What do you wear on the ward after the birth?!

[MrsMcSpooky]

Ladies hospital bag in mind, do you wear pjs/nighties or day time clothes in hospital?! Thanks

I was a bit extravagant and bought some ankle length cotton nighties from Blooming Marvellous. But all the mess washed out fine out of the machine and although I didn't succeed in breastfeeding for very long the nighties were nice enough that I bought another pair and will probably continue to use them as nighties anyway. I went home after 36 hours but then ended up staying back in hospital for a week with my baby being treated for dehydration.

However, put together a comfortable and relaxed easy to wash daytime outfit too. If you turn out to be in for a few days longer than expected, or if you're getting visits at home, there are times when it's a good idea to get dressed even if you don't feel much like it.

I fully intend to be in nightwear for two whole months...with the exception of the journey home from the hospital

I just wore normal clothes- I dont like sitting in PJs all day. I was the exxception mind you.

Sweats/exercise gear is good - basically something that can be worn in and out of bed.

thin tracksuit bottoms and vest tops.

I have bought myself some maternity pj's this time because its a late november baby, but willbe saving them for when i get home as dont want them to get soiled.

BIG pants - i bought some asda cheapies, but am having to go and buy more because they are too tight now

5 weeks to go and counting!

comfortable proper clothes -not nighties..I had 2 pairs of mothercare maternity yoga pants which were v. comfortable and came up high over c-s scar. Teamed with t-shirts.

Trackies/leggings, t-shirts, you could hear me a mile away rustling down the corridor in my paper pants!

Big shirts with buttons all the way down the front. So you can post the baby down your top and have lots of skin-to-skin cuddles even when not bf'ing, and you don't have to sit with the curtains shut.

And stretchy adjustable-waist maternity trousers. I'm on a mixed antenatal/postnatal ward at the moment and it is impossible to tell who has had their baby just by looking at stomach size!

You don't have to get dressed in the day but it may make you feel more human. When you get home, spend a week in pjs - if you get dressed your visitors will expect you to make the tea!

I had lots of light cotton pj bottoms (cheap from primark), lots of vests (actually made them into nursing ones - couldn't move much just before had dd1-too huge!, and most important flip flop type slippers, wards are hot hot hot

You honestly won't care if you are wearing a spandex boiler suit...you'll be too busy looking at your tiny baby thinking
'fuck me that's mine'

(or maybe that was just me)

All the best with your new baby

I wore casual PJ trousers and normal t-shirts after my first DD was born. I had nighties with me as well but I found it easier to feed under a t-shirt than to expose the whole of my bottom half by lifting up a nightie. The nightie was a breastfeeding one but as a new mother, it was easier not to have to worry about flaps of fabric getting in the way.

After having my 2nd DD (she was born at 4:50am and I got to the ward at 7am) I dressed in the clothes I'd turned up at hospital wearing. I felt much better for it. Admittedly they were just stretchy old maternity trousers but I still felt better than being in night clothes.

But I do think you don't care with your first and it would be a shame to mess up decent clothes/maternity clothes with blood/milk if you might one day want to wear them again.

I wore enormous nighties (£16 for 2 from Blooming Marvellous) and the obligatory paper pants.

Easier than pj bottoms for hitching up under the covers if you're hot / uncomfortable / likely to bleed everywhere (sorry) which I was.

And to go home I wore loose cotton running trousers and top.

This 2nd time I shall also be wearing a stretchy corset type thingy to stop feeling like all my organs are jangling around / wobbling onto the floor.

Big nighties (got mine from Mothercare) with giant cotton pants - disposable pants are horrible and make you feel very uncomfortable. Take a THIN summer-type dressing gown as the maternity wards are absolute saunas (needing to keep the baby warm and all that) and some flip-flops. Also, take a load of anti-bacterial wipes for the loo/shower/anything else that looks a touch dubious.

best to take pjs and a nightie as i threw up big time all over myself and all over the bed - i went in for an induction, so i had to use there operation cape dress as i didnt bring another pjs!!. Whilst i was in hosp, my aunty bought me a massive long cotton nightie which it was fab.

For the first 3 days I wore a long nightshirt because of lots of blood & then I wore pj's. Had elastic stretchy disposable underware for first three days as well! My dd was in special care so very warm - nightshirt was loose for bf. Also I had a shawl that I used to cover my legs & tum when bf in special care as I had to sit in a chair.

piglet maker - where are you getting your corset from?

I love Pjs at home and felt like a bloated whale wearing the maternity nightshirts. I did get the night shirts the first time (because the wise women of MN told me to) but assumed once I had delivered I could safely creep back into the PJs. Except if you have a section and a catheter still in PJs are as much use as tits on a fish. Those nightshirts, wahle like or not, were fab.

This time...I have a mixture of PJs and nightshirts and a sarong type arrangement for getting to and from the shower.

Flip flops also very useful when you can't actually touch your toes and can keep them on in the shower rather than attempting to dry your feet.

And bear in mind (IME) when people say 'you bleed a lot afterwards' what you think you hear is 'you might have a heavy period' whereas you should here 'you bleed more than you thought it was possible to do without dying and it seems to go on for weeks and weeks after'. Whatever cheapy knickers and padsd you have bought, go our and buy more. And maybe some more after that.

When I had ds there were 2 ladies who were in clothes (joggers and tshirts) but their babies were in SCBU and they had been there for a while.

with my dc no 3i wore short pj's with button top and disposable knickers to be honest i should have stayed in a bin liner with a bucket taped to my ladies bits ready for every time i stood up i could fill the bucket rather than the ward floor.
i agree we should be told the truth how much we will bleed.with dc 2 the nurse had a go at me as i had just been and changed towel and knickers and came back to my bed sat down for a sec stood up to check on baby and whoosh!!! all over the floor i felt awful.

i just had short nighties as it was very hot in july... and knickers...

ah, yes i had also my plastic slippers .... i would also recommend wearing ear plugs.... it was just so noisy!!!! 3 screeming babies kept me awake for 2 full nights!

Beeper- I came home from hospital in my PJ's both times. Looking back on it it was probably a strange thing to do but at the time I couldn't have cared less!

Ladies thank you lots of sensible advice here. I hate being unshowered in bedclothes all day but I guess I might not care and I think I?d feel vulnerable if strangers and visitors are about anyway so I think I?ll pack my 2 sets of BF Pjs, a couple of long t-shirts/shirts and a few combos of casual trousers and tops/shirts ? I?m not a trackie bums and T-shirts girls so don?t have any that fit at the mo anyway and this way, I should cover all bases

Any tips on which san towels to buy to try and contain the bleeding?

MrsMcSpooky
I know I took all sorts of beauty products in the hope of getting a bit of relaxing time but I was in 3 days and only managed quick showers and hair washes at most some tinted moisturiser.. I bought any mat pads that were on bogof but I don't think I bled that heavily and thing that 'always' nighttime or v heavy flow would have been just as good and not as brick like. Deffo get supermarket cheap knickers instead of paper ones. But don't end up like me and still be wearing them.... I still don't fit into my strings 1 year on and I hate the thought of VPL's!!!!

On the pad front Kotex nightime were great- not as plasticy as some!