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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

What did you wear during labour? I have crossed the Rubicon of Things To Obsess About.

55 replies

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/10/2011 12:52

Last time I think I was just wearing a long skirt, mostly, until the last bit where I was...not wearing a long skirt. This time it is a home birth and for some reason I am consumed with anxiety that I have Nothing Suitable To Wear.

I know I'm an idiot, but let's assume I do not want to wander around in the nuddy, what does one wear?

OP posts:

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AngryGnome · 10/10/2011 12:57

Primark nightdresses - very cheap, so get lots so you can repeatedly throw them off and put nice clean ones on!

FeelMyWraith · 10/10/2011 12:57

DD- attempted homebirth so wore a maternity tankini in the pool. Post transfer to hospital wore a hospital gown in prep for theatre

DS- In hospital, pretty nightdress with button front (for skin to skin/bfing). Changed out of that after 38hrs into a hospital gown in prep for theatre

I'm rather crap at giving birth.

FeelMyWraith · 10/10/2011 12:57

My really pretty nightdress was from Primark! I bought several for postnatal use. Only cost a couple of pounds each.

mrsravelstein · 10/10/2011 12:59

i did 42 hours at home with ds2, i think i wore various pairs of trackie and pj bottoms throughout most of it

notnowbernard · 10/10/2011 12:59

vest and pants?

mousyfledermaus · 10/10/2011 13:02

first one hospital nightie
second one nothing, couldn't stand anything on my skin for some reason

thistlemuncher · 10/10/2011 13:03

I think I was wearing nothing I was in water, I know I put a top in my bag ready to wear (a vest type thing and a bikini top) but I don't remember if they made it out of the bag.

iskra · 10/10/2011 13:04

I wore my dressing gown (which is dark, old and I hate!) until I felt too hot & threw it off. Homebirth.

RhinestoneCowgirl · 10/10/2011 13:05

gert big old t-shirt...

Forester · 10/10/2011 13:07

I wore one of my cheap (black!) jersey material maternity dresses. I hadn't planned to wear it but never got round to changing - it actually it worked well.

mistressploppy · 10/10/2011 13:09

Humph. I was in my work clothes (dress). Little so-and-so was a month early and arrived in a hurry

bagelmonkey · 10/10/2011 13:09

A big cheap t-shirt.

Nearlycooked · 10/10/2011 13:45

I am a renound rejector of anything designer and my best friend is a designer addict - why buy a t-shirt from Dune when you can get the same from George for a couple of quid??? I spied a Vera Wang jersey night dress in T K Maxx for £10 and could not resist - my pal will be my birthing partner and I can't wait to see her face when I waft out in 'designer' to give birth in!!! lol!

TheBride · 10/10/2011 13:51

Early labour- Tesco tracksuit bottoms and a vest top

Late labour - Hospital gown and knickers until the pushing stage, then just the gown.

MadameJ · 10/10/2011 14:27

I was in a really nice expensive dress as I was at a christmas party and DD decided she also wanted to attend - 6 bloody weeks early . I looked even sexier later on as my feet were cold and I made DH give me his socks (this was the least he could do for me!!!!)

Highlander01 · 10/10/2011 18:18

Primark Primark Primark! Bought 2 nightdresses with buttons down the front for BFing. The one I wore during labour didn't even make it out of delivery suite, but they only cost about £4 each. Also ended up with wooly socks on for the whole event that my MIL had knitted for me, not a good look and covered them in blood when DD popped out! :)

wompoopigeon · 10/10/2011 18:26

First sign of labour for me was urge to rip all clothes off.
I'm expecting the same with DC2.

SjuperWereWolef · 10/10/2011 18:30

i had a lovely nightie given to me to wear but when i got to hospital i wouldnt get out my comfy t-shirt, at all. one of my many refusals during that labour petulant wee shite i am i did take my bra off and my knickers eventually..

i have a nice nightie for this time too but have a funny feeling it'll be a comfy t-shirt again

MrsBloodyTroll · 10/10/2011 18:37

Am ashamed to say that I bought myself one of those Womama birthing wraps. It did what it said it would, preserved my modesty enough but gave midwife easy access for heartbeat monitoring and easy skin-to-skin after the birth.

But possibly one of my worst cost-per-wear purchases...unless I can sell it on eBay and recoup some of the money!

ramblingmum · 10/10/2011 22:51

Primak nightshirt and then nothing. I am normally a modest sole and don't even own a bikini but just got hot and diddnt seem to care.

piprabbit · 10/10/2011 23:00

First time round I had a long jersey nightie I disliked and hoped to be rid of. But I started obsessing and thinking it was too long and I would get myself tangled in it. I also felt my bump was growing more and more huge. So I chopped a few inches off the bottom of the nightie and then used that material to insert gussety things into the side seams so it was more spacious .

I think this was the downside to nesting , caused by an over long period of leave before the baby arrived.

In the end I had to wear a hospital gown.
Second time around I wasn't wearing a long skirt either.

elliejjtiny · 11/10/2011 11:36

DS1 - I started off in an old t-shirt of DH's and maternity jogging bottoms. Then when I got in the pool I ditched the trousers.

DS2 - After 4 days without waters and niggling I didn't dare hope I was actually in labour so I was still wearing my favourite maternity nightie that I'd slept in the night before when the community midwife said I was 4cm but with meconium in waters (what was left of them) so I needed to get to hospital in an ambulance. DH found my bright pink dressing gown that I'd bought from primark so that I could bleed over it postnatally so I wore that with my nightie until DH wrestled me out of my dressing gown at the hospital so the midwife could get the monitor on. By some miracle the nightie didn't get any blood on at all.

DS3 - I put a lot of thought into what I was going to wear. When I went in to be induced I was wearing a tunic top and combat trousers with pockets on the leg which I later discovered were perfect for putting the tens machine in when I was pacing up and down the corridors. When I got to the delivery room I had to take my trousers and knickers off tio be examined and I didn't bother putting my trousers back on. I had a rugby shirt of DH's in my bag so I changed into that a bit later (I wanted long sleeves because I was worried about my arms looking fat! Bit daft really when my bum was on full view!) I also had some knee legth stripey socks but I didn't bother with them and my dreesing gown for when I needed the loo.

milkysmum · 11/10/2011 11:42

cheapy button front nighty from matalan a couple of sizes too big- very comfy and very practical for skin to skin/ breast feeding after birth

mumwithdice · 11/10/2011 13:05

As others have said, nothing at all. I couldn't bear the feeling of anything on my skin and I found it easier to move about.

claricestar · 11/10/2011 18:06

DC1: primark nightie (chucked afterwards)
DC2: peacocks maternity nightie (kept and worn constantly since and will wear for DC3!)

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