with curtain drawn. I had a perfect reflection of a bare bottom with a hose in it in the window and my wife kept complaining I was looking and I would duck behind the curtain whenever she looked. I did watch with interest as towards the end of the bag she stepped on the sidestep of the bed and raised the bag as high as she could. I do occasionally use this technique myself now.

When I had my first child at the hospital It was the rule to get shaved when I entered the labor room and get the enema. When I had my daughter, they did not give me anything, only shaved me. Personally the enema was pleasant and made me remember my childhood.

enemagal said

Most hospitals let the moms make their own birth plan ahead of time, but I know that having intercourse or an enema will speed up labor.

That's a totally anecdotal statement and you don't have any controls or methods to ensure repeatability and your sample size is extremely small. Furthermore, not too may women are having intercourse when they enter labor.

I didn't get shaved or have an enema when I had my daughters 24 and 21 years ago.

I was hoping they'd give me an enema for childbirth but I wasn't so lucky. I did get a fever during the delivery and they gave me a Tylenol suppository. I was feeling so bad with the fever, nothing that occurred was erotic at all.

I got enemas in both my births even if one was natural and one was a C section. The policy in Romania was in the 90's and 2000's that you needed an enema before birth started at least 4 hours before labour. Nowadays some public hospitals still require an enema but not so many as when I gave birth. For example I work at a OB/GYN clinic that does not require the procedure be done. It was demonstrated that it wasn't giving much benefits so it was discarded.

I got enemas in both my births even if one was natural and one was a C section. The policy in Romania was in the 90's and 2000's that you needed an enema before birth started at least 4 hours before labour. Nowadays some public hospitals still require an enema but not so many as when I gave birth. For example I work at a OB/GYN clinic that does not require the procedure be done. It was demonstrated that it wasn't giving much benefits so it was discarded.

Could you go into more detail about the experience. At what stage was it given, where was it done, position, what was used to give it etc…?