Ok, this is probably a silly question (and hopefully still several weeks away from being an issue for me.) When you're in early labour do most people wear a maternity pad? I guess I'm wondering if it would be any help when your waters break or just futile? Do most people lose enough plug/show that they need a pad for that? It's just not something I've ever seen mentioned and I'm wondering if I should leave some maternity pads out or pack them all in my hospital bag?
I wore pads right through labour for both of mine. First baby I didn't take my undies off till I was pushing (apart from the times I was in the shower) and second baby I took them off when I hopped in the birth pool. But a thick surfboard pad would have annoyed the heck out me. I just wore regular thin pads and changed them as needed. My waters broke right before birth with both babies but I had a lot of show/mucous coming out before then and walking around without a pad would have felt awful.
I never had to but I know some women have to. It depends on your body. You will know when it begins to happen. I would leave them out of the bag in case you need them xxx
P.S. My hospital bag was my labour bag too. I packed one for my homebirth even and it was a great place to send my H to get anything I needed in labour. I could say "pads. they're in the bag" and he could find everything. So I wouldn't worry about having things you need in the hospital bag- