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.

In the throws of labour and contractions the last thing you will want to be doing or being comfortable doing is taking off your knickers!!

I wore a nightie for all of my children's births. Knickers off once in active labour.

I would choose another birthing partner, him mithering is not what you need.

I bought a cheap nightie from Primark to have each of mine. It went straight in the bin after as it was covered in all sorts of goo. As other posters have said, once you are in labour, you'd welcome the four horsemen of the apocalypse turning up and seeing you nether regions, if only it would help things along and make the pain stop.

Thanks everyone. I think I’m going to wear my nightdress and keep my knicker on until I’m in the later stage of labour.

You are going to a have baby, there is no privacy!

I started off in a night shirt and ended up wearing a hospital gown because I needed the gap at the back 1. Because I needed to be comfortable with all the off the bed (as it was comfortable), on the bed to be examined, off the bed again, on my side, on my knees…..etc. 2. So the midwife could see what she was doing.

You’ll end up with your night dress round your waist. The midwife will make you take your knickers off very early on. In fact, you will want them off 😂

Absolutely fine and normal to labour in some form of clothing! I did, but then got fluid on it and took it off – I didn't care as much as I thought I would.

So, I would just say, if it's important to you to remain covered up in some form, then take a spare (or 2) nightie/long shirt/whatever, as if it's a long labour you might be glad of the change.

A sports bra is a ridiculous idea. Your breasts will be huge so you'll have to buy one specially and it will be hard to get off for breastfeeding. You'd be better off in a long t shirt or nightie to give you some privacy when you are bottomless towards the end. Keep your knickers on as long as you want. Labour can go on for days. You only need to have no pants on for the last bit. If in doubt ask your midwife. She knows more about it than your husband!

Also a sports bra helps! After my first I felt very exposed! Wore a sports bra with the second when the sweat got too much and the night dress came off my chest was still covered

Ha! they'll have to take your knickers off when your bowels fall out x

I'm the same, I was anxious about exposing myself, really self conscious. In full labour I was as naked as the day I was born. It'll be the last thing on your mind.

In "Neighbours" Kylie Minogue kept her Bib&Brace overalls on, not a mark on them. Then went back to the garage and finished the service on the Holden.

Congratulations and hope you have safe uneventful birth. Wear what you want,it’s all about you after all

I don’t that currently a 32b would be nice though!

I went from an A to a G. You need a maternity bra to put pads into and a bra you can take a boob out of every few minutes easily whilst cradling a precious babe in arms.

You may be better buying paper knickers ( if they still sell them!) Then you can just rip them off when it’s time to be examined, also it saves ruining your ones you always wear

If your considering a water birth I wore a bikini top throughout as decided a wet t - shirt would not be comfortable and make me even warmer

Took my knickers off about ten minutes before DS was borne. Any sooner and I would have been whipping them off in the car park.

I dreaded the whole thing and thought how embarrassed I would be but a mate told me that you get to a stage that you wouldn't care if a whole brass band marched into the room and that is so true!

I've had 3 children and spent most of my labours in the clothes I arrived in, so jogging bottoms and vest top! And in labours 2&3 I kept my knickers on until I was fully dilated! In labour 1 I was off my head on pethidine and threw up on myself, so ended up with a sheet tied round me like a toga! Absolutely no way on earth I would have been comfortable being naked.

I meant whatever size you end up with would be unlikely to fit for going running in as likely bigger than your normal size. A crop top type thing wouldn't be unreasonable. Think I had a maternity bra on under my nightie. It got goo on during skin to skin which was annoying as I only had 4 and was in for 3 days after so wished I'd taken it off and kept it clean! I do remember towards the end when I was fed up with the whole thing (very medicalised labour not allowed to eat or drink at all for 12 hours) they religiously kept replacing the sheet over my nether regions...I wondered why they bothered but they do care about your dignity despite all the people coming in and out etc.

Also, there's no need to bin anything - it will all wash out in the washing machine. People are so wasteful - fancy buying stuff just for labour and then binning it immediately.

I gave birth both times in a knee length nightie and no knickers. The midwives see vaginas all day, every day and are only interested in delivering a healthy baby.

It's about your comfort not your husbands or the midwives - wear what you want. Birth will work best if you follow your own instincts.
You might find your view changes when in labour. When I was in labour I found I couldn't bear the idea of clothes touching me and took them all off without much thought.
Oh and you don't need to let the midwives examine you if you don't want to.

I laboured in a button down night dress and no knickers the first time. The second time I didn’t get chance to get changed into my nightdress and gave birth in the dress I was wearing, don’t even remember taking my knickers off.

I wore a slip style nightie - no knickers. They shoved baby up the nightie for skin to skin, which I found amusing, but he seemed to like! My dignity was intact, except when impossible.