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Childbirth

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

Embarrassing: What is ettiquette re grooming of lady garden?

175 replies

sunnyside · 09/08/2006 15:31

I know I sound bonkers but when it comes to giving birth what sort of state should my lady garden be in?! Don't want to look like I don't pay it any attention like some hairy earth mama but equally don't want to give it full strim and look like I'm prepubescent!!!!

I've asked my friends but basically we all end up screaming laughing and not really getting a straight answer!

OP posts:
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2ndtime · 31/08/2006 20:33

Once you're in the labour suite it's more like public hair than pubic hair! They've seen it all before.
I managed to prune mine with a big mirror on the floor,leant up against the wall. Not very dignified but at least I didn't have to bring DH in to help. He would have had a right laugh at my expense. Could have ended up with a topiary peacock and never known about it til the midwives had a good gawp!

myermay · 31/08/2006 20:38

Message withdrawn

Jain · 01/09/2006 11:51

Hilarious!
A basic trim is OK I think..... I can't see my feet at the mo, let alone anything else!

lucy5 · 01/09/2006 11:54

Goodness, this will be one of the least of your worries.

princessmel · 01/09/2006 12:33

God, I'm only just getting into the lady garden grooming now. With ds the mw shaved me (while there were male nurses watching) as I had to be prepped for a c section and it was so embarrasing. I think I mentioned that I'd given it a bit of a trim and she made a remark as if to say "well you didn't do a very good job then". I was 'with it' as I had had an epidural so that made it even worse. If I was in the throws of painfull labour I prob wouldn't have been so bothered. With dd I just trimmmed the sides and top etc but it wasn't as neat as it is now. I cringe when I think how I was chatting to the mw and the student about Big brother etc while my bits were on full shaggy view. Now I use dh clippers! He did himself too!

I'd love to get a brazillion(and so would my dh- for me not him!) but I'm just too scared of the pain and too embarrased. I had a bikini wax for my wedding and it was so painfull, I bled.

Elibean · 01/09/2006 13:40

I remember a flatmate whose idea of 'getting pampered' was a bikini and underarm wax

Not very hairy, and a total coward, so I think I'll go for a neat trim and leave it at that. Did the same with dd, and it was fine.

You are all far braver than me...couldn't cope with the itchy re-growth, apart from anything else!

becks5109 · 01/09/2006 14:11

with my first dd i had a brazilian done and will def do the same again - i was paranoid about having to have stiches and bit of hair getting stuck! Mind you after all the worrying didn't have any stitches at all! Having home birth this time but still intend to have brazilian done as it just feels much cleaner! If I could afford it I would have it done all the time - best waxer I know of who does all the celebrities is called Olga at Greenhouse behind Selfridges - not cheap though but she used to be a nurse and has seen it all before! Otherwise there's another Olga at Cuts Too in Islington who is good and much cheaper.

lucy5 · 01/09/2006 15:00

You are shaved in Spain, regardless. Mmm that's something to look forward too.

squidgeymiller · 01/09/2006 15:34

I went for the landing strip and generally tidyness but ended up having to have a c-section and they shaved me anyway, even though there was nothing there!!

squishy · 01/09/2006 18:11

Eilbean, I find waxing is the only thing for me that doesn't cause itchy regrowth!

sunnyside · 01/09/2006 20:31

I'm so glad I asked now cos I'm getting the general impression that we're basically all in the dark!!!

I feel a little enlightened! My lady garden will be too by the end of the evening!!!

OP posts:
Elibean · 01/09/2006 20:32

Mmmnnnyowch....thanks, Squishy, but I think I'll stick to tidying up just the same

vicdivechic · 02/09/2006 08:28

I asked at my first nct class about a wax in prep for labour and they all laughed and looked at me weird. Last week I had emergency c sec under general anasthetic and one of the last things i can remember as I went under was the rasping of the dry shave at the top of my pubes and wishing I had had that wax (i have never waxed down there but it can't be as painful as 8 hours of 2 min apart contractions!)
My advice, have a wax near your due date because you never know how your birth will go, I was planning a water birth at midwife centre and ended up knocked out on an operating table!
Beautiful dd and me both fine so have no regrets.

vicdivechic · 02/09/2006 08:29

ps do have itchy stubble though!

squishy · 02/09/2006 12:17

An interesting to way of looking at it, Vicdivechic, hadn't thought of it like that (and poor you on the regrowth!).

Eilbean - LOL at your painful exclamation!!

Leax · 03/09/2006 20:17

Hi everyone,
first post but am a looong time lurker, finally registered to ask a pressing nether regions question!

Usually wax, sides only as haven't the bottle to ask anyone to tidy up the 'undercarraige'

I see a lot of people use immac and veet, does this work well, and for how long, and what is regrowth like?

