What do you wear to give birth?

[jinglebellmel]

My son was early and very sudden so I just ended up in the clothes I was wearing, but hoping to pack in advance and be prepared this time around! So what do you wear to give birth? Nightie, shirt, just a top? And if I manage to get my water birth, do I invest in a tanki/bikini that fits or just go with a vest top? Presume swimming coatume is no good as will need easy access to bottom half?? If anyone has brought anything recently and is able to let me know where to save me shopping around that would be great :)

Whatever you are comfortable in. I've packed a couple of big nighties but as I'm due mid July I imagine I'll be so hot and sweaty I'll just be happy naked.

Thanks dino, also due in June somaybe naked is the way to go! I just stripped off and wore the top I was in with my son, it was all so quick and intense I really didn't care, but not sure if I'll be feeling a little more self conscious if it's a slower process this time!

I stripped off naked in the triage room (hot summers day and I arrived 10cm and partway through pushing) and wasn't happy at all when they suggested I might want to put clothes on to transfer to the delivery suite. I honestly didn't care about being wheeled through the corridor naked. The midwife threw a sheet over me though.

An old tshirt is fine, or whatever you want. Don't buy anything special for it!

I took a nightie and a bikini top but ended up naked in the pool. I honestly didn't care about anyone seeing me naked!

One of my husband's tshirts for the first (home birth transfer so no planning); nothing for the second.

Haha sounds like me last time tuddles, I never would believed the people who told me I wouldn't give a shit once in labour but it really was true! Okay so seems like this is pretty common and they won't be expecting me to come dressed any particular way.

I've got a tankini as I want to have a waterbirth fingers crossed.

My friend ended up in the birthing pool in just her bra and said she'd do the same again.

Whatever is most comfortable for you I'd say.

When I had my ds I wore just a nightie but when I said my dd I had a water birth with her. I didn't plan a water birth and so wasn't prepared for one, I just wore a strappy top in the birthing pool and that's it. I'm currently pregnant with my third and would love another water birth so will be a bit more prepared this time but to be honest wear whatever you feel comfortable in, because you don't care when you give birth how you look. Something that you can pull down for skin to skin contact with baby when it's first born is ideal

I had a primark nightie but was forced into a hideous hospital gown in the end. I'm still bitter about wasting that £5!

I went in wearing a vest top and shorts but stripped to just my bra as I was so hot.

I'm expecting to be naked or close to it again, but have packed a dressing gown. For pool i have a bikini i got ages ago which has a skirt as well. I'll have whatever i wear when i go in (planning a home birth though) and then post natally button down pajamas.

I brought a night shirt to give birth in but happened so fast I didn't have time to change. In the end I wore what I came in with minus the bottoms

Thanks all. I'm thinking maybe just I a vest top and take a dressing gown too. Should work for normal or water birth and breast feeding after. If not I can just get naked like everyone else!

Just a bikini top. I hate the feeling of wet clothes on my skin, so it had to be swimsuit material for me. Also packed a button down pj set for afterwards and a dressing gown. I get cold in labour and need to put something on once I'm out of the water. Before the pool I just laboured in normal clothes.

To add my first was born in a heatwave and I still got cold

I kept puking so I ended up in a hospital gown as I didn't want to puke on everythig I had brought with me.

I was naked

Delivery no. 1 I was wearing a hospital gown.

Delivery no. 2 I didn't have time to change so gave birth in maternity t-shirt and cardigan!

I'm all glamour, me

I bought a "birthing nightie" from a company with a kangaroo as the logo.
Approximately four minutes into delivery I was too hot, and also had remembered that kangaroos don't actually give birth to large-headed babies with all that entails!! I recall being very very angry about that in the delivery room and doing the rest naked.

(although I have worn the nightie in bed in subsequent years)

Thing is, immediate skin to skin is now recommended, so either you'll be trying to put baby up your top or trying to strip off straight after. So naked might be easiest!

Started off with tankini in the pool this time but ended up naked for the last bit in the pool as trying to get wet tankini on and off was really annoying!

Previous two times it was what I turned up to hospital in as it was quick and a hospital gown for an induction.

Good luck.

Naked. I don't really remember why or how but it was obviously what I needed at the time.

I wore a nightie. The times I was in hospital I wore a hospital gown that fastens up the back. For my home birth I just wore my normal nightie.
If you're not planning a water birth I would take some warm socks as well, as it's normal for your feet to get cold, especially during transition and the second stage..

I had a tankini for the birth pool, so all id have to do is take off my bottoms if I was going to give birth in the pool (I still wanted to be as covered as possible, and saw no reason why I couldn't leave my top on.
I also had two long loose nighties (I picked up two cheap in primark which done the job fine. Not maternity ones, just normal ones. Again I could easily pull them up to give birth, and my top half was covered up the whole time I gave birth.

My first I just wore a vest top, my second was born on an incredibly hot day so I stripped off completely as soon as I got onto delivery suite. The did put a hospital gown over me after I'd been sick on myself twice though.