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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Probably a really stupid question about skin to skin...

40 replies

bsmirched · 02/07/2010 15:23

Hi all,

I've read lots about the benefits of skin to skin contact at birth and am very keen to ask for it. What I'm wondering is, I'm not planning on labouring in the nude, so what happens? Do I just whip my top off the minute he or she pops out? Will I be in a fit state to do this? Do I do it before hand? If so, when?

As I said in the thread title, probably a silly question, but please humour me!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Ryuk · 03/07/2010 14:18

DuelingFanjo, this might be my inner hippy talking but I don't see why being naked and giveing birth has to actually be seen as all that undignified. You've just made it possible for an entire human being to come into the world. There's quite a bit of dignity in that.

YunoYurbubson · 03/07/2010 14:50

Nice point Ryuk.

DuelingFanjo · 03/07/2010 16:25

I don't know really, just that I hear the phrase 'all dignity goes out the door' quite a lot from other people.

Personally I thik I would feel terribly exposed if I was left after the labour with no sheet or means to cover myself.

booyhoo · 03/07/2010 16:42

well i have had two babies in hospital and at no point did i feel like i was exposed. from the point i needed to get onto the bed i was covered, completely in a sheet, (it was hot so a sheet was enough) and then once baby and placenta was delivered, and stitches done i was covered straight away. i have to say the midwives were quite attentive, i do remember them saying things like "i will just hold this sheet so you are covered" and i remember when i was taken to the bath, the auxilary held the blanket around me until i was in getting into the bath.

SanctiMoanyArse · 03/07/2010 16:50

I agre with BA as well

TBH I am the sort who won;t use communal changing or anything yet in labour- who cares.

In fact the only one delviered covered up in any way really was ds4 and that was only as it was all too fast to get my frock off.

Wholelottalove · 03/07/2010 22:08

This thread is reminding me of a conversation I had with DH not that long ago. We were chatting about DD's birth and I kenw she had been put straight onto me when she was delivered, but couldn't work out what I'd done with the gown I'd been wearing (my waters went on my nightie about 2 mins after I changed into it). He just looked at me like I was mad and said 'well you stripped off about half way through, don't you remember?' and I genuinly didn't. It was v hot in the delivery room; I think once the placenta was out they covered my bottom half with a sheet but I think I wandered naked to the en suite to have my bath and sat there with the door open watching DH hold DD. As I had just given birth, I don't think it occurred to me to mind being naked in front of the midwife. I was given a fresh gown before getting wheeled up to the ward though.

DinahRod · 03/07/2010 22:15

Laboured in a nightshirt and afterwards took it off, dd cuddled up to me skin to skin and we were wrapped up in a sheet.

ruddynorah · 03/07/2010 22:26

they will put a shett over you for the whole time if you are on a bed. they just move it up a bit to look at your nethers when they need to. and you'll have your nightie on. when the baby is born you just push your top up and they lay baby on you with a sheet/towel/blanket over both of you.

however, like others have said, you may find you don't want all this stuff on you at all. plus you may not be on a bed, you may be squatting on the floor or standing leaning against the bed with or without a nightie on.

but again, they get you on the bed with the baby straight on you and a blanket over both of you.

it is honestly fine!

mummytosquidgies · 03/07/2010 23:02

In the hospitals here when you're in labour they give you a long (about thigh length) long sleeved top with poppers up the front to put on.

I ended up having DS by ECS but as soon as we were in recovery they undid a few of the poppers and put him inside my top, so we got skin to skin that way and I wasn't exposed at all.

Glad they gave me that top though, it hadn't even occurred to me to take anything with me to labour in, as I was going to get in to a pool- that didn't happen either!

mollycuddles · 04/07/2010 00:01

I planned to give birth in my big t shirt but vomited all over it and dh at transition. The sheet the mw kept draping over me for my dignity felt really heavy somehow so I threw it away in disgust

I didn't intent it but ended up naked. Skin to skin was easy though and when I was being tidied up dd2 went into dh's chest up his t shirt for daddy skin to skin which was nice.

squistle · 04/07/2010 09:11

I always thought that you were put into a hospital gown to deliver the baby in. Am I going to have to go out and find a suitable nightie now? lol.

RubyReins · 04/07/2010 11:11

I just pulled my nightie up and DS snuggled up to me. The midwives put a sheet over us and lifted it up when checking me over. I never once felt exposed, not that I gave a monkeys at that point!

Good luck with your induction OP! I was induced last Monday afternoon and I only needed the gel to get me going. DS was born 5 hours from first twinge. It was really fine. If you have to have continuous monitoring ask if you can have a telemetric monitor that enables you to walk about and be more active (they're wireless). My midwives were truly wonderful and got me moving about and had lots of suggestions e.g. a bath, positions (I delivered DS standing up - gravity is your friend), breathing etc. I am being evangelical about them! I was led to believe that induction leads to you relinquishing a lot of control (the consultants said as much) but not so.

I really hope it all goes well.

Original poster

bsmirched · 04/07/2010 16:19

Once again, thanks everyone.

RubyReins - that's rally reassuring, thank you!

Have just been in hospital overnight again with raised BP and have been released overnight. In the meantime, DH was taking our two dogs to kennels for the big event and some idiot tried to overtake him as he was turning right. Has more than likely written off my car, but thank God DH (and dogs!) are absolutely fine. Good job they checked my blood pressure this morning before I heard about it all!!

OP posts:

tablefor3 · 05/07/2010 13:35

Probably too late as OP has gone for induction {fingers crossed1}, but I wore one of DH's old shirts. On me it was the right length to keep mostly covered, but MWs had access/I didn;t feel irritated by it. Also, cotton was nice and breatheable. Then when DD was born, undid a couple of buttons and started skin-to-skin and BF'ing.

Am already perusing his wardrobe for one for DC2!

KnitterNotTwitter · 05/07/2010 16:41

I planned to give birth in an old shirt or naked - didn't fancy being constrained by anything tight. In the end the ambulance crew had to insist that I had at least a sheet over me as I was wheeled through the hospital pushing.... Clothes weren't a big consideration at that point.... Which is one of the reasons one of my shoes ended up in the fridge in A&E but that is a whole different story... I

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