Enemas for childbirth

I had my kids in the late 90's. I also had home births with both. There was no discussion of an enema before delivery with my midwives either time. Though I was constipated with both kids so I was receiving enemas right up to the day of delivery. It wasn't all that comfortable receiving, but being constipated was not picnic either. I'm sure the enemas helped to not have a bowel movement during delivery though.

Dear Miss Stress, and others - You mention that you had enemas during pregnancy right up to delivery. My wife was pregnant with our second child during one of the times when I was (unsuccessfully) trying to get her interested in enema play. She would get constipated and I would offer (pretty, please with sugar and cream) to give her an enema but she used the excuse that you are not supposed to have enemas when pregnant because they can trigger labor. Just an excuse because she did not like enemas?

Just wondering. When not pregnant she agreed to let me give her a few enemas and she gave me some but she never got into it as I had hoped. She is a great wife, but just does not like enemas.

From my own experience living more than a 30 minute drive from the hospital once I really went into labor there was something of a rush to prep me for delivery. Things happened so fast there was certainly no time to shave it down there and it would have taken even more people to do an enema. It was not really offered, because like so many things in my life so far, it took a long time for things to happen. I carried a set of twins to full term after all, but once they started happening they happened so fast I barely knew what hit me!!

As for the decline of enemas and shaving as prep for childbirth, medical science has finally realized that both practices are founded in inaccurate premises. The occasional defecation is messy and stinky, but offers little danger to the newborn. As for mom's pubic hair contaminating the infant, current thinking in immunology is that early exposure to microbes and allergens is healthy to the development of a robust immune system. Read the current studies on food, especially peanut allergies.

The evidence keeps getting clearer that children born vaginally have fewer immune and allergy problems all their life than those born by C-Section

My pediatrician wanted me to expose the kids to things like peanuts and oranges as soon as they could eat them, I had them licking peanut butter off my finger while they were still going from breast milk to solid food Totally confused the dog!! He thought he was supposed to lick stuff of my fingers

I had them drinking little bits of home squeezed orange juice again in between breast feedings just to see when they were ready.

The pediatrician is of the same belief as me. If there ARE allergy problems the earlier we know it the better!!

The evidence keeps getting clearer that children born vaginally have fewer immune and allergy problems

Whilst there isn't a huge amount of evidence it works vaginal seeding is becoming popular and something a family member of mine did when she had a c-section. Obviously being born via section means babies don't pass through the microbateria of the vaginal canal so some are trying using a cotton swab inserted into moms vagina then it's wiped onto baby.

http://www.bmj.com/content/352/bmj.i227.full

So I guess clearing the bowel prior to birth may remove bacteria of the gut which can get to baby which for all we know promoted immunity.

Then again I guess if you test positive to group B strep you don't want them going through vaginal/ rectal bacteria.

I think essentially the old fashioned shave and enema was when we didn't have a true understanding and didn't respect the fact evolution works remarkably well and if there is contamination during birth then it's probably got a benefit. I know it's off topic but similar principle they don't recommend cooling patients with head injuries anymore; I was listening to an online lecture and the researcher said actually it doesn't help and the body isn't designed to go down to those temperatures and we were probably caused more damage then good.

I was neither shaved nor given an enema preparing for childbirth in '73 and '75. Vaginal delivery. Labor about 3 or 4 hours.

We started solid food at one month with rice cereal, graduating to more and more types of baby food each month until meat at around 5 months. I nursed and, with the second, introduced a little rice cereal before one month of age so he would sleep through the night. No nuts or peanut butter for fear of choking. Introduced cow's milk at four months. Both boys have no food allergies and never did, thankfully.

Also, we had pets. It has been reported that children raised in households with pets develop fewer allergies. I now know people who insist that we take off shoes when we enter their homes.

(As an aside, I am guessing that germaphobes are sexually inhibited. Not Susie, of course. 😃 )

My wife got enemas with all three kids back in the 70s. I did watch one of them being given because it was dark and I could see the reflection in the window. They used a disposable bag and when my wife complained she was full the nurse picked the bag up over her head!

