What to wear during labour?

[MiracleBaby2022]

I'm just packing my hospital bag and wondering if the two huge t-shirt/dresses type things I bought were the right choice. Should I have bought the button-down-front ones instead so they can lay the baby directly on my skin straight after birth?

Just a dress until it got serious and then my body became like a furnace so I wore the same soft stretchy cami nightie both times to be as close to naked as possible without going the whole hog. I would not have coped with even a T-shirt, too much coverage - as soon as transition hits I’m like an animal

It also made breast feeding and skin to skin really easy as I could just pull it down.

@Babdoc no not cost cutting, we still have them, just not necessary. They’re very medicalised and not necessary.
I had surgery for a ruptured ectopic 18months ago and as soon as I was out of recovery I got my own pjs on

Started off in a t shirt type nightie but ended up having to whip it off as way too hot. Ended up hanging off one arm as I was connected to a drip
Happened in 3 out of 4 labour's 😁😁.

Stripped off pretty much as soon as I walked into the unit I was transitioning (not that they believed me until they checked) and anything touching my skin was hugely irritating.

I remember being asked to go from a cubicle to a room, and couldn’t find my clothes. Someone draped a sheet around me and I —waddled— sailed through the corridors with it billowing behind me like Boudicca .

Think I had a lovely soft spaghetti strap nightie that I could hoik around easily and a kimono style wrap stretchy cotton dressing gown for after- thin, and dark colours - which was good because I bled q a lot.

@Babdoc

Gosh, that’s a surprise, MummyMe87. More cost cutting, I wonder? My own hospital still provided me with hospital pyjamas and gown even when I was just convalescing from covid on a respiratory ward, after release from the covid unit in 2020. Mind you, I’m in Scotland, and our NHS receives higher funding per patient (courtesy of UK taxpayers!)

There isn't a shortage of gown in the NHS. Women just prefer to wear their own clothes!

I wore a giant nightie from Primark. It did have 3 buttons or so down the front which I think I undone but it was so big the neckline kind of hung down anyway.

I looked SUCH a riot that day, waters broke at 4 in the morning and as it was twins they wanted me in the hospital which was about 40 mins away. I had a pixie cut so that was an actual disaster as I didn't have time to style it, beaver was bushier than my head hair.

Ahh...what a day.

With my first I couldn't get my clothes off quick enough and gave birth in nothing but my bra, which is the last thing I would have expected. My second was an induction that went quicker than anticipated and I gave birth in the dress I arrived in. Neither time did I wear the outfit I bought and planned for! But afterwards, I wore cheap button down nighties from Primark and they were perfect.

I also had an epidural and then taken to theatre to deliver incase I needed a section. I didn't in the end but I didn't have a theatre gown on, just kept my own nightie on.

Think I had a hospital gown on as I had an epidural. I can’t really remember, as my attention was elsewhere!

@HotPenguin @GrapefruitPink that's a good point. I don't really mind wandering around in my nightie with a dressing gown over it though, but I can see where you're both coming from. I would probably feel better wearing something more like my normal clothes at that stage.

First time I had a hospital gown on as I'd been in for days and then ended up having an EMCS the second time I was still wearing my t-shirt and bra as I'd only made it to hospital 20mins previously and barely got my trousers and knickers off. I'd recommend as little as possible hospitals are hotter than the sun IME.

@newnamenewyear wow - ok I'll take your advice and get a couple more! So far I've got 2 huge t-shirt/dresses for labour and 2 nighties for after (these last two have openings for breastfeeding) as well as an oversized PJ's but they've got no opening for breastfeeding, would have to just lift the top up. The pictures are important - will remember that 👍🏼

@Babdoc I don't know but it's certainly not ideal to get everything soiled. The t-shirts were very cheap though, with that in mind.

@newnamenewyear yes I can totally see that happening - I do have a few things for after, but the oversized PJs don't have buttons, so might need to get one more item on my list.

@TolkiensFallow is that a button-front one type thing? I'm probably being stupid here, 'shirts' are with buttons aren't they 😆- but anyway think I need to get one of those

@Curiouserandcuriouser1 being cozy afterwards is definitely important, I've got a couple of nighties and PJs all for after, but might get one more item with buttons!

@MummyMe87 leggings are a good idea, I'll add that to the list - thank you! 🙏

@CoverYourselfInChocolateGlory 😂👍🏼

@Mackmama yes my oversized PJs don't have buttons, I kind of just figured I'd lift the top up for feeding!

@Bakewelltart987 crikey, that must have been a fast labour 😆

@ZoeTheThornyDevil I can imagine I'll end up that way too. I get very, very hot when exercising so I can imagine this will be much worse and everything will come off!

With my first labour I had a huge (I was massive!) t-shirt nightie with some buttons on the front, which would have been ideal, but ultimately I ended up with a drip and was so hot I went through the rest of my labour with it hanging off my arm. Just something to think about if you find yourself in the same situation. If I'd thought about it and had an extra nightie, I would have asked them to cut it off as it was annoying!

@HaveTeaWillSurvive a cami-nightie sounds ideal. Might just have to get one of those! 🤔🙏

@Georgeskitchen so, basically naked wins every time it seems! 😆

@FloatyBoaty the spaghetti nightie seems a great idea - it's on my list now!