To labour in my nightdress

[Coolsummer25]

I’m due a baby girl late July. I’m a very private person so would like to labour in a nightdress and with my knickers on. Dh thinks I’m being ridiculous and says he’s never heard of woman doing labour this way and that I will be too hot etc.

Yanbu but will probably have to remove the pants.

I assumed you can wear whatever you like?

I’m happy to when being examined but I would rather not being exposed through my whole labour.

It's how most of my friends and family laboured (naturally the knickers ended up coming off)

With my last I spent most of the time labouring in my office wear, just how it happened.

Lots of people labour wearing something , I did until I got into a birthing pool .
There's also no reason you can't wear knickers until you start pushing . Do whatever you're comfortable with !

I didn’t think there were any rules on it I think it’s just dh’s experiences. He has a lot of female family.

I laboured in my T-shirt. I kept my underwear and trousers on until just before my waters went. I wasn’t stopped from putting them back on, I just couldn’t be bothered too and it was the least of my worries then. You do what is comfortable for you but what is comfortable might change when you’re actually in labour.

What does he think you should wear?

No rules... but it's likely that what you have in mind may change! It will help you feel calmer if you want to do this, so do it

Well, until DH pushes out a baby himself, he’s not got direct experience of it.

Sure if he turns out to be right and you are too hot, it’d be an easy fix surely? You just whip off the nightie and keep going?

He thinks it will make it difficult for the midwives and started saying what if she comes out quickly etc.

What exactly has he heard of women labouring in?

I wore a long t-shirt / nightdress. Obviously your knickers will need to come off towards the end

Of course, you can wear whatever you feel comfortable in. You can just remove the pants when you need to be examined or when starting to push.

You may find you get too hot so go for something light. Something that buttons down the front is handy so you can just unbutton it for when baby is born to do skin to skin/breast feed if you are planning to.

Fine to wear whatever you want but I think when its actually happening you won’t care as much as you think!

Of course you can wear whatever you’re comfortable in!

I wore a dress and knickers, removed knickers for the waters breaking, then put them back on. Wore them until I started pushing, at which point I took off the dress and the knickers and stayed in a vest top (a bfing top so it was easy to pop out a boob). That was the second time around when I knew I was doing. I have no idea what happened the first time around, I was overwhelmed by other worries 😬

I was planning on keeping the knickers on until she is crowning.

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highly recommend this (there is a longer one if you prefer). Poppers for breastfeeding and easy checking, holes at the back to put a TENs machine through.

I’ve given birth in mine a couple of times - knickers off probably does make sense though so you’re not scrambling at the end, you will probably want them off too as you don’t want to be constrained down there!

Wear what you like! As long as you can whip whatever’s on the bottom off when it’s action time you’ll be grand.

I had a nightshirt (that I didn't mind being ruined) but no knickers (it gets too much putting them on and taking them off). You also forget about what you look like after a while. With both pregnancies I ended up having to be monitored, also needed access to my arms as needed emergency blood transfusions.
Also if you want skin to skin contact/try breastfeeding straight after a button fronted one might be easier. I think take a few options and see what you want/need at the time. I couldn't cope with anything too tight or rough feeling.

I bought a nightdress specifically to labour in, undies came off when I got changed in to it ready though, I figured staff may need quick access and they'd have to come off eventually.

I didn’t think there were any rules on it I think it’s just dh’s experiences. He has a lot of female family. And he discusses what they've worn in labour with them? I think that's far more odd.

I bought a huge T-shirt type nightie from Primark and laboured in that. I don't think you'll be too bothered towards the end about wearing knickers but there's nothing wrong in starting off in them.

A nightdress sounds great. My second came so fast I just wore the dress I was in that day.

My first I tried to be in the birthing pool with I think a soft bra on. When that wasn't working and I had to come out, again I think it was just the soft bra though changed into a dry one.

The knickers thing you may feel like you want them but once you get into active labour you won't worry too much. You won't want to keep taking them off to be examined each time. I think once you get into active labour you don't care about the things you think you might.

I laboured in my nightdress and took my pants off for examinations until I was almost ready to push. It was fine.

I shopped ahead for an extra long length black tshirt that covered my bum. Worked fine until the point of needing an epidural as they needed access at the back so then swapped to hospital gown. Tell DH he gets to have an opinion about attire when he is pushing out a baby.

I wore a night shirt. Of course its ok