Enemas during labor or pregnancy

I had my first baby nearly 3 years ago and my second earlier this year. An enema was not even offered for either birth. After reading some of the posts here I seriously thought about having my husband give me one before we left for the hospital with our second. Labor came on so fast that we didn't have time to even think about it. If we had done one it might have meant that we'd have to call EMS.

In the US enemas before delivery are not routine anymore.

On a recent showing of the BBC, "Call The Midwife", an enema was shown being given during labor to one of the English patients. It was such a hot and sexy scence. I love that show! It is set in London just after WWII. Of course, this doesn't answer the above posted question, but I thought that I would mention it.

Lady Teddy, who has never had children, dog Mom to two canines

A friend of me had been in the clinic for the birth. She had given a enema before she was brought to the surgical room.

When I was pregnant twice a week I was forced enema from my father (male) who was nurse. It happened to you?

My sons are 14 and younger, and I did not have an enema. It was not mentioned, was not offered, or even suggested at any point during my pregnancies. I had an OBGYN, went often, had hospital births in birthing suits. My first was a rushed induction due to my blood pressure, but I was still in hospital 12 hours before they even started. The second came on his own and ended up being a traumatic experience due to fetal distress. I really did not pay much attention to if shit happened or not, but I know from watching animals go through the process often mother nature takes care of that issue. I do know with the one who came naturally my bowels were loose the whole day before (there is more info than you needed to know).

Also, as a woman who refused having an epidural because of serious complications my Aunt had with hers...I can promise you there is no easy way out...ever LOL.

The BBC series "Call the Midwife" covers the subject of L&D enemas quite well. I was born in 1950 and the shave and large volume hot soapsuds enema ("3-H" in nursing parlance) was a routine procedure. I remember when I was a small child, maybe 5-6 years-old, listening to my mother's friends discuss these enemas and even at my young age gathered they were quite an event. If someone brought the enema subject up it seemed to be a topic of discussion that held and it seems that they all had their own individual accounting of the procedure. I did however note that everyone of these women spoke of these enemas with mixed tones of admiration, dread and awe at their sheer volume. For my mother to speak of these enemas with a tone of dread was impressive to me at such a young age because my mother , and thus I, was no stranger to the enema procedure. Years later, when I became an RN the enema was no longer mandatory and some docs ordered it and some did not and my understanding is that this is now, at this point in time, a thing of the past.

Is there a link available for the Call the Midwife enema scene ?

As I understand it, enemas can help labor progress more smoothly because a backed-up-with-shit large colon stalls things when it causes the surrounding pelvic muscles just to get stiff and blocked. I've never given birth but I have had a plethora of IBS and constipation--if my vagina or its surrounding muscles wanted to do anything, it wasn't going to happen until that shit came out and the pressure it caused released. And once everything was unblocked, my vagina and pelvic floor muscles got unblocked too. If I ever felt constipated during labor I might want a gentle enema for said unblocking purposes.

As it has been pointed out, enemas are not given anymore because they're not necessary. Most OB doctors caution their use during pregnancy because they can precipitate early labor.

Mashie may correct me if I am wrong, but MANY years ago, enemas during labor was a common practice, as an episiotomy was preformed prior to delivery. I believe this was done to reduce the possibility of contamination by fecal material during the bearing down process of delivery. Being a male, I have no direct experience in this matter, but as a retired paramedic, I do remember reading something to that effect in some old medical texts.

My wife was went through a very long labor period and while she was on the medication for some reason she could not have a BM. So the nurse gave her an enema. The sad thing is my wife had never heard of an enema so watch her face as the nurse explained to her the process was classic

Its YOU, big K, who need to do the research. Look up castile soap. Maybe you Brits don't have it in England, but it has been popular in EVERY HOSPITAL in America for MANY DECADES, and is MUCH safer than Pitocin. Mashie it sounds like YOU need a good enema cause your really CRANKY today!!

There are MANY doctors AND nurses who totally disagree with you on the importance of enemas in childbearing, and many other areas. It is a fact that the medical industry has sold out good old fashioned remedies that worked fine, and replaced them with much more dangerous chemicals for profit. there are many great discoveries in the Med field, but there is also MANY deaths from MEDICAL MALPRACTICE. Bet you didn't know that more people die from MALPRACTICE than ACCIDENTAL GUNSHOT. Look it up..and I didn't single out women, I said MEN TOO. and I stand on my statement that MANY people look for the EASY way out of almost everything.just look at whats going on in America nowadays....

As others have mentioned the use of enemas before delivery has long been abandoned. I did my obstetrics placement about 22 years ago and at that time it was already complied to history. No women were offered them and for that matter also no women were shaved before delivered as was the case previously.

Manybags said:-

its YOU, big K, who need to do the research.look up castile soap.

I'm sorry manybags that you should choose to attack my contribution about chemicals in soap.

I had done my research and you could too - at http://www.buzzle.com/articles/castile-soap-ingredients.html where the constituents of castile soap are clearly stated to include Lye's, which are described there as:- Lye crystals are nothing but caustic soda, rather a solution of potassium or sodium hydroxide. It is an important ingredient as it leads to saponification, the process of hydrolysis of fat into soap. Hence, it is an important ingredient of castile soap. Sodium hydroxide is used in making solid castile soap while potassium hydroxide is used in liquid castile soap.

