Silly question re showers!

[sophie150]

Hello! I'm only 18 weeks but already worrying about the birth! I'm a bit of a clean freak and hate feeling dirty. When do (if at all with a quick discharge) you get to have a shower post birth? I'm sure that I'll feel silly having asked this once I have my beautiful newborn that I won't want to leave, but at the moment it's on my mind!
Thanks

Very soon after the birth. Basically once you're stitched (if necessary!) and sorted then you can have a shower before you go up to the postnatal ward.

As soon as you want... You have any required stitches first, feed baby, lots of skin to skin,mobs checked, and probably eat something

Thanks both for the reassurance. One less thing to worry about!

I had a shower on the labour ward straight afterwards and while I was gone my mum got told off for washing newborn DS in the sink!

Oh I was thinking about that shower just the other day. First shower after DS, who was just a few hours old. First time I had physically left him ever (as obvs had been living in my giant pregnant belly.) Gingerly hobbling down the corridor, testing my legs out, feeling wobbly and sore and full of wonder - like I had just been born, not DS.

Congratulations on your baby.

It depends, I had an epidural, and therefore couldn't weight bear, a very lovely nurse(?) came and gave me a bed bath, but once they had taken my catheter out in the morning I was told I could shower when I felt like it.. They Deff make it so you can shower as soon as possible although tbh I forgot :/

Both times it has been not that long after being stitched. This was before being moved to the post natal ward.

You will probably feel sore and wobbly but its good to get up and cleaned up.

I was offered a shower as soon as ds was born and I was stitched up. I did put it on my birth plan that I would want a shower soon after birth.

Don't be alarmed by the amount on blood, that first shower I had was like a blood bath, I felt I couldn't get clean because it just kept coming and I felt bad because I left the (tiny!) shower room in quite a mess.

Thanks so much everyone. I feel very reassured. Good idea waggamamma re the birth plan- will make sure that this is on there.

As others have mentioned, the biggest issue is your mobility and whether you need a catheter. if it is really important to you then it's a reason to try and avoid an epidural .

I showered almost right after I'd been stitched and baby fed. If I can give you one bit of advice though, it's eat something before you shower! I nearly passed out in there, I've never felt so weak in my life!

My birthing room had a shower in it, so had one a bit after the birth.

There was lots of blood in the shower which I wasn't quite prepared for!

Had one on the ward as well. Just asked the mw for some towels and hubby looked after the baby.

With my first I had a shower within an hour of birth. With my second I had a bath with the newborn at around two hours old. Just wanted to say that as then you don't have to leave them, it is nice to bathe them on your chest with warm water.