Clothing during childbirth?

[weeblueberry]

I'm pregnant with my first and DP and I were having a discussion about clothing during childbirth. He seemed to think it was odd to be wearing a nightie or something while giving birth because you wouldn't want anything covering your bottom half but also wouldn't want anything on top because of the desire to have quick skin to skin contact. So basically he just assumed as soon as I started pushing I'd be completely naked. But I admit I'm a bit nervous about being completely on show to everyone in the birthing suite. . Do most women wear a nightie while actually giving birth? And, if so, what happens with the skin to skin contact when the baby is out? Do you just pull the nightie down across your shoulders?

Obviously most experience I have from watching childbirth is from TV so I'm not sure what the norm is...

Sorry if this is a really daft question!!

Lightweight (summer) dressing gown that had a tie fastening at front and came to my knees
Midwife had easy access for everything she needed and I kept the illusion of dignity!

I was still wearing the denim dress I had on that day. Everything happened so fast, I couldn't move so I'm another one who had to have a midwife remove my knickers whilst I was busy making feral animal noises on the floor.

I imagined wearing just a big t-shirt but in the end I whipped everything off but my bra - and I gave birth on all fours so I really was exposed! I couldn't have cared less though - I just didn't want fabric anywhere near me, and they do keep the rooms really warm so that the baby doesn't come straight into contact with cold air. I had no idea I would feel like that - labour does funny things to you!
Best of luck...

The first time I couldn't bear having any clothes touching my skin, so everything came off. I was out of it on Pethidine and didn't care.

The second time I went in the pool, and was naked by choice. I had packed a bikini top, but couldn't be bothered to put it on so just got in naked.

I'm not shy about my body anyway and was too busy having a baby to care what I looked like. [hgrin]

I'd wondered this too and assumed they gave you one of the hospital gowns, regarding the skin contact is it done straight away? I have romantic visions of having the baby weighed, washed, wrapped and presented to me a couple of minutes after.

I took a nightshirt that buttoned up the front but as I had ventouse and was prepped for emergency c-section I ended up giving birth in a hospital gown which was what I actually wanted, except I was too embarassed to ask for one at my very pro-natural, BF, skin to skin type maternity ward!

Ds - took off big T-shirt and long stretchy skirt to get in the pool, they tried throwing sheets over me while I was transferred to delivery ward from MLU, and I put the T-shirt back on 3 days later, luckily just before my dad wandered in!

Dd - I think my skirt got removed for the epidural, but late that night found I had to move the t-shirt to feed new baby! And then was helped to take it off as postnatal wards are hot as hell.