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Childbirth

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

Original poster

Silly question: will first baby clothes get stained at the hospital?

37 replies

Marghe87 · 02/08/2020 14:55

I mean the very first things you put on them, like the hat and a body etc... will they get stained given (as far as I understand) babies don’t get washed after birth? How does it work?
Sorry for the silly question but I am just thinking about what to pack and don’t want to use “nice” things in case they get permanently stained with blood and other fluids :)

OP posts:
borisjohnsonsstylist · 02/08/2020 15:05

Mine weren't washed, but they were thoroughly wiped down by the midwife before any clothes went near them!

borisjohnsonsstylist · 02/08/2020 15:06

Also, when it comes to baby clothes don't be precious about 'nice things'. Babies grow out of clothes in days, make them wear the expensive stuff as often as you can!!

MuchTooTired · 02/08/2020 15:14

When I’d been asked, I requested that were cleaned up before being given to me (have a thing about blood!) and their first outfits haven’t been left with any stains or marks at all.

Original poster
Marghe87 · 02/08/2020 15:19

Yes, I am not buying lots of fancu stuff at all, but I was gifted a couple of nice newborn hats and bodies that I wanted to take to hospital as their first outfits but obviously don’t want to ruin them 5 min after birth :)

OP posts:
Original poster
Marghe87 · 02/08/2020 15:19

*fancy

OP posts:
lljkk · 02/08/2020 15:21

hats safe enough but I would save cute outfits for after the meconium phase (> 1 week old)

randomsabreuse · 02/08/2020 15:24

Don't rely on babies not to 💩💩💩 explosively all over themselves/their clothes/ your expensive sofa/carpet...

This could happen at any time, although inexperienced nappy use might make it more likely in hospital...

None of my kids' newborn stuff got irrevocably stained, even by my first born who caused massive consternation (to us) by vomiting up some of my blood she'd swallowed on the way out, and had meconium in the waters...

divafever99 · 02/08/2020 15:28

Don't remember clothes being stained for either of my dc and they were both in white. Although I did have a section, and the first time I sat them they were both clean and dressed.

lljkk · 02/08/2020 15:33

They poo little and often initially (meconoium aside), for 2-4 weeks. 3-4 week old breastfed babies settle into few but huge and very runny bowel movements - until they start solids. Bottle or mixed-fed babies firmer & more frequent so not as much risk of huge mess. You want to have hang of putting nappies on competently to mostly poo-catch before getting thru a lot of cute outfits.

June628 · 02/08/2020 16:03

The first thing I put on DD got lucky. I’d keep the nice outfit for taking baby home from the hospital maybe?

June628 · 02/08/2020 16:04

Mucky*

BwanaMakubwa · 02/08/2020 16:07

@lljkk

They poo little and often initially (meconoium aside), for 2-4 weeks. 3-4 week old breastfed babies settle into few but huge and very runny bowel movements - until they start solids. Bottle or mixed-fed babies firmer & more frequent so not as much risk of huge mess. You want to have hang of putting nappies on competently to mostly poo-catch before getting thru a lot of cute outfits.
My kids were all breastfed and did frequent poos - around 3-5 a day. Often huge. My friend bottle fed her DS and he pooed once a day or less; the consistency of Play-Doh whereas my breastfed babies were making piccalilli nappies.
hammeringinmyhead · 02/08/2020 19:36

DS was a bit sicky so I think we ended up changing him 5 or 6 times the first day. I would advise plain bodysuits or something to start with!

okiedokieme · 02/08/2020 19:39

You need a pack of 3 sleepsuits. Don't bother with outfits, you won't want to fiddle around putting them on (assuming 1 night stay)

user1493413286 · 02/08/2020 19:42

Mine didn’t; when they’re first placed on you they’re in a towel or blanket and then when you put them in clothes you give them a bit of a rub so any wet fluids come off them.

gothicsprout · 02/08/2020 19:54

You won’t be getting them dressed 5 minutes after birth, there’s plenty of faffing around to do first - including delivering the placenta, having some skin to skin time for as long as you like and probably at some point weighing them. Both of mine were at least a couple of hours old before they had any clothes on, although both were water births so got clean on arrival so to speak!

DappledThings · 02/08/2020 20:20

I wouldnt get invested in "first" outfits. Loads of stuff will get covered in all sorts, loads of stuff won't and you can't predict which outfit will last and which will be ruined. What they are wearing really isn't important. If you have nice stuff you want to get nice photos in then wait for a bit till you're home and a bit more settled.

RowboatsinDisguise · 02/08/2020 21:03

As long as it’s washable at 60, you’re grand. Breast milk poo is remarkably water soluble. Even meconium. We’ve still got the muslins we used as nappies when DS was born and none are stained.

Drivingdownthe101 · 02/08/2020 21:07

They aren’t dressed straight away... all mine were rubbed down with a towel before I dressed them. No mess... I still have the first sleepsuits all three wore (all plain white).

Hannah9176 · 02/08/2020 21:44

First outfit & hat was fine and no stains, brought her home in a white babygrow and she managed to shit absolutely everywhere in the 10 minute drive home. The only time she's ever pooped through her clothes in the last 10 months too!

20viona · 02/08/2020 21:51

Yes the bars gets ruined with the gunk from the birth as hat is first thing on the baby even after being wiped down. I was fuming my husband gave the mw the best hat and it got covered in crap straight away 🤣

20viona · 02/08/2020 21:51

Hat not bars

hammeringinmyhead · 02/08/2020 22:00

My hospital gave you a hat. Green, orange or red bobble depending on the level of postnatal attention needed. The inside was covered in blood, hair and vernix but it did wash!

indemMUND · 02/08/2020 23:31

I still have DD's first sleepsuit that she was dressed in shortly after birth. It was white and it's pristine, even the little matching hat. Her head was wiped and nothing stained. She's 8 now!

jessstan2 · 02/08/2020 23:42

Does it matter if they are? When you have a baby they go through more than one set of clothes in a day, the washing machine is always on.

Times must have changed. When I had mine they wore a j-cloth type top and a nappy in hospital until discharge the next day when I put 'own' clothes on.