Also has anyone used it for underneath tidy up and is it successful? I have dark hair which seems to come with the combined misery of lots of coarse hair that is also very visible

makemineadouble · 03/09/2006 20:57

back to original q.... maybe you know me by now "el gobbo" I recently went for scan and! virginal scan!!! my biggest worry was can i grow out my brazilian befor anyone else part from dhlf(darlin husband lover friend) knows i wear this??? for me,him no one elses buisness

makemineadouble · 03/09/2006 21:19

leax check out childmissing thread in teenagers x

fatfox · 04/09/2006 07:53

Why worry about how hairty you are, when you'll probably end up pooing on the delivery table anyway? :i

Leax · 04/09/2006 09:21

I'm kinda asking from a a general maintenance point of view, didn't worry me when giving birth to be honest, just tidied up to lessen the gunk factor post delivery.

Makemineadouble, not sure why you directed me to the thread in teenagers, I had a look??

Might give the veet immac ago if others have founds it good for tackling, eh, challenging jobs, but don't want to end up making a total mess of myself with poor results if you know what i mean if the products aren't that good.

2ndtime · 04/09/2006 22:46

Hi Leax,
I can give you first hand info on the veet-pubes question!
I read this thread a couple of days ago after a glass of wine or 3. On the strength of what fellow mumsnetters said I decided to try the veet on my lady garden.
I have very dark, coarse hair (sounds grim when you say it like that!) like you, and usually put veet on my pits which I leave on for a good 15 minutes to be sure it works. I drunkenly applied it to my lady garden, undercarriage and all. Laid on the floor with my legs in the air for 15/20 minutes.(I know it says 10 minutes max on the tube, but time flys when your having fun!) Any way, by the time I got in the shower practically all my garden had been frazzled away!
I was so shocked at the few random tufts I had left so slapped a bit more on and am now a baldie!
Not the original plan but I have to admit it feels rather nice.
I think I will use Veet again as it is totally pain free (I usually wax) but I will do it sober so I have a tad more control!

asur · 05/09/2006 09:03

I apologise that this will be long but well worth reading and I have to point out, this is NOT my story...

All hair removal methods have tricked us with their promises of easy, painless removal - The epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax......

My night began as any other normal week night. Come home, fix dinner,and played with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: Maybe I should pull the wax out of the medicine cabinet. So I headed to the site of my demise; the bathroom. It was one of those cold wax its. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand and then they get warm and you peel them apart, press it to your leg (or wherever else) and hair comes right off.

No mess, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean I'm no girly girl; I am mechanically inclined enough that I can figure it out.
YA THINK!!!

So, I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees.
Cold wax my arse (Oh how this phrase haunts me!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. OK so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad.. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-ra, fighter of all wayward body hair and smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north.

After checking on the kids I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure I apply the wax strip across the right side of bikini line, covering the right half of my v-g-na and stretching
down to the inside of my arse cheek. (Yes, it was a long strip). I inhale deeply and brace myself. RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half of the strip.. crap!!! Another deep breath and RRIIPP. Everything is swirly and spotted. Do I hear crashing drums??? OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - A wax covered strip with my hairy pelt, which has caused me so much pain, sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it.

Where is the hair. WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair...the hair that should be on the strip. I touch. I am touching wax. Crap! I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.

Then I make the next BIG mistake...................remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet. I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down.

Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

I hear the slamming of the cell door.. V-g-na... Sealed shut. Arse... Sealed shut. I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself, "please don't let me get the urge to fart. My head may blow off".

Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off right???

WRONG!!!!!!!

I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse that having your nether businesses glued together is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub.

In scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub!! God bless the man that convinced me I should always have my mobile handy!!!!! I call my friend thinking surely she's waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone.
It's a very good conversation starter "So, my arse and who-ha are stuck to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't have a secret trick but does try to hide the laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located on bottom, "are we talking cheeks or hole or what?"

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.

YEAH!!!!!
Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to scraping the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better then to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I slip into glazed donut land. My friend is still talking with me and my hand reaches towards the saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point. I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!
The scream probably woke the kids, scared the dickens out of my friend, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works!!

I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair..................................
THE HAIR IS STILL THERE......................ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

So I shaved it off. Heck, I'm numb at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color......

U OnLy LiVe OnCe . . .

toofatmum · 05/09/2006 09:47

Asur
Thank you thank you have laughed so much I have wet myself!! A great sory to brighten up a Monday morning. My DH heard me laughing and came to see what all the fuss was about and he then read it. He's shaking his head in disbelief as the things women talk about be I see the hint of a smile as he leaves the room. Have you though of a career as a comedy artist.

Flumpybumpy · 05/09/2006 10:04

Asur, that was the funniest post I have ever read. I hoping that all this laughing will brong on labour!!!

I still can't stop laughing

I have some of those cold wax strips and I will never look at them in the same way agin.

I hope your ladygarden has recovered from it's ordeal!!!

Leax · 05/09/2006 19:00

2nd time thanks a mill for that, am going to give it a go (yikes!), patch test tonight.

Asur, that was just screamingly funny :0)