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.

Wear what you want.

Knickers till the baby is crowning is possibly a bit unrealistic but I'm sure it'll all work out.

Nightdress absolutely fine (unless in a pool but then t shirt is fine). Absolutely no point having knickers on, labour rarely goes according to plan and access regularly needed!

I wore pants most of the way through - I was only examined once with my second baby and was in the pool in my bikini. I took them off 7 mins before she was born when my waters broke and could feel urge to push. I can't remember making a conscious decision either time, just at one point it felt right they should come off!

It's really not a good sign that your DH thinks his opinion on what you should wear during labour should hold any weight at all.

Why the hell is he imagining what clothing will or won't hamper the midwife? Does he think the MW can't handle the situation just fine?

Is he usually so insufferable? Tell him that you and your HCPs can handle this just fine, without his input.

TBH, I think the knickers are a bad idea. Get a nightdress that's longer than usual to keep yourself covered if that makes you more comfortable. I think faffing about with pants will be problematic.

no way would I want to have been naked either. I was in a long T shirt or nightshirt for my first two and in a pool wearing a vest for the third.

I laboured in a voluminous floral cotton sun dress both times. Both born in July.

Just do what you feel comfortable with.

A sports bra is the last thing you'd want to be wearing - far too tight and restrictive for breasts that will be readying to produce milk.

He only had the conversation because we had just talked about my hospital bag and labour outfit. He thinks I should wear a sports bra at the top nothing on the bottom for ease of the midwife.

Bless him. Does he think the midwife will actually care?

You need to be as comfortable as you can. As it happens, a sports bra isn't a terrible idea, but it's your choice. A stretchy pull on bra and a long t-shirt that I could pull it down between examinations & retain a tiny bit of modesty was my preference.

What is a good idea, especially with a first baby, is to be as mobile as you can for as long as you can. It isn't possible for everyone, especially if monitoring is required, but it can really help to open up your pelvis and ease baby around the awkward bends.

You are more likely to be mobile if you are wearing something that lets you walk around with some dignity.

I hope it all goes well for you.

I wore a knee length night dress but no knickers as was regularly checked.

Hi @Coolsummer25
You can wear anything you are comfortable in.
As your labour progresses you will most definitely get hot, you are going to be using a lot of energy. If you wear anything make sure it's cool, light and loose fitting.
Re underwear, of course you can wear if your waters break in labour but you will be asked to wear a sanitary pad.
The proper thick maternity pads are ideal as the waters continue to leak until baby arrives plus we like to check the colour of the liquor on your pad to ensure no meconium or fresh red blood loss.
If we need to carry out a vaginal examination it should always be done in a dignified manner. You will have a sheet over your bottom half during the examjnation so no need to be exposed at all.
When in active second stage ie pushing we do like to see what is happening down there as there are lots of signs we look for to let us know labour is progressing well.
As others have said on this thread though you may get in there and completely change your mind.
If you labour in water some ladies wear nothing some wear t-shirt only some wear t-shirt and bottoms. See how you feel your midwife should accommodate whatever makes you feel comfortable.
Congratulations and goodluck

Not to mention skin to skin contact after birth. OP's DH sounds a bit clueless.

Is he actually helping with everything that actually matters to prepare for a new baby? Or just giving you his opinion on 'Preferred Labouring Attire - A Man's View'?

I wore a long dress. Nae knickers. No one could see mY bits whilst labouring like that anyway. ( I laboured standing or kneeling)

FWIW I've seen a baby come out whilst the lady still had her leggings on! Bless her she arrived in triage in a wheelchair you could see the baby's head was out through the leggings.
Not that I'm recommending leggings tho😂

Op what is your plan for the birth, skin to skin contact is highly recommended for both mum and baby, something to consider. I was doing skin to skin whilst they delivered the placenta

If you choose to consent to regular exams though, wearing no pants will probably make it easier

long nightie no knickers. They have to keep checking your progress but the nightie provides a sense of privacy although you really won’t care about it once you are in active labour.

Why is your OH getting a say in any of this?

I wore the same massive old T-shirt during both my labours and it was perfect.

The bright yellow betadine stains from when I was being prepped for my emergency C-section the first time came out in the wash.

The dark green stains from the meconium my DD pooped all over me after my VBAC never did.

You won't want knickers on if your waters have gone.

Amazes me that any man thinks he has a legitimate voice in anything to do with childbirth.

See all the posts on MN with women saying their DH does not want them to have painkillers etc. Or a recent thread where a woman said her DH was disappointed with her because she had an emergency c-section.

Men don't get a say in labour and childbirth. They just don't. They particularly don't get to tell their wife that they should wear at most a fucking sports bra.

Sports bra?! Is he thick?! It’s hard to think of less suitable attire for labour!

Nothing shows the unfounded confidence of the male of the species like the way they like to opine with surety on birthing matters. A friend’s husband, who had never given birth ( nor had his wife) nor had he run a marathon, told me confidently that birth is not painful, instead it’s like running a marathon’.

My H laughed and said, ‘you’ve never run a marathon, have you? I have. It is painful.’

Nightdress is perfect for labouring in! As others have said, one with buttons down the front for skin-to-skin breastfeeding n.

I mean your husband may be right that you may get too hot but then you can just... take it off if you need to which is hardly a big drama 😁

Also depending on where you gave birth they don't necessarily check progress that often so you'll be fine with pants Antilop you need to take them off. Think labour wars might do more checking but midwife unit they don't normally

To be honest it’s no one else’s business what you wear in labour.

People who say you won’t care who sees you on the day - well they don’t know you and some women still prefer to stay as covered up as they feel comfortable with. That is their right as being stressed about being naked is not a good thing, if that’s how you feel. I didn’t feel like that at all, I wonder why people wear anything in a birthing pool but if they want to they want to.

DH will not be in labour. You will. Do what is comfortable for you, and perhaps have a conversation beforehand that what happens in the delivery room stays in the delivery room (as you are a private person and he is happy to discuss with siblings there may be a mismatch. Once things are told to others they can’t be untold.)

Night dress is fine just buy a cheap one so it can be binned don't wear your best one, there are fluids everywhere!

I never had pants on when labouring with dd after my waters broke just a nightie.

I did have pants and jogging bottoms with Ds until he was crowning but that's because it was a quick labour and he was born 6 minutes after I got to hospital.

I didn't care or prefer either situation, it was what it was!