Enema & Shave Prep
Enema
Enemas are used to completely empty your bowel. Their purpose in labor is to bring on or to strengthen contractions. This is done by stimulating the bowel, which in turn stimulates the uterus to contract. The problem with this is that enemas can often cause contractions to become strong and even painful. Having such extreme loose stools, as well as the chemicals used in hospital enemas, can often lead to dehydration, which can snowball into other problems/interventions. When coupled with the bowel discomfort, most women find they'd rather have skipped this hour of labor.
Another reason for enemas in labor, and probably the most talked about reason, is to help mom keep from eliminating ("pooping") in front of her birth team while she is pushing. While this reason is definitely not good enough to warrant such a painful, intrusive procedure, it definitely should be addressed. At least 90% of all pregnant women are worried about "pooping" on whoever is in the line of fire during pushing. It may or may not be comforting to hear that the labor and delivery nurses, your obstetrician, the hospital techs, your midwife, her assistant, your doula, and any other professional member of your birth team really has seen *everything*! They absolutely will not laugh at you or even point out if this happens.
Shave Prep
Though almost never standard any longer, the practice of shaving some or all of the pubic hair is sometimes offered or required in labor and delivery wards. This particular practice was (or is) thought to create a more sterile area for delivery. Also, some thought it protected mom and baby from infection, when exactly the opposite is true. There isn't really much else to say about this particular practice - except it is completely unnecessary. The shaving itself can be quite uncomfortable, both mentally and physically, and most women report the process of their hair growing back as being itchy and unpleasant.
My personal opinion is that the practice of shaving off pubic hair simply for the purpose of giving birth demoralizes the birthing woman and downgrades giving birth from a sexual event to a clinical one. If you choose to trim or groom your own pubic hair for personal resons, do it at home before the hospital trip - but you may want to ask for help since your belly may very well get in the way! However, if your birthplace imposes this unnecessary intervention on their women - RUN!!! At the very least, just say no!
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