My kids were all delivered by the same ob/gyn (male) in the same hospital. In each case, an enema was part of their standard prep and was included in the literature distributed prior to admission (1978-1987).

Those enemas, while in labor, were a very negative aspect and turned her against them, even though enemas were pretty common in her family as well as mine. We did share the same pediatrician also.

It would seem that many physicians were set in their ways and frequently prescribed certain medications and treatments. I am confident that many other patients had their share of enemas in our community!

BTW…a fountain syringe and combination syringe, always hung in the bathroom at her parent's house as well.

By the time of my first pregnancy everything happened so fast there would not have been time for an enema. It was twins and it all happened so quick.

The second one did go slower but an enema was never offered and likely would have been rejected had it been!

I'm told I was born in the “transitionary phase” when the majority of hospitals were allowing fathers in the delivery room but had them shut up, stay out of the way and just watch.

A “small” enema that, as it turned out was a quart or so of water with essentially the same amount of saline as was in a Fleet enema was given and was not really something you wanted to start off on the wrong foot by refusing!

My mother confided to me that when I was born she did indeed receive a ‘ large volume enema ‘ to ’ clean her out ‘ prior to moving on into the delivery room . I am of the ’ baby boomer ‘ generation as to age and such was the case for practically all of our ’ moms ‘ in their childbearing years as to almost a ‘ rite of passage ’ when a baby was born . Mom also indicated that her mom stayed a few weeks with our now new family with my ‘ new ’ grandmother giving mom home enemas to relieve some nagging ‘ postpartum ‘ constipation issues . ’ New mothers ’ receiving and then giving enemas were not an issue in my day as all was ’ American Home Life ‘ as I lived and remember it during that day which I do cherish as our ’ Golden Age ' !!

It's been a long time - but I believe my wife got a small fleet or low volume enema during her first labor. For the second child, she took one at home before we went to the hospital. Not sure they even required it at that time, but she did it at home as a precaution so they wouldn't do it at the hospital.

Not sure they even required it at that time, but she did it at home as a precaution so they wouldn't do it at the hospital.

Hopefully you got to (ass)ist with that!

Hopefully you got to (ass)ist with that!

She was in labor at the time - no way was she gonna let me help - I think if I got in her way she would've hurt me!!!

I have not watched the programme mentioned but the descriptions here are what I have heard from people that went through it at the time.

I used to work at a nursing home, and considering their age, some of the clients was completely open about what happened to them.

At the time the programme is set I think it was preferred you gave birth at home, except for those where it was thought they were at risk.

I was never offer an enema, so I can only guess they were phased out in the 90's, but a lot of the ladies I spoke to said that they had to have one. It has to be remembered that this was a time in the UK when enemas were unknown to the masses and never spoken about. The talked about the embarrassment of having to expose their bum and having a tube stuck up it. As for shaving, they said that they had to be shaved by a nurse which they found embarrassing as the act was quite public and it was a part of their body they had only recently exposed to people except their husband because of the pre natal exams. They said it was common for a sister to come up to you, pull the bed sheets back and pull up your nightie to check that the nurse had done their job right.

Some did not have a birthing room, but you gave birth in the ward, and I was told that it scared them so much hearing the screams of pain (and cursing) that they did not need an enema.

The thing that surprised me the most, was not the birthing experience, but how they got pregnant. They said that they were so innocent about sex, that most only found out what was going to happen on their wedding night, a few days before their wedding day.

Some said they never never let their husbands see them naked, and love making was done in the dark which I can believe as when they “invented” the bikini in the late 50's, even though it existed from at least Egyptian times, and clearly seen in pictures from the 40's, they had to employ a model that did nudes pictures because none of their regular models would expose their belly buttons. Come up to the modern day, when three generations of my family (me, daughter, granddaughter walked around town in the warmer weather wearing crop tops, our belly buttons totally exposed. How things have change..

And you can forget oral!

I have heard of a couple of women who requested and got a Fleet prior to delivery but no regular warm and soapy enemas have been administered for years. I didn't have one when delivering my daughter and she didn't have any when delivering our grandchildren either.