Tour of labour ward today, I have a question!

[BlueJellie]

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!

the midwife had to plead with me to put my nightie on as they wheeled me into theatre. apparently it would upset the other ladies, not as much as it upset me i can tell you that!

oh, and because i had post-cs complications an auxillary nurse had to help me shower too over a week later. half of the uk medical profession has seen my fanjo now!

I gave birth naked, the labour ward was baking hot and so was I!

I really didn't give a damn, and after having a midwife looking up my fanjo, being naked was the least of my worries.

Come to think of it, they had to pester me to put a dressing gown on. I did have my nightie but for some reason that wasn't enough. It was a closed department so still don't see what the big deal was. I wasn't bare-arsed.

I gave birth in my 'day clothes' an ankle length jersey skirt and full sleeved top in the birth centre

dh got my clothes on me after phoning the ambulance but before paramedics arrived (i got out the bath) same skirt and a t shirt

it mattered to me, do whatever you want at the time! but if you do wear something black is best

sorry first sentence refers to first birth second to second birth!

Thanks for this thread ladies, I am now crying with laughter!!

I started in a tee-shirt, then a hospital gown which I later ripped off in a fit of frustration. You honestly won't care.

Good luck!

I am such a prude, really, completely prudish. However, I had to transfer to hospital after a very long labour including 6 hours of pushing and no baby to show for it. I was plodding down the stairs (3 storey house, was in the pool on the middle floor) to the waiting ambulance totally starkers at 3pm on a bright, sunny day. The midwife ran after me waving my knickers and a t-shirt shouting "the neighbours are all out there wondering what's happening, you'll want your pants on at least and a wee top". My head rotated 360 degrees and I growled something about 'dignity' and 'bollocks' and I carried on trudging to the ambulance. There were about 17 neighbours in their gardens. I can still remember the look on my elderly neighbour's face as I huffed naked, blood-stained, dripping wet and contracting across his petunias. I was a shambles that day.

showofhands, that is hilarious .

I was just going to say that I gave birth 3 times in the same red James t shirt, the one with the big white flower on it, and I chose it so it didnt show the blood!!!!!

"You honestly won't care"

What nonsense, just because you didn't care doesn't mean she won't.

I kept a tee shirt/nightie on throughout my labour and certainly wouldn't have liked to be naked.

You can give birth in whatever you want. I used a big T-shirt nightie that I got in America but that was in the winter and we had the windows open until just before the birth.

Labour and maternity wards are very hot and there may come a point where you just want to be comfy and you don't care how many people are at the end of the bed looking at your lady bits. You are too busy giving birth and it all becomes a bit instinctive.

I hated the thought of having to show off my private parts but when it came to it i just didn't care.. my thoughts were elsewhere

ROFL at ShowofHands

I just wore socks both times. Wasn't planned but they were the only thing I couldn't reach to snatch off.

They're now my lucky socks

I did care about what i wore (don't really know why) and both times wore a really pretty white cotton nighty, the MW thought i was insane, but i still have it now (boil washed!) and it makes me very emotional whenever I look at it.

goodluck, whether you decide to go for formal or butt-naked!

I didn't give a monkeys about what I was wearing or my dignity and I had an elective c-section! All I was thinking about was making sure the baby was OK (we were expecting problems) and I really didn't care about anything else.

I'd just like to add that this thread is the funniest thing I have read all day. I have been laughing out loud at my desk much to the amusement of my colleagues who have no idea what I am reading

when my last bubs came it took 33 mins after i got to hos, was wearing jeans and swaeter, i had 1 midwife ripping my jeans of while the other was reaching under to catch my lil boy, i was being heaved about uptop by dh with him trying to pull off my sweater so they could put my son on my chest, was quite funny looking back.

am due my next in a few weeks and have brought a cheapy nighty but with all liklyhood will probobly strip it off.

lol glad this thread has been revived I've had a right giggle reading the recent replies! As an update, I've packed my hospital bag with two cheap nighties that button up at the front, and I've hacked off the bottom few inches to make them between thigh and knee length. If any one tries to take my nightie off I will probaby scream hysterically ( though may be doing that anyway). Right now my stomach looks like a map of the underground!

First time, I suddenly had to strip off, just wore my bra.

Second time, I wore a vest top pyjama set, and took my trousers off for active labour.

Do what makes you comfortable, but you may find that you act completely out of character in labour, and it is quite liberating!