I acknowledge that castile soap has an innocent base of olive oil and up to a point thats fine - but if you want to put caustic soda into your rectum, or anyone else's for that matter, it's your, or their, choice!

Has anyone watched Call the Midwife? BBC production shown on PBS. It went two seasons I think. I enjoyed it. Based on memoirs written by a midwife in the UK in the 1950s. Anyway, every time the midwife went out for a delivery they made a point of her packing enema gear. Then administering one to the patient in her home (nothing graphic of course but the discussion was explicit). Then showed them cleaning the kit when back at their base station. Since this was based on a midwife's memoirs I assume that enemas were pretty routine as a part of deliveries at this time in the U.K. I was in medical school in the late 60s. They were still given then but it was clearly fading. I do recall one delivery I attended as a medical student. The woman delivered a large poop before the infant came and the OB resident said "last time I do this without an enema."

I took my OB rotation as a student in 1971. I also worked in the Del room for two weeks afterward. At that time it was normal to get an enema and a shave. I'm glad it's been consigned to history because in one case a woman delivered into the toilet while expelling the enema. That kid was a bitch to rescuscitate!

Liquidsky, I've always wondered why an enema was usually done on mothers in labor in the past. Can you shed any light on that? I understand that at one time it was the default folk remedy for almost any ailment. But a baby isn't constipation. Was it so that the mother didn't push feces out during hours of labor? Thanks for your insights.

Little explanation was given to me about why enemas were given at the University of California San Francisco where I did my OB rotation. I gathered that it was used to prevent stool while the mom pushed. It was also said to intensify labor but that remains to be seen. Shaving has fallen by the wayside also. It is felt that a recently shaved skin area carries more bacteria than an unshaven one. Also the skin suffers micro abrasions from the razor. Some of the worst cases of follciculitis I've seen have been from women shaving their mons veneris.

Enemas are commonly believed to:

1. Speed up labour ( help with inducing contractions and helping to bear down ( pushing))

2. Make the delivery cleaner for those caring for the mother in labour

3. Diminish the newborn's and mother's chances of picking up infections

4. Reduce the discomfort of passing a large bowel movement soon after giving birth

5. Minimise the chances of breaking open an episiotomy wound from passing a large bowel movement soon after the delivery

In fact, the internationally-respected Cochrane Centre made the following conclusions about the use of enema after reviewing all published medical papers on the topic:

1. The use of an enema does not lessen or increase the infection rates for mothers or babies.

2. It does not shorten labour.

3. It does not ensure that an episiotomy wound doesn't break if the mother needs to pass a large bowel movement after the delivery.

I was present when both of our children were born, 17 and 20 years ago. My wife was neither offered nor given an enema. Her labors were 7 and 3 hrs respectively. She did not have a bowel movement in the course of either labor, planned or accidental.

First wife delivered kids in '69, '72 and '74 and got Fleets each time and a full shave. Second wife delivered a girl in '82 and she got the same thing, plus one the day she was discharged. I understand that some Hospital L & D Dept's. may offer a Fleet, if the mother wants one, or if the mother asks for one she can get it.

If I were a female in labor, I'd definitely want at least a Fleet. I'd be mortified if I expelled stool on the delivery table.

If I were a female in labor, I'd definitely want at least a Fleet. I'd be mortified if I expelled stool on the delivery table.

That happens a lot when you don't have an enema first.

It ISN'T a big deal.

In 1984 when my wife was in labor, she was given an enema. I vaguely remember it, but when I recently asked her if she had ever had an enema - she noted that as being the only time. Her only comment was that she didn't like or dislike it. I do not remember it being optional - more like standard procedure at the time.

In my mind I assumed it was probably a saline bag enema. Now I'm wondering if it may have been something different, like a fleet, maybe even glycerin.

I'll have to ask her the next time the opportunity is right.

My sister who is in her early 60s had what would best be described as copious enemas just prior to child birth at the hospital. She has talked about 4 or 5 soap suds enemas that equaled more then a gallon a piece, I kid you not, as a way to speed up the delivery according to the doctors at the time, back in the early 50s. Personally I don't know how she tolerated them, they sound awful.

Tkinfo, this was most likely before they discovered Pitocin. It became the mainstay for inducing harder contractions and for speeding up the delivery of the placenta after birth. Prior to that time, castor oil and multiple enemas were used to intensify contractions.

Tkinfo said

My sister who is in her early 60s had what would best be described as copious enemas just prior to child birth at the hospital. She has talked about 4 or 5 soap suds enemas that equaled more then a gallon a piece, I kid you not, as a way to speed up the delivery according to the doctors at the time, back in the early 50s. Personally I don't know how she tolerated them, they sound awful.

Not possible in a woman 9 months pregnant and in labor.

She is EXAGGERATING big time.

My wife had 3 kids and never an enema.

Viz a viz the many enemas during labor--I'm with Susie it's not possible.

I have had 5 children, ranging in age from 30 to 20. Not 1 enema during delivery. I'm kind of thankful for that....as much as I enjoy enemas I don't think I would have found it enjoyable during labor!