Has anyone else given up on shaving their legs?

[ardenbird]

Or am I going to be the only hairy-legged lady on the labour ward?

I've barely been able to reach them since my SPD flared up in the week 24 (week 35 now), and just sort of flap a soapy washcloth around to wash. I can't imagine trying to shave.

I thought to wonder as my MIL recently told me DH's birth story, which involved her running to the shower to shave her legs while her husband stood at the door ready to head to the hospital...

I gave up trying to shave my legs for quiet a while when I was pregnant, I didn't have SPD or anything I just couldn't be arsed! I had a friend who was obsessed with having legs shaved just in case she went into labour. I got a bit funny towards the end about making sure my hair was washed just in case as I hate that greasey hair feeling. Needless to say when it did happen I didn't care.

I am 24 weeks and haven't shaved in a month or so. I may shave before labour, I haven't decided. I also find I am much less hairy than usual, so am not feeling anxious about it at all.

OP, with the best will in the world, your MIL is mad.

I am 36 weeks, and cannot remember when I last shaved my legs. I lie in the bath with a cup of tea on my bump admiring the way in which the baby's kicks make the tea slop about. And SPD is miserable - you deserve a medal for still managing to wash your legs.

God I've not shaved my legs in bloody ages. The MW is not going to expect shaved legs (or a sculpted lady garden should that also be a worry!).

well to go against everyone else i DID shave my legs when pregnant, not as often as normal but i did shave them towards the end and before i went in (overdue and induced all 5 times) so yes the day before i went in, or the morning of inductin i showered, shaved my legs, dp trimmed my lady garden! and he painted my toe nails for me! figured i may as well make an effort seeing tho i would htne have weeks where i was far too busy to do so.

also having a 'trimmed' ladygarden i mean short but not porn style i found was easier afterwards, with bleeding stitches etc, just easier to keep clean and dry iyswim? but that was just me.

but as this thread shows plenty of women go in hairy and no one cares! i have a midwife friend and she has never complained about the horrible hairy labouring women she looks after, so i dont imagine anyone notices! * disclaimer i dont think any of you are really horrrible and hairy, i just prefered to shave my legs, however i am actually crap at shaving them when not pregnant, its busy enough int he mornings getting 5 kids up and out the house for school etc, shaving my legs is WAY down on my list of priorities!

Tried to keep shaving but towards end of pregnancy couldn't be arsed. Have a feeling my legs were a little hairy in the delivery room but to be honest that is the least of your worries!

And sculpted lady garden. LOL! It seems like the most important thing in the world beforehand but again is least of your worries.

I've given up at 33 weeks!

I get my OH to do my fanjo cos i can't stand having a hairy one and my pits are lovely but i've given up on the legs now! I tried last week and couldn't get round the back so i'm leaving them, half a job will annoy me more than them not being done at all x

As long as your comfortable then don't worry about it.

I don't remove the hair on my legs. Although I agree that they feel nice when smooth, it's an awful faff and stubble feels much worse than hair does when it's its natural length. I would probably remove it if I wore skirts/dresses but I don't bother for swimming.

If anyone comments on my hairy legs/armpits/etc when I've just given birth or had major surgery then it really shows that they have their priorities skewed. If the comments about my body come from my visitors then I'll make sure the baby is breast-feeding/sleeping throughout their visit and they won't get to hold the new born that my amazing body produced.

Seriously, this is the type of thing that doesn't matter when a baby is born. If it would really make you feel uncomfortable then get waxed (I assume its safe during pregnancy, ask someone who knows) at least then it'll last longer and you won't be in the shower shaving when you ought to be on your way to hospital

4madboys how the hell did your trim your minge? Short and tidy is how I normally have it but I can't see it, can hardly reach it and even doing it in the mirror would need some sort of contortionist trick! I'm not waving scissors around when I cna't see what I'm doing!

my dp trimmed it for me! he always does tho even when i am not pregnant!

the reality is it doesnt matter tho, i just feel better when legs and pits are shaved and lady garden trimmed, so continued to do it when preg, or got dp to!

i do remember a midwife saying how nicely my toe nails were painted and how had i managed that! and i said that dp had done them for me, but again he does that when i am not pregnant as well, a nice foot massage and painting my toe nails is a nice treat in the evening once small people are all in bed. :)

Correction. This kind of thing never matters but is especially ridiculous when a baby is born.

Go read a book about feminism and unrealistic standards of beauty and enjoy your amazing body for being able to produce little people. Your body is amazing.

Obviously if being hairy, having a bad haircut etc would make you feel miserable and self conscious then do what you want to do to feel comfortable. But its sad that women feel the need to have their pubic hair look a particular way when they are bringing a baby into the world. It's ridiculous and makes me .

4mad you clearly have him well trained !

I can't reach to shave my legs! (37w). Trimmed my downstairs regions using DH's beard trimmer - it has a safety guard. Highly recommended! I'm trimming it as there is so much extra ickiness down there when heavily pregnant, plus the additional sweating from being so huge, it just feels cleaner. Tbh, it's not for aesthetic purposes. DH and the mws can live with whatever it looks like.

Beard trimmer, genius!

It's not about what it looks like it's about how you feel in yourself!

I personally hate having a hairy fanjo so i've sorted the problem, i couldn't give two hoots to what anyone else thinks about it's appearance i've done it for ME

I have half waxed legs at the moment, do them at home normally with Veet strips but I couldn't get to the backs... and haven't seen my lady garden for awhile, dread to think!

I didn't when I got to about 6 months and everyone on the ward when I had DD was the same, so don't worry x

I shave everything. I'm 22 weeks and wondering how I'll manage to continue. I shave my fanjo as it's going grey....I don't want DP to see grey pubes during labour, things will be bad enough !!!

I'm 32 weeks and I can still shave my legs.

I used to epilate almost my entire body (I have dark hair and hate it!) but it can take hours and of course it's painful. I stopped bothering when my boyfriend didn't seem to appreciate the effort I put in.

Now I buy cheap razors and do my pits, my bikini line, my upper and lower legs and I use a bikini trimmer to do my lady bits. I can't see what I'm doing but I've never been 'nicked' by the trimmer yet so I just zoom around until it stops falling on the tissues (!)

I will be making sure my flange is trimmed before I go to the hospital, I cannot be doing with hairs being pulled if I get an internal exam or whatever.

I was around 30 weeks pregnant and spent two hours sticking nail foils on my toe nails. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever attempted in my life,

I hardly get any hairs on my legs, not even enough to wax, so I left that, and lady garden pruning stopped when I couldn't see the area over my belly anymore!

I clearly have no shame.

I've found mine haven't needed shaving anywhere near as much as usual since being pregnant. I am still doing it (34 weeks) but I might not bother soon!

As for my bikini line - I have no idea what's happening down there so I'm just ignoring it!

I'm 35 weeks but I still do mine regularly. I just hate the feeling of hairy legs and I find it snags on my pj bottoms. I still do my fanjo too with my little bikini trimmer, it's fab!

Love this thread I'm 31 weeks and have been thinking about this the last few days. I'm a lot less hairy than usual since being pregnant so haven't bothered shaving that often. My partners also in the Army and is only home every 3ish weeks so iv only really been shaving then. He's coming home tomorrow and I'm due a shave, but my house doesn't have a bath only a big old shower & I'm wondering how I'm going to be able to bend balance & shave!
Also been thinking about shaving for labour - really want a smooth lady garden lol was thinking about a wax the week before my due date - is that allowed? Why do I even care lol