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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Shaving / having a 'pre tidy-up'

23 replies

TruckerRobyn · 05/01/2013 20:59

First pregnancy... And one thing i'm worrying about is having a 'tidy-up' before the big day!

I know no-one is there to judge or even care how much pubic hair you have but it's a big thing to me!

I've always kept tidy down there but obviously when you have a bigger bump can you still reach? Also when having a vaginal birth i don't want to look like an overgrown forrest...

Having mum & auntie (dads sister-in-law) as birthing partners i don't want them to see that i don't look after myself at the same time don't know if i'll be able to reach to shave?

Probably a sensitive subject to some women but please feel open to share your views - am i being paranoid? Should i tidy up? Will i be able to?

Thank you!

OP posts:

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MelodyHarmony · 05/01/2013 21:47

Yes. I did, I've had two elcs so I've had to clear the incision area of hair prior to surgery. Use a mirror as you probably can't see your lady garden with your bump in the way!

JustBabyNMe · 05/01/2013 21:52

Thank you melody... Can you tell baby brain paranoia is setting in!

MirandaWest · 05/01/2013 21:55

I didn't tidy up with DS. Regretted this as had a large bleed of 1500ml and it all got matted up. Having to cut chunks of matted up pubic hair after he was born didn't do a lot for me.

So I trimmed a bit with DD. Didn't lose so much blood that time but was glad I'd done some damage limitation in advance.

I didn't do it in terms of what others would think about my pubic hair - just to stop it getting matted

MirandaWest · 05/01/2013 21:56

I didn't tidy up with DS. Regretted this as had a large bleed of 1500ml and it all got matted up. Having to cut chunks of matted up pubic hair after he was born didn't do a lot for me.

So I trimmed a bit with DD. Didn't lose so much blood that time but was glad I'd done some damage limitation in advance.

I didn't do it in terms of what others would think about my pubic hair - just to stop it getting matted

5madthings · 05/01/2013 21:58

I trimmed, well actually dp trimmed for me. As another poster has said it is more pleasant aftetwards with the bleeding etc.

Your relatives wont care and you can tell them to stay 'head end' if you want.

TheTiger · 05/01/2013 21:59

Booked my bikini wax for when I would be 38+5, and went into labour at 38+3 so was most definitely un-groomed!!

Can't say it even entered my head once when I was in labour though... And I think people will be more concerned with the baby coming out of your fanjo than how much hair is it around it!

I did manage to have a lovely pedicure just before though, which subsequently rubbed off in the birth pool!

JustBabyNMe · 05/01/2013 22:00

Thats very true! I didn't think of the practical side! Like i said 1st time mummy!! Thank you for your input!!

MissRee · 05/01/2013 22:00

I had Brazilian 2 days before due date!

VisualiseAHorse · 05/01/2013 22:03

No way - I only suffered 'grazes', but still felt very very bruised. No way could I deal with hair growing back there too.

peanutMD · 05/01/2013 22:03

With DS I got rid of all hair underneath and a landing strip at the front.

Not so much for anyone elses's benefit but because I had heard that stitches and hair is not good!

I intend on doing the same this time.

VisualiseAHorse · 05/01/2013 22:04

A trim might be ok, but ceraintly no shaving.

JollyToddles · 05/01/2013 22:05

Argh, melody I had no idea a csec scar was so low down! Just done some googling. Thank you :)

meditrina · 05/01/2013 22:06

At a guess, your mother and auntie will not be of the deforestation generation and will be more likely to notice (and possibly find shocking) the absence of pubic hair.

On a practical note, do not depilate immediately before confinement as you do not want any irritated skin. If you know you are having a CS, then you do want to remove hair from the incision/dressings area. There is no practical requirement to remove hair otherwise (and it's not that long ago that women were campaigning against compulsory shaving).

Really, it's up to you.

ThedementedPenguin · 05/01/2013 22:07

Actually when I had my ds 16 weeks ago I was told this is no longer 'allowed' they recommend you don't wax or shave down there from 34 weeks as your risk of infection is increased.

I used the bikini shaver that's out to trim but didn't properly shave iyswim.

PoppyWearer · 05/01/2013 22:08

Don't worry about it, midwives have definitely seen it all before...have you read any threads about pooing whilst pushing yet?

BUT I did have a bikini wax both times, with DC2 I went to an excellent Asian (Indian I think) lady waxer who said that for her culture it was critical to be "clean" for childbirth, she had waxed her heavily-pregnant sisters and didn't bat an eyelid.

JustBabyNMe · 05/01/2013 22:25

So many mixed responses... Maybe a trim over a shave is the way forward... Thank you all!!

ClaireandGeorge · 05/01/2013 22:37

I didn't want to shave as you have no choice over when you give birth I didn't want stubble! So just trimmed. I found it easier sat on the loo with a Mirror. Oh the glamour!

cordiality · 05/01/2013 22:45

I made sure I had a beautifully waxed and tidied undercarriage for my second labour, and then pooed every time I pushed. FIVE times I pooed. Poor midwife cleaned Up after every one. Sixth push was the baby.

With hindsight, I needn't have bothered about being embarrassed by the state of my nethers, there were far greater humiliations afoot!

Abigail9580 · 05/01/2013 22:57

I remember being so worried about this before I had my DS too, went for the trim option a couple of days before the due date, but
Was then 8 days late so prob not as tidy as I would have liked but I took comfort from the fact that it would have looked a little cared for!! Plus Mw really has seen much worse!

Twattybollocks · 06/01/2013 11:05

I just got dh to give me a short back and sides a week or so before my due date both times. I'll be doing the same again this time. As others have said its not a big issue for the actual birth as no one (least of all you) will actually give a monkeys at the time, but it's def easier to care for stitches and keep clean when you are neatly trimmed rather than overgrown! You can do it yourself with a mirror, but I wimped out and got dh to do it.

ImKateandsoismywife · 06/01/2013 13:20

I neatened myself up just before dd was born but afterwards was really to see the state I had made of it (uneven, patchy and one random bald patch!)

If you feel you must I would advise you to enlist some help or at the very least go carefully and keep checking with a mirror. I know mws generally don't care about the state of a woman's undercarriage grooming but mine looked so odd the mw must have been thinking wtf?! She didn't mention it though bless her!

Havingkittens · 06/01/2013 18:56

I tried this a couple of weeks ago and it was carnage. I was just trying to use a trimmer but the combination of difficult access, limited vision and the fact that there's a lot more blood flowing to that area than normal was not a winner! I cut myself several times and bled quite a lot.

beckslovestimmy · 06/01/2013 21:35

I'm planning to get my DH to do the tidy up when I'm in early labour as I can now no longer see and can't reach easily. I don't want to have to much hair there with the bleeding after and if I have to have stitches.

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