What you wore at the hospital...

[CanadianJen]

I am wondering what to bring to the hospital for the first part of labour. I hope to be walking around as much as possible before getting into the birthing pool. Should I just wear a hospital gown, or would you recommend something else? Normally I'd sleep in pajama pants but I'm not sure if pants are appropriate...

I brought a couple of long nighties with a front opening for BF-ing. Not glamourous, but comfy and practical. Oh, and dressing gown and slippers.

I'd go for a long nightshirt- I was worried about modesty at first but then MW sat and chatted to me as I got in the bath (obv naked) so I quckly cottoned that she didn't care a jot LOL!

I have a nightshirt (cheapy £4 one from Asda, easy to bin if needed) for labour and for afterwards, a couple of those cami pyjama tops with support built in (spaghetti straps so easy to slip down to BF), and 2 pairs of putsize jammy bottoms also from Asda- after that i shall be in normal clothes (hoping to be at home anyway), as i have always hated sittinga round post birth in jimjams.

Don't forget your socks!!! My feet were freezing (it was as if all my blood was rushing to more vital areas!!) Totes type ones are good so you don't go slipping!

I kept my regular clothes on throughout all my labours, until i got to a point where I wanted or needed to change. With ds1, once I was on the G&A and therefore not walking about any more, I wore a baggy nightshirt, didn't bother with underwear.

With dd I nearly gave birth to her in my jeans as I never got around to undressing! I was trying to resist the urge to push and climb up onto the bed at the same time while dh was stripping my socks, trousers and knickers off me. So I gave birth to her in t-shirt and bra.

With ds2 I arrived in hospital fully dressed, and as soon as they confirmed that the birthpool was ready for me I was ripping my clothes off between contractions and waddling through the birth suite to it. What I didn't realise at the time was that the paramedics, an auxiliary with a clipboard (trying to do the admission paperwork) and two midwives were standing behind me while I stripped, but frankly I did not give a damn!

Personally I wouldn't go for a hospital gown because of the gap at the back. Choose something loose and comfy, and that you don't mind getting bloody and mucky. I still use the nightshirt that I wore when giving birth to ds1 - it cleaned up perfectly well - and I will probably keep it forever as it's now rather special to me .

Hi. I just wanted to say that I was convinced that I was going to be very bothered who saw what - am a size 20/22 and self conscious to the point of being a head case...

I had my LO yesterday and the entire Light Brigade could have marched past me and I wouldn't have cared or even noticed. My dad even turned up in the delivery suite for God's sake!

Seriously, if modesty is a consideration, forget it.

Good luck!

I changed into a nightie when having DD1 but DD2 I didn't bother, stayed in my vest a jogging bottoms until about 10 mins before she arrived then whipped my joggers off.

I took 2 x nighties and 2 x pj's.

Always swore I didnt want to use a birthing pool because I didnt fancy being naked in front of lots of people (yes prude is my middle name!) But, when push came to shove (sorry!) I was straight in there, all kit off!

Was useful to have 2 nighties to give birth in though, as once waters broke and the 1st one was all wet I wanted a nice clean dry one.

Goodluck x

btw - congratulations Sarahjct! Posting on here one day after giving birth...impressive!

I wore a couple of long nightshirt, from Mothercare, thinks a friend had given me.

I went through a few different nighties - all long t-shirt type (v.long induced labour). I know the one I gave birth in got very messy, but my mum sorted them all out so well that I can't remember which one I actually gave birth in. I wanted to keep that one, so a bit about that.

There's no need to actually bin anything which gets blood on so long as it is soaked in water then washed with bio washing power (I use non-bio, so bought a small box just for post-birth stuff). It will come up fine. However, if you're in hospital for a few days and haven't got a handy mum to sort the washing out (DH wouldn't have had a clue), then I'd second binning everything!

sundress, and trackie bottoms for when you walkingaround.

