The NCT catalogue - WTF!!

[MachinesAreGo]

Just seen a copy of this catalogue. Now, for an organisation which is trying to shed its lentil-weaving, middle-class image, it has got
this VERY wrong.
It is a garment designed to give birth in ffs with, and I quote, "An inspirational, original poem printed in silver on the inside neck line".
£60 for a bit of cotton! What about an old shirt if you want some coverage? Do they think women should really be spending their money on this sort of thing?
Interestingly, it has sold out in sz 10 (comes in black and raspberry, arf!), so there is obviously a market, but by God, by sellig this the NCT are really pushing the 'perfect birthing experience' line, which imo does women no favours at all. Makes me mad! AIBU?

I think the NCT dress looks nice but way too expensive for me. I bought a nice frumpy cotton nightie from M&S for DD1 and DD2 was a waterbirth so glam bikini.

The concept of Birthing garment is ridiculous. As a wrap dress I quite like it for my fat little self.

what was NCT's defence in the webchat?
can anyone link to it?

"feel feminine on your special day"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why not: "when your baby pops out he or she will be delighted that their mother in attired in a garment such as this"

Reality will be: "let's face it when you are screaming in agony and covered in blood you won't care what you are wearing"

or "after 6 junior doctors have peered up your fanny, you'll be past caring"

Also, they really should do a matching cod piece for dads: "dad, feel really masculine on your special day!"

My gripes are that the NCT is supposed to be about empowering women to make choices.
Creating an expectation that they might need this £60 aspirational garment contradicts this.
The dress and the description suggest a reality that most women will not recognise. The idea of making some money is obviously more imprtant to th NCT than the message that birth isn't going to be perfect and serene - wear any old thing you don't mind getting blood and poo on, because the important thing is you and the baby, not how pretty you look or how 'well' you do the birth.

lol Miggsie
Yes,I agree OP - the list of "must haves" in labour seems to get longer, setting women up to feel bad because they didn't push the head out to whale sonata #3. First time I gave birth in the T shirt I happened to be wearing at the time, second time I was prepared by making sure I was wearing an XXL T shirt from Tesco -in fact I bought 3 as they were 3 for £5 As someone else has mentioned if you don't feel female (not sure about feminine) when giving birth then a £60 nightie's really not going to help that,

Personally I went for the "naked, covered in blood with a dab of excrement" look, which I feel is actually the look for this season.

I did have a nightshirt in my labour bag, along with massage oil, iPod docking station, rose water facial spritzer and a packet of biscuits. The biscuits came in handy after the 2nd night of hospital food, the rest of it never came out of the bag....

And yes, shame on you NCT. Even the woman running our NCT class was a bit

Hmmm....for the first time Mums who have no idea bless them.......ignorance is bliss

BUT, is ignorance bliss???
What about a healthy dose of realism to stop women feeling like they have failed birth when it doesn't go all swimmingly?
The NCT are creating false and unfair expectations and should bl88dy well stop.

(says an NCT member and someone who was fortunate enough to have lovely births, which did go swimmingly, but have heard enough stories about those that didn't and who felt cr@p afterwards)

"you usually get to have a lovely dress for your wedding so why not your birth"
because a wedding is often about the perfect day, dress, flowers etc. No harm done most of the time as most people have thought the marriage thing through in advance. But she's effectively saying that you should strive to have the perfect labour 'day' in a similar way, which can be a lot more out of your control. Is usually in fact, even for straightforward 'normal' births.

And I assume she means labour, rather than birth DD didn't seem to care what she was wearing when she was born, even though she was in her best birthday suit!

am I missing the point or is it just a wrap dress. I have got loads from H&M at £19.90. Would I wear them in labour. Not a chance in hell that must be the silliest thing I have ever seen

It's not just any wrap dress...it's an NCT wrap dress

I think it looks quite nice but would not buy it myself.

Not everyone has a blood, excrement and vomit covered birthing experience, each to their own if you do not like it do not buy it. I hardly think it is disempowering women either.

Personally I don't even think it is lentilish weaving, now if it was crochet in a multitude of colours then yes .

I managed to avoid the sick and shit bits of birthing but nobody, not even the most fragrant, gets away without the blood, sweat and tears!

Water births are good for keeping the grot away. I emerged very clean (although in my first water birth the placenta came out before I had a chance to get out - that didn't look pretty!).

I do think the NCT are wrong in marketing this though - it is by implication, disempowering...

Oh God, I'm such a sucker, I probably would've bought this if I'd seen it before I had my DD

Am oh so glad I didn't

It's a ridiculous idea. I got some cheap nighties from primark with button down fronts for feeding and felt fine in them. When you've got your head buried in the pillow and your naked bum stuck up in the air no dress in the world is going to make you feel 'feminine'.

I did quite like the little poem though but I am blaming that on hormones making me feel mushy

I can't understand why they have such overpriced and unnecessary stuff in that catalogue. In every other ways they seem to be against excessive consumerism, having nearly new sales, recomending washable nappies etc. In my antenatal classes we were advised to wear comfy, old clothes for the birth as they would get very messy. We were given lots of tips to save money, eg by using pillow cases as sheets in the moses basket. It just doesn't add up! I thought they were an organisation with some integrity, even if they are a bit lentil weavery. They seem to be selling out to consumerism

I think they could be forgiven if it was the NCT who campaigned such that we didn't all have to wear a hospital backless gown to labour in.

And if anyone has the dosh to spend and it brings more money into the charity then why not...? If someone has that sort of money to spend they're probably going to be sucked in to spend it on something uneccesary elsewhere, or buy some Isabella Oliver maternity clothes.

Wheras most people might see that and go, what a good idea lets go and see if I can get a smiliar wrap dress from h&m.

I found the most important thing about my birth garment (nightie from M&S) was to take several of them into the hospital.
Mine ended up covered in blood and then I threw up on it.
The second one I bled on while sleeping post birth.
The third got a bit of baby sick on it but I didn't care by then.

Surely the NCT should concentrate on the practicalities? It's going to end up soaking in a bucket and you'll need something else to wear afterwards.

Birth is not a wafty floaty experience for 99% of women.

And it really annoys me that bit about feeling feminine, did anyone feel not like a woman while labouring? Is my sense of womanhood so fragile that when I was giving birth I thought I was a man? The verbiage accompanying the dress is offensive, not the dress particularly.

I found the most important thing about my birth garment (nightie from M&S) was to take several of them into the hospital.
Mine ended up covered in blood and then I threw up on it.
The second one I bled on while sleeping post birth.
The third got a bit of baby sick on it but I didn't care by then.

Surely the NCT should concentrate on the practicalities? It's going to end up soaking in a bucket and you'll need something else to wear afterwards.

Birth is not a wafty floaty experience for 99% of women.

And it really annoys me that bit about feeling feminine, did anyone feel not like a woman while labouring? Is my sense of womanhood so fragile that when I was giving birth I thought I was a man? The verbiage accompanying the dress is offensive, not the dress particularly.

...

Is the NCT trying to shed its middle-classed, lentil-weavey image? First I'd heard of it!

(Disclaimer: am fully paid-up member, weave lentils and shop at waitrose. I even attend meetings. Had no idea NCT was attempting 'inclusivity' but god knows, they need to!)