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AIBU?

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Original poster

The NCT catalogue - WTF!!

143 replies

MachinesAreGo · 01/10/2009 22:32

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?

OP posts:
Undercovamutha · 02/10/2009 17:17

""The NCT are creating false and unfair expectations and should bl88dy well stop"

What - by suggesting that birth can be straightfoward and even enjoyable?"

Noones saying it can't be straightforward and enjoyable - just that it is pretty unlikely that your clothes will be very wearable at the end of it. Wearing the NCT dress for birth, is a bit like wearing a new outfit to paint the ceiling, IMHO.

I can go along with the whole 'going home outfits' for babies, or a new nightie to wear when you have visitors, but FGS this is consumerism gone mad!

sabire · 02/10/2009 17:23

piglet - not being cheeky, but have you been into marks recently? I was in there today buying an outfit, and there were plenty of not very fancy dresses at around £50 - £60 .

trellism · 02/10/2009 17:27

It's interesting how angry this dress seems to make people, and how keen they appear to be to tell everyone about how gory and unpleasant their birth experience was.

I do think it would be foolish to spend £60 on something that will probably get ruined, but first time mothers spend money on all sorts of silly things. I find it hard to get riled about a pricey nightie.

pigletmania · 02/10/2009 17:30

no i havent recently Sabire, though the suggestion about croctchless pjs really did make me laught though, wouldent mind that for the birth. I personally would not buy the wrap in question, all i am trying to get at is that you can buy really lovely night clothes for less. One has ever right to feel good whilst giving birth, someone told me something that i totally agree with, when you go in hospital there are two pegs one for your coat and one or your dignity. More often than not birth does not always go to plan and any clothes in the world are not going to make you feel good when your legs are up in stirrups with a mini toilet plunger up you and being cut down below. I personally think of doing away with this nice floaty rose tinted image of it

pigletmania · 02/10/2009 17:32

my goodness i sound so cynical, well i have forgotten about it and am trying for dc number "

pigletmania · 02/10/2009 17:33

sorry dc number 2

MoonlightMcKenzie · 02/10/2009 17:41

I dunno why clothes would be unwwearable after the event tbh. I still wear my top and I'm wearing the knickers that my waters broke in right now

TotalChaos · 02/10/2009 17:57

yanbu. "little back dress to give birth in" - I find the commercialisation of labour ward clobber to be highly distasteful.

pigletmania · 02/10/2009 19:08

Totally agree totalchaoes a little black dress to give birth in, what the hell, i would rather one post birth. Definitely targeted at the first time mums

Longtalljosie · 02/10/2009 19:30

"don't get me started on those bump belts"

why's that then? Mine really helped my bad back at the end of pregnancy

I wouldn't buy one of those dresses. But I would defend to the death your right to buy whatever dress you choose

As for me - I only had one nightie which I considered long enough to labour in (am tall, as name implies, so nighties are rarely all that decent). But I thought I'd be likely to stain it, so bought it again in black.

When I went into labour it was in the wash, so wore the original one. And stained it!

wasabipeanut · 02/10/2009 19:34

It's actually the word "womana" that makes me wince.

sabire · 02/10/2009 19:35

"I dunno why clothes would be unwwearable after the event tbh"

As long as you wash them soon after the event.......

Sadly my hand-stitched Turkish quilt now has an indelible poo stain on it, a daily reminder of the day I gave birth to ds on it. If only I'd got round to taking it to the cleaners in the first week.

You should have seen the face of the woman in the dry-cleaners as I handed it across the counter.

pigletmania · 02/10/2009 20:06

oh no sabire, yes i guess some clothes used to give birth in would be if you cant get the stains out, thats why i would not really spend too much on it just in case.

thenameiwantedwastaken · 02/10/2009 20:10

I remember receiving the NCT catalogue just after signing up for my antenatal classes. I remember that, along with all the pregnancy magazines/travel system buying pressure making me feel really sad and a bit angry. Sad and angry because I felt like, as a woman, people have tried to sell me crap my whole life (so I could be more 'feminine' among other things). Now, a miracle was happening within my own body, a miracle that predated the advertising industry by millennia, and again it was just another excuse to be sold crap.