Actually it's worth getting a large polythene bag to put your messy clothes in - if they don't get dry (which they won't if you bag them properly) you can leave them a few days before washing and the gunk will still come out. (Not that I am proposing letting your partners off doing the sodding washing)

Once on G&A I didn't care at all and walked around naked the whole time. I even met other naked ladies in the corridors (going to the loo)!
I kept a bra to hold my TENs machine in place though!!
Ony regret is so many pics of the birth have become X-rated because I'm exposing myself on almost all of them!
Later discovered DARK clothes were a great ideas for the postnatal time in hospital (because of so much bleeding. Sorry!)

I wore my normal clothes until I was examined as being 8cm, then I kept my top on (just normal long sleeved t-shirt) until I got wired up for an epidural (which I never got because I got to 10cm too fast!) when I was nekkid except for a blanket across my bits for modesty (hah!). Like Sarahjct said - you just don't care after a while, although gas and air may have something to do with that!

Oh, and congrats Sarahjct

I also wore my normal clothes, until I was about 5cms, then just a long top on. They asked me at the pushing stage whether I was worried about my top possible getting ruined. I couldn't of given a shit and kept it on until after DD was delivered when we did skin to skin and BF. I have a lovely video of DD's first feed with a towel over the bloody bits and nothing else.

Was in a vest and jogging bottoms until I got into birthing pool at 10cms dilated. I felt the need to keep moving and upright through contractions so did not change into nightshirt I had packed until after birth. Was naked in birth pool and could not have given a hoot who saw me!

Two hospital gowns, one gap at front, one back to protect your modesty! (that's what they have given me as standard everytime I have been at the hospital for anything). Didn't see point in getting my night things all messy...

BUT was a PITA when it came to bf later as I was wired to a drip so couldn't take the damn thing off (altho I guess this would have happened with any clothes). might try and leave gap at front next time... ooh la la

one of DH's t-shirts, the same one each time, for luck.
I also wore what i though were my £1 shop joggers, but had the terrible runs so the midwife binned them. Only much later did i realise they were DH's best running trousers LOL.

I was wearing baggy T shirt and elasticated waist skirt. It wasn't exactly planned, just comfy and easy to put on while contracting! Easy to take off too.

Took a couple of front opening nighties for bf-ing. It was boiling hot on maternity ward. Was advised not to bother bringing pj bottoms in case I had c-section, should have brought some anyway. Dignity and privavcy may fly out of window during labour, but afterwards on the ward when you are scooching ever so gently across teh bed towards the squawking baby they have left in a fish tank next to your bed, it would be nice to to have to worry about whether your opposite neighbours viisting family can see your fanjo/maternity pad!

I just wore a big long old T shirt, no pants or anything. In some hospitals each delivery room has a loo (mine did) so I didn't need to worry about anyone apart from the midwives and my partner seeing me naked or anything. I guess if I'd had to go down the corridor to the loo I might have liked to have a pair of baggy shorts or something with me.

i wore a hospital gown and for once in my life didn't give a monkey's how i looked. as far as i remember, it didn't even do up properly

i had a long t shirt in my hospital bag, but i couldn't even be bothered to put it on. i wore it afterwards instead.

the only thing i did insist on was some nice warm socks, as my feet were mysteriously freezing the entire time i was in labour

take some slippers for afterwards though - i didn't and was kicking myself every time i had to try and put my trainers on to go to the loo! far too much effort

I was in normal clothes as I left it til late as possible to go into hospital. When I got to hospital I went into a nice deep bath and when time came to get out the last thing on my mind was putting on clothes again - so think I had a hospital gown on. I would have happily crossed the corridor naked, it was a midwife who made sure I was decent. Its so true was folk say about losing all sense of dignity!

Size 16 Primark cotton nightie (normally a 10) with a low neckline so i could just slip it off a shoulder and bf straight after. Whenever I stood up to waddle about it fell down and preserved my last shreds of dignity. The top half looked pretty in the after birth pictures, but the bottom of it looked like it had been used to mop up a butchers' shop! Went straight in the hospital bin before I left...

You don't have to be naked in the birthing pool, I got in with a tee shirt on because I didn't see any need to take it off and I would have felt uncomfortable being starkers... despite being in unbearable pain.