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Childbirth

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Original poster

What to wear?

27 replies

Babyjakesmum · 13/08/2012 08:47

I know this might sound like a silly question but what is anyone planning to wear for labour? And for those who have already been there, what sort of garment worked for you and what didn't?

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OneOfMyTurnsComingOn · 13/08/2012 08:48

I had a pair of leggings and a long stretchy top on. Obviously leggings ended up off Grin

Uglymush · 13/08/2012 08:52

I went in wearing my maternity jogging bottoms (as waters had broken and disn't want to make a mess of anything else) and maternity t-shirt. Had with me a baggy t-shirt and over sized nightie that people had give me, but all happened so fast that I didn't get changed and just stayed in my maternity t-shirt.

SarryB · 13/08/2012 09:38

I was going to wear my maternity shirt (type with buttons up the front) - but I got in the pool with just my bra on, and then took that off as well after a while. You couldn't have pay me enough to get dressed again. Totally starkers!

SpottyTeacakes · 13/08/2012 09:40

I was in a hospital gown Hmm

googietheegg · 13/08/2012 09:40

I had a navy and White striped jersey nighty which was ideal (£5 from Tesco Blush)

threeleftfeet · 13/08/2012 09:45

Take a few comfortable nighties / big t-shirts / shirts you don't mind binning. if it's a long labour you may get through a few.

Do not, repeat, do not bring anything you really would hate to be photographed in!

I took 3 nighties - one I'd bought for labour / one for the pic with new baby and one emergency one from the back of the drawer.

In reality, I wore the two new ones in labour, and so ended up wearing a the emergency one in the pics of me and my new baby.

It was blamanche pink, and says "underneath this i'm naked" Blush Blush

Not exactly appropriate! (I don't even like that nightie, what was i thinking?!!)

Also take a dressing gown and another nightie with you for the ward. PJs are good for the ward, although if you end up having a c-section I expect a nightie would be better.

SarryB · 13/08/2012 11:58

Don't forget your dressing gown! I did, and ended up walking from the pool room to the delivery room wearing two very tiny towels :/

In the first photograph, I'm covered over with a lovely pristine white bedsheet. Which was covering up my nude body, huge stretch marks, and blood splatters :) It's not the best picture in the world, but that white sheet is covering all the nastiness. Ask your OH/birth partner to make sure you are well covered for the first pictures!

DawnOfTheDee · 13/08/2012 12:00

googietheegg SNAP! Me too! Grin

Lancrehotpot · 13/08/2012 12:53

A mens XXL Asda T-shirt that just covered my bum and old baggy leggings for walking around in. Classy lady I am. Took a nice nightie for post-birth photos, but actually prefer the ones taken right after where I'm in the massive T-shirt. Think it's the awe-struck expression.

Flosie1989 · 13/08/2012 19:38

I bought a huge nightie from primark for £4 which went straight in the bin afterwards Smile

I had a lovely pretty pair of pyjamas for afterwards but the MW wouldn't let me put my bottoms on Sad although I think that was more them not being bothered to put them on for me!

googietheegg · 13/08/2012 20:39

Dawn labour twins!! It was part of my 'navy, White, red and from tesco' maternity bag theme Blush

CornishKK · 13/08/2012 20:47

With PFB I bought an oversize man's cotton shirt, knee length on me. I reasoned it covered my fanjo, was easy access for midwives & could be unbuttoned for skin to skin revealing a modest amount of breast.

Back on planet reality, during the birth I got butt naked very quickly & growled like an animal when a midwife suggested a hospital gown.

As for DD, I didn't have time to take my socks off let alone put on a special outfit. Grin

Definitely pack something for the first photos though.

FamiliesShareGerms · 13/08/2012 20:54

Do people get changed for photos, then??

I gave birth in a long t shirt

GrandPoohBah · 13/08/2012 22:32

I've bought two navy spotty nighties in xxl with button fronts (easy boob access!) for labour - one for during, one for after. They were from Primark. Of course I haven't actually given birth yet, so we'll see - I have a suspicion I may end up nude Blush

neontetra · 13/08/2012 22:39

Similarly, bought two button fronted primark nighties, four pound each I think, but in fact ended up naked. I actually quite like the cheap nighties though, and wear them quite often!

EvilSynchronisedDivers · 13/08/2012 22:44

I had a hospital gown for my c-section (awkwardly positioned twins so it was elective rather than emergency) and then nothing but a sheet for the next two days. It was obscenely hot (summer of 2006) and I was in a state having lost a lot of blood so wasn't able to get up. Totally didn't care though. Even when my best friend came to visit. Looking back, it was a but minging but there we go. My "first pics" are of me looking the same colour as the sheet with two teeny tiny heads popping out of the top. TBH I can't believe anyone would think about what to wear for photos Grin

JaquelineHyde · 13/08/2012 22:51

A great big billowy kaftan.

openerofjars · 13/08/2012 23:05

In the first photos of DS I am sporting a rather fabulous South Park tshirt, circa 1996, bearing the legend "Cartoons Kick Ass!".

Following DD's birth I was snapped wearing an unspeakable dressing gown, largely not doing a v good job of covering me up.

I look fucking radiant yet unbelievably rough in both pics and am grinning like a loon. Grin. Both ensembles were an improvement on hospital gown/naked...

threeleftfeet · 13/08/2012 23:14

"Do people get changed for photos, then??" Not exactly!

I ended up giving birth starkers. Not quite sure how that happened but hey ho! I put a nightie on, sometime after that.

Actually in the very first photos of me with DS i am totally starkers. DP only sent them to a few friends Shock before I said "WTF! Why are you sending that out?!" "What wrong with that? you and DS look lovely" he says. Does he not have eyes?!!! My boobs are all huge and floppy in that picture!! And I am totally naked!

Actually I try not to think about how many of my friends - and his - have seen that picture, i like to pretend it never happened!

FamiliesShareGerms · 14/08/2012 06:53

The first pictures I saw of a colleague's wife were her in a birthing pool, stark naked with a baby's head emerging from between her legs.... I still don't know how he thought it appropriate to pass those around the office, nor whether hen asked her first

FamiliesShareGerms · 14/08/2012 06:54

he

RikersBeard · 14/08/2012 07:10

Another fan of the primark nightie here, for DS1 in hospital.

Had DS2 at home, was starkers and can't remember what I put on after-something out my drawer!

KatAndKit · 15/08/2012 08:42

Primark £4 nightie most of the time, ended up being changed into a theatre gown and then naked right after the delivery as I took off the gown (thankfully the theatre bit did not happen!) for skin to skin. was also topless in first photos but DP managed to leave my boobs out of most of the pictures.

whatsoever · 16/08/2012 16:24

I've bought a couple of cheap oversized M&S nighties but seems like starkers is a popular choice so who knows yet? (33 weeks just now)

DH is under strict instructions to not circulate any pics with me in until I am wearing something suitable, have washed my face & brushed my hair at the very least, but he wouldn't anyway.

We have had some total horror show pics circulated at work, some men lose their brains when their babies are born. One ex-colleague is still referred to here as "the one who sent pics where his wife basically had her tits out" and a number of my friends/acquaintances are seriously slack about editing the pics they post on Facebook.

Chunkychicken · 18/08/2012 17:13

I hadn't actually planned what I would be wearing for labour/delivery, assuming I would be able to get dressed at the time. As it was, I was barely able to get out of my bath & into my husband's big black dressing gown to get to the hospital, as my waters had gone, contractions were every 3mins or so & I was almost fully dilated!! I guess DH must have dressed me, as I wore a black nightie from Primark for the delivery, and then changed afterwards, once I'd showered etc.

I'm hoping for a home waterbirth this time, so clothing will be less of an issue (thinking tankini with no bottoms) but in case of transfer, I shall have an outfit ready to go!!