What to wear in hospital?

[Skeppers]

Function rather than fashion-wise!

What would you recommend wearing for a) the birth (not a water birth) and b) post-birth for breastfeeding, etc. in hospital?

I'm NOT, repeat NOT doing this nekkid. God knows the NHS has enough problems without their hard-working staff being exposed to the horror of my naked, blancmange-like form as well.

Ta!

Haha, I timed my birth perfectly to coincide with the evening meals being given out - I came out of the shower to find the midwife had brought me a curry and naan bread!

I took a bikini for pool and bought button on nightshirts from primark, didn't wear either. Ended up giving birth in a primark leisure suit!

DD2 is 2.5. I actually have no recollection of what I wore for her birth. Quite possibly a hospital gown as it was an unplanned vbac but I really don't know. Must ask DH

For DD1 [emcs in the end] I bought "loungewear" from M&S. Loose black straight legged but v thin fabric drawstring trousers and a really long stripey tank top. Similar to this www.marksandspencer.com/elasticated-waistband-straight-leg-pyjama-bottoms/p/p22330778
and this [but mine was mid thigh so sort of protected my modesty somewhat
www.marksandspencer.com/elasticated-waistband-straight-leg-pyjama-bottoms/p/p22330778
Like this but sleeveless
www.marksandspencer.com/soft-striped-minishirt-with-cool-comfort-technology/p/p22380792

What is handy is to have a nightdress with buttons down the front if you plan to BF. Post Emcs I had a catheter so knickers never mind pjs werent an option

Birth - I had no time to change and got a bit hot when I had to push so I delivered in my bra.

Afterwards - I lived in nighties until I went home. I had to have some surgery afterwards to needed a catheter and couldn't have worn any bottoms anyway. Basically plan for the worst case scenario of a c section - nothing that would cut into your scar etc.

Good luck - hopefully one power sneeze and you'll all be done.

NHS tea and toast is the dog's bollocks.

Any other time it would just be toast with cheap jam and a cuppa, but when they bring you it after you've had your baby it's manna.

Got so hot in labour I stripped every time, I just wanted the pain to be over I didn't give a flying shit who was looking at me

Before I stripped tho I had an elasticated top you know with the built in "bra" rolled up over my belly so covering my boobs.

For after I suggest light clothing as it is so hot on labour wards

For 1st & 2nd labours I wore an old baggy t-shirt of DH & for 3rd, 4th & 5th labours I wore a spaghetti strapped short nightie about 2 sizes up from normal and always snuggled baby inside on my boobs..after all births I wore pj's with a couple of buttons down the front of the top with maternity bra & big knickers! Still got my labour t-shirt & nightie as keepsakes

I bought nighties with buttons down the front to give birth in. By the time I got to hospital I was already pushing and didn't have time to get into one, and ended up naked because I was so hot! They were perfect to wear on the ward afterwards though.

As with everything birth-wise, don't be surprised if it all goes out the window due to your body having other ideas. I had some sort of large, long nightshirt with me to birth in, but very shortly after arriving I started vomiting and having diarrhoea (at the same time - luckily had a private ensuite room, can't imagine the carnage if I'd been on a labour ward). So everything except my bra came off immediately, and that's the state I was in when I transferred into the delivery room about 3 hours later, when they insisted on a hospital shirt (no idea why, but this is France). Bra had clips so baby could access boobs straight away after birth.
I had comfy Vertbaudet pjs for afterwards, only got dressed in real clothes to leave hospital on day 4 (you stay in that long as normal here).
Good luck!

just remembered, for some reason I was adamant about keeping my socks on though!

My births were very fast so for DS I was wearing one of DH's old t-shirts in the birth pool, and for DD I was wearing a normal maternity top. Both times I went in wearing comfy t-shirt, leggings and trainers.

Afterwards just whatever is comfortable! I recommend taking slippers for walking around the ward and black Primark knickers that can be binned if needed.