I am wondering, are most people still continuing with intimate hair removal right up until just before giving birth? Or have you just left it?

[BenediktaH]

I am currently 29 weeks pregnant with my first baby. I previously shaved my fanjo regularly, but I've been slacking since bump has grown as it's been too much of a hassle to continue with it. I've not done it for over a month. I know babies don't care if their mum has hair there or not (well I assume they don't), but I'm a bit concerned about the reaction from nurses, doctors or other medical staff who might be present when I give birth. Do they care at all if you haven't shaved down below? It might seem a daft question but it's been on my mind. I'm worried about a lot of other things too, but this is definitely on the list.

I'm sure the hair does not effect recovery at all - I was just very interested in seeing how everything was healing so was glad for a clear view 😅

You do what you want of course but why do you consider shaving it the norm? It's not, adult women have pubic hair and the recent trend for shaving it off is straight from porn. So why aren't you instead embarrassed to be seen copying that?

Oh god I remember going in for my ELCS with DC2 and after the spinal was in and just before the curtain went up I saw the nurse about to put the catheter in. It was at that moment I realised there was an absolute forest down there😂I had a massive bump with DC2 and just gave up trying to manage the situation down there! I truly don’t think anyone in the next cal profession cares!

^ meant truly don’t think anyone in the medical profession cares!

When I had DD 7 years ago I was told not to remove hair /shave close to my C-section date due to infection.

FANTASTIC typo/autocorrect
😆😆😆😆😆

This. ‘Fanny fashion show’. Love it!

I think many women have internalised bullshit old ideas that women’s body hair is disgusting. It’s sad.

Anyway, op, congratulations on your pregnancy and please don’t give this particular worry any more airtime. Life is too short to give energy to what people may think.

I had an emergency c section and they said they needed to shave for the incision but apart from issues like that no one will care.

With both my babies I was as hairy as you can imagine, they didn’t care and neither did I. I promise it’s the last thing you’ll be worrying about when in labour 😊

I’m a 60s child- my mum said they shaved her when she went into hospital to give birth!

YYY to this.

Hospitals used to routinely shave women in labour until there was an outcry about it from women themselves, along with the realization that it could give rise to infections from razors, nicks, itchiness when the hair regrew, etc, which could complicate recovery.

You keep your nether regions clean by using soap and water, hair or no hair.

Post natal cleanliness can be handled easily by buying and using perineal irrigation bottles. They give them out in American hospitals but they're available online elsewhere.

By the time I got to my 3rd trimester I had no chance of reaching down there for personal grooming!!

I really regretted shaving with my first - I had a lateral episiotomy and my god was it uncomfortable growing back. I use an electric shaver every few days to keep smooth and obviously had to just leave it when I was healing. It was so spikey, itchy and awful that I won't be doing that again this time round!

To add another perspective- I’m a sexual health nurse and see millions of vulvas and vaginas. The vast vast majority of women have pubic hair especially the younger generation! Sometimes neat sometimes wild (literally couldn’t care less and do not judge at all). I do actually notice a fully waxed/shaved vulva now as it’s very unusual! So please don’t think everyone is perfectly preened except you- the norm is HAIR!

I keep it waxed (in fact I waxed while in labor with DC1) for my own personal mental comfort but I used to do some work as a doula and I assure you they’ve seen it alll and couldn’t care less.

I just trimmed mine as it was too difficult to shave properly with a massive belly in the way. I'm glad I didn't go all off which I do usually as I had stitches and was incredibly swollen and often find hair growth quite irritable and itchy so I found healing a lot better. I was told lack of hair can also lead to infection (not sure how true this is)!

I would honestly be mortified if my Punic hair was so wild they had to shave it for a section. I will be waxing until the end!

Shaving for a section is also outdated- less chance of infection if it’s left alone- shaving introduces nicks and rough skin where bacteria can take hold.

Whereas I did not want to look at it all!

This was 2 years ago and not the whole of hair but just for the incision.

When I had my first and second baby the midwives shaved me, not for the third one which was 6 or so years later.

I'm 73. 50 years ago they shaved you in the labor room. But that was perceived as hair not being sterile. Times have changed.

This may be true for some women but not for all. I don’t think it’s helpful to make statements like this to women worried about how they may look, behave or be perceived during a vulnerable and intimate time.

Dignity is defined as the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect. There is nothing undignified about having a baby. Women doing so are very much worthy of respect. Bodily processes are nothing to be ashamed of.

I cared about how I was perceived by others all the way through all of my labours. All the way through. I wanted to keep my clothes on and not be uncovered so I made sure I was always covered. It was important to me to control the amount of people in the room and what angle they could see from, so I made sure I was in charge of the space and who entered it. I did not want to be touched in any way, at all, without express consent and explanation. Not even a pat on the shoulder. And I made sure that happened, in fact for two of my labours nobody touched me at all. All the way through. It is important for many women to have this control to feel safe. Women who feel safe often have less traumatic and complicated labours. Being safe, cocooned, respected. It matters, and it’s important that pregnant women know they can have this and they don’t have to dread giving birth or “leave their dignity at the door”.

OP I’ve never shaved my pubic hair. Nobody has ever had a problem with that.

This is so heartbreaking...