Not sure how I feel about the dress. I think the marketing is more offensive than the dress itself. I wouldn't pay £60 for a dress to give birth in but confidence during labour and feeling you have your dignity when everyone's looking at your fanjo IS important and if this dress gives that to some then who am I to criticise them for buying it?

ManicMother7777 · 02/10/2009 20:12

YANBU! It's things like this which make the NCT a laughing stock which is a shame when its aims are admirable and so many benefit from it.

Hoppity · 02/10/2009 20:26

I think expensive clobber for giving birth in is fine.....but not from the NCT.

If A High Street Store wants to flog expensive dresses for labour, then that's their business and women can make their choice.

But the NCT are all about giving women the lowdown on pregnancy, labour, birth, bfing etc. It seems ALL wrong that the NCT who seek to promote positive and informed pregnancy and birth experiences should peddle a dress which forthe majority of women will be utterly pointless.

I had two fantastic and positive births, so I am not trying to whinge about how horrid childbirth is, but even my amazing experiences were messy (amniotic fluid, blood) and the best thing to wear, in my mind, is a clean but old long tee or night shirt.

For the NCT, whose raison d'etre is to prepare women for the reality of labour and childbirth, to sell this and suggest to mums to be that this is appropriate is utterly wrong. Yes, we are all grown-ups and can make decisions on what we want to buy, but remember the endorsement of the NCT is HUGE for mums to be.

Why don't the NCT sell a 3 pack of plain black oversized tee shirts, marketed as labour garments? Maybe they do, I haven't checked.

Horton · 02/10/2009 20:27

I just wore a huge T shirt to give birth in but it wasn't covered with blood or shit or anything else by the time I had my baby. It was perfectly clean apart from maybe quite a lot of sweat, but that's easily washed out. It's still my favourite thing to wear in bed. I think assuming that all mothers are going to end up looking/feeling like they've crawled out of a war zone is as harmful as assuming that it's all going to be floaty wafty loveliness, tbh. I quite like the look of that dress as a piece of maternity wear for over jeans but it is quite pricey. The name Womana is absolute toss, though.

Mybox · 02/10/2009 20:38

I still wear three of the tops I gave birth in - but they weren't bought with the intention to wear whilst giving birth.

This dress seems too dressy and also the main image doesn't show it's usefullness for birth just for sitting by the side of a bath.

sabire · 02/10/2009 21:24

Mmmm - most of my labour I was at home or walking in the park. It was only the very last bit that I was grunting around spurting bodily fluids.

I could have done with that lovely dress - instead of having to shuffle around the block in my elephant bum maternity trousers.

Undercovamutha · 02/10/2009 21:24

Longtalljosie - sorry didn't explain myself properly - I meant the seat belt bump protector things. Pretty useless IMHO!

Sabire - I had a water birth first time, and 2nd time didn't wear much at all, but if I had, I agree that washing ANYTHING in the first week or so that wasn't a small white bebygro was pretty much out of the question (as was cooking, showering, sleeping etc etc)

Hoppity - hear hear!

Longtalljosie · 02/10/2009 21:57

Ah! Well in that case I agree Undercover, they just look ridiculous!

hanaflower · 02/10/2009 22:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GothMummy · 02/10/2009 23:53

That is bloomin ridiculous. My £2 primark nghtie went straight in the bin after giving birth - it was completely covered in blood..... looked like i had been slaughtering pigs. Its irresponsible of the NCT to market this, IMO!

sabire · 03/10/2009 11:05

Gothmummy - I think it's irresponsible to throw new clothes in the bin instead of washing them. Think of the resources that went into producing your nighty! Primark (and Ikea) are probably responsible for more landfill than anyone else right now.

At least the NCT sources its products responsibly, uses the profits to fund good work, and encourages recycling through its nearly new sales!

Georgimama · 03/10/2009 11:11

The whole NCT catalogue is hilarious. They didn't do that dress a couple of years ago when I had DS, but I do distinctly remember the "business woman" looking model who was doing her accounts on her laptop whilst hooked up to a double battery powered breast pump.

Do we really need to multi task to that degree? I think using a double battery powered breast pump is enough of a task to merit a cup of tea and a biscuit, myself. That picture alone was enough to make me conclude the NCT were all mad.