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Childbirth

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

Original poster

Do you give birth nudey?

120 replies

walkingwomb · 06/03/2008 15:42

I know you can do what you want, but i am interested in what happens in reality. I am assuming that I will be starkers when giving birth but a lot of the videos I have seen have had people wearing clothes. Is this just coz they are being filmed?

Do I have to plan my giving birth outfit?

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pippylongstockings · 07/03/2008 10:19

Wore a nightie first time round - I think.
Naked 2nd time round I can remember stripping off as soon as I got to the hospital and flinging my clothes everywhere as they were soaking through from my waters breaking. Then giving birth 5 min later and being cold having nothing to wear as we had 999 it into hospital - so was wrapped in a wierd concotion of sheets and towels!!

kekouan · 07/03/2008 10:24

Socks and a TENS machine.

:-D

Bensonbluebird · 07/03/2008 10:38

I wore a huge old mountaineering club t shirt with a picture of mountains that look like norks on it with yoga trousers that I whipped off before I got in the pool. So ended up in a soggy t shirt with a picture of norks on it both times. Will I never learn? not sure yet if I will get the chance to find out.

sweetkitty · 07/03/2008 10:44

DD1 - lovely pink DKNY T-shirt I bought in NY 2 months before this was not my intended labour outfit but I didn't have time to get changed, just whipped off jeans and pants. Never got stained either.

DD2 - nude, I was so hot despite in being January and having the windows open (homebirth)

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 07/03/2008 10:53

3 births. Not a stitch. But I haven't given birth in a big hospital with lots of people wandering about - usually just DH & one or two midwives.

snowleopard · 07/03/2008 10:56

LOL at "nudey"
A nice cosy nightie and socks definitely.

Belgianchocolates · 07/03/2008 13:28

I've got my lucky birthing nighty . Only wore it for the occasion x2 and both were brilliant labours and births. I am keeping it now for luck when we're going to have a dc3!
I'm a mw (nq) and I haven't met anyone who was naked yet in my 3.5y (except for my 2 pool births). Most people wear an old T-shirt, nighty and sometimes hospital gown (to save on the washing). The very quick ones still wear their normal clothing minus pants

OrmIrian · 07/03/2008 13:30

Usually start off with something on - short nightie or long t-shirt. But it frequently comes off. After all the people in the room will be seeing more than they want to of the most intimate parts of my body anyway. Only time it worried me was when DD was born blue and had to be put in resucitation thingy - then all and sundry swept into the room with me still starkers. But in the event it didn't really matter.

OrmIrian · 07/03/2008 13:32

I threw out the nighty I used for 2 of my babies' births, a few years ago. Broke my heart but I was in a clear out frenzy so was ruthless.

eekamoose · 07/03/2008 13:37

I wore the clothes I went into hospital in - it was a crash caesarian. Woke up with my maternity dress pushed up round my neck and my stripey socks still on (it was January but I could just not get tights on by that stage) and my hired TENS machine in a tangled heap on the floor .

PortAndLemon · 07/03/2008 13:37

Started off labour in clothes, switched to pyjamas. Not sure when the bottom half came off, to be honest. Had I managed vaginal delivery I'd have been wearing the cami top from the pyjama set, but in the event that came off and was replaced by hospital gown for c-section.

I suspect if I have a vaginal birth this time it will be in whatever top I happen to be wearing when I go in, as I just didn't give it much (any?) thought last time.

cookiemonstress · 07/03/2008 14:04

Don't worry too much, something loose and comfy (for tens) that you can wear if you need to walk up and down corridors for a bit. Don't spend any money, because you might just want to bin it afterwards.... there is enough washing to do once the baby comes.

prettybird · 07/03/2008 14:08

I wore an XXXL T-shirt of dh's. "Glasgow's Alive".

Can't actually remember if I was wearing a bra.

PrettyCandles · 07/03/2008 14:16

No1 - laboured in ordinary clothes and changed to big baggy nightshirt
No2 - laboured in ordinary clothes, but hit 2nd stage so suddenly that I didn't have the opportunity to change, and nearly gave birth to dd in my jeans. Dh was pulling my lower half clothes of me as I clambered up onto the bed between contractions and doing my best to resist the urge to push while I was still dressed.
No3 - laboured in ordinary clothes but was naked in the birthing pool for the birth itself.

I've never felt cold while labouring, but immediately afterwards I'm freezing and shaking, and they have to heap blankets on me.

Also I love skin-to-skin, baby straight out of me and onto me, so end up naked in any case as dh and I ripped off whatever else I was wearing, bra and all.

mejon · 07/03/2008 15:18

Took an old red nightshirt with me but no-one gave me the chance to change as I was moved up to the delivery room pretty quickly. I ended up still wearing the cotton tunic top I was wearing when I arrived. Thankfully it only got a little soiled and was fine after a wash!

Scorpiostar · 07/03/2008 15:26

I am very self-conscious and I spent ages trying to figure out what to wear for labour. I planned a water birth so bought a tankini. In the end, it all happened so quickly that we didn't even have time to get the bag out of the car. I was so keen to get in the pool, I just whipped everything off!

youngmumandbump · 07/03/2008 15:28

im glad to know everyone seems to feel like they cudnt care less what they look like in labour. im actually feeling really anxious about the room filling with unfamiliar faces and me being in the nude! hoping for a water birth though and i have packed my tankini top just in case i really do care! x

Ledodgy · 07/03/2008 15:29

dd1: nightshirt
ds1: jumper he was very quick
ds2: nightshirt

FAWKEOFF · 07/03/2008 15:32

i wanted to get naked with dd but my mother wouldnt let me
"there will be lots of doctors coming in a minute you cannot sit there naked"
think she forgot they where all coming in to look up my fanjo and that a pair of boobs wouldn't have phased them

casbie · 07/03/2008 15:54

wore an old t'shirt of hubby's for the birth and then for after wards a purple linen dress that i wore to my wedding eve do...

after colour faded etc i wore it as a nightdress.

it was perfect as could drop one side and BF, didn't pinch around the tummy and made me look 'normal' rather than a granny impersonator* that some night-dress' take!

  • I blame M&S
bluebell82 · 07/03/2008 16:05

well.. the plan was shaved bits, straightened hair, full (waterproof) make up, comfy juicy tracksuit etc.. in reality, no make up, sweaty fringe, over grown lady garden, no bra, pj bottoms, white vest, husbands tracksuit top and flip flops...nice! May I add it was also January so flip flops was a stupid choice but in hard labour I couldn't have done my shoes up and to be fair if my dh had tried I would have probably kicked his face when he was down there due to the pain! My only excuse in turning up in such a state was that I did give birth within 1hr and 20 mins of arriving at the hospital! I do look like shit in the immediate post birth pictures but then no one is looking at me are they!

chocbutton · 07/03/2008 19:37

I bought a nightie with buttons down the front (for BF) and thought I was all organised with it washed, ironed and in my hospital bag.
However, my poor brain didn't alert me to the fact that I would still be pregnant and therefore huge when in labour and so when I got changed in the delivery room DP laughed his head off at me trying to pull it over my massive tummy.
So what should have been a sort of knee length nightie was actually a short top - but I couldn't care less at the time! Just as well as I can vaguely recall bending over the bed clutching the gas and air whilst my bum was on show for the whole room. I did not care one bit!
The moral of the story is that you should make sure that whatever you choose to give birth in actually fits you!

PuppyMonkey · 07/03/2008 20:16

I ended up giving birth in one of dp's big old tee shirts. And whenever I see it now, I get all emotional

HereWeGoRoundTheMulberryBag · 07/03/2008 20:22

Message withdrawn

rachaelsara · 07/03/2008 20:34

DD1 Dh's pyjama top
DD2 Naked, got out of the bath and put dressing gown on, then got so hot I ripped it off.
DD3 Naked to the horror of the 400year old midwife
DD4 Naked.

2,3 and 4 were all home births, and I froze afterwards so dh had prepared spare duvet with old cover on to snuggle me and baby up in.

I'm a doula and I've noticed that most ladies keep their socks on even after the rest has come off!