Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Tour of labour ward today, I have a question!

43 replies

BlueJellie · 16/08/2008 15:05

Went on my hospital tour today, and one thing really struck me ... all the pictures of the new mums after labour etc they showed us, were naked?! Literally ALL of them. I know this may sound really really stupid, but its worried me now! I was hoping to give birth in a nighty, whereas they made out at the hospital that women give birth butt naked. Please tell me I'm being irrational here!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

muppetgirl · 16/08/2008 15:06

...is this your first?

sherbetdipdab · 16/08/2008 15:07

Were they pictures of Mum's who had given birth there or are they just random pics of new Mum's?

RhinestoneCowgirl · 16/08/2008 15:09

You don't have to be naked if you don't want to, but you may find that you end up so hot and sweaty by the end that you end up not wearing anything and not caring v much...

SazzlesA · 16/08/2008 15:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Twinklemegan · 16/08/2008 15:10

I'll tell you one thing - you honestly won't care!

Denny185 · 16/08/2008 15:11

Dont fret give birth in what you feel comfy in, night-shirt/t-shirt/hospital gown. You may find you just dont give a shit in the final throws though and if hot it may all come off regardless of any previous inhibitions.

nannyjo · 16/08/2008 15:11

i felt like you with my first...wanted to try and keep some dignity...trust me when your in labour you really don't care anymore about it. The health professionals need to do their job and you just get on with it. Infact it's quite nice to be able to strip off and cool down. It also depends on if you want skin to skin contact or if you need an epidural (hospital gowns just seem to fall off and your really in no position to care but my last labour was very simple and straight forward and i kept on my kafton right to the end but i actually wish i hadn't as it was just in the way when baby came out to get good skin to skin contact.

You will be able to wear your nightie all th way through unless you need to wear a gown though. It is your choice.

muppetgirl · 16/08/2008 15:13

You go into hopital thinking no one will see much of anything but by the 4th internal you are getting pretty used to random strangers seeing all and sundry and when the contractions really start to kick in you wouldn't care if the cleaner wanted to pop in and have a look!

Upwind · 16/08/2008 15:14

"Were they pictures of Mum's who had given birth there or are they just random pics of new Mum's? "

I'm now most worried about them taking photos of me, naked, to show to pregnant women and their partners

sherbetdipdab · 16/08/2008 15:18

Thats why I asked!

I try to make sure that no-one ever sees the pics taken of me immediately after DS was born.

God forbid they put them up in the labour suite, it would put people off. Honestly I cried when I saw them, but then I am shallow enough to get upset about that

StarlightMcKenzie · 16/08/2008 15:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Upwind · 16/08/2008 15:26

By the time you do a hospital tour I think it is too late to change your mind! Though my hospital does not allow tours, maybe that is the reason...

Mummyfor3 · 16/08/2008 15:27

Pick a nighty/t-shirt you will not mind getting VERY messy... ditto socks (if you are wearing any): make sure clean pair to hand after the event!
BTW I was not naked, but would not have cared if I had been. Most upsetting thing about labour room photos was the ridiculous moon faced woman grinning inanely in them - (nobody told me you can have water retention AFTER delivery...)

lauraloola · 16/08/2008 15:41

I acutally put it in my birth plan that I didnt want to be naked at any point and made sure dp knew aswell.

I took 2 labour nighties with me - Cheap ones from Primark so I could throw them away. My labour was only 2 hours but I made sure I changed into my nightie in the loo before I got onto the bed!! It was the most important thing in my mind at that point!!

Nbg · 16/08/2008 15:43

I remember thinking that with my first and when I actually had the baby, I was naked.

With my second and third I was soo hot, the first thing I did was get my clothes off.

You honeslty wont give a rats bum.

Upwind · 16/08/2008 15:48

I don't mind being naked. I am worried that the hospital might be sneakily taking photos of me in the nip!

Would anyone consent for such unflattering pictures of them in their birthday suit being used to educate expectant parents?

Original poster

BlueJellie · 16/08/2008 16:27

hiya! Thanx for all ur replies am freaking out slightly less now lol. Yeah it's my first, and they were pics of mums just after labour. I honestly don't think I'll be stripping off I am very very very prudish to say the least & I don't even want my partner to see my stretch marks in day light lol. I've aleady accepted he's gonna see all sorts of blood & gore but me doing it all in the noddy would be one step too far!!

OP posts:

PetitFilou1 · 16/08/2008 18:47

You won't care - I gave birth naked the first time and in a nightie the second time. But either time there could have been a herd of elephants in the room and I wouldn't have cared!

aniseed · 16/08/2008 18:53

I have to say that I disagree with the 'not caring' bit. I really cared about my dignity and thinking about my first birth still makes me cring now! I tried very hard to maintain dignity throughout labour (unsuccessfully!) but one way of doing so (if you want to) is to wear a nightie. I wore an old one which I then threw away after the event. However, at the end it had to come off so I could be cleaned up but that was only in front of one midwife who was very nice. I think any scrap of dignity that can be retained during birth would be a good thing.

Nbg · 16/08/2008 19:07

I cant understand whats really dignified about having your legs akimbo pushing a baby out!

MrsTittleMouse · 16/08/2008 19:09

I would never consent to having photos of me just after birth used to educate other new parents. But then I am really selfish and horrible and there are people who are happy to help out. After all, there are "professional patients" who are willing for medical students to examine them for practise. I'd never do that either!

I honestly can't remember how I gave birth. I was in the water at one point, so I suppose I didn't have my T-shirt on then. But I seem to remember waking up in it the next day. Maybe they put it back on me when I was transferred to the CLU.... ??

PetitFilou1 · 16/08/2008 19:19

aniseed why does your first birth make you cringe though? I'm sure the mw doesn't remember it any differently to any of the hundreds of others she's helped with...

Twinklemegan · 16/08/2008 21:11

Aniseed - I cared very much before and I care afterwards. But at the time, when I'd already been pushing for 3 hours, what I was/wasn't wearing was absolutely the last thing on my mind!

Twinklemegan · 16/08/2008 21:13

Bearing in mind though that it was more than 30 degrees in the labour ward, the ice machine wasn't working, and they shut the windows more than an hour before I gave birth because they thought DS was about to come!

EyeballsintheSky · 16/08/2008 21:44

Bearing in mind I am a size 20 now so must have been on my way to a 24 in labour... I wasn't naked but only because I couldn't think straight enough to take my nightdress off! It was round my waist, my norks were hanging out and I really didn't give a toss.

Flip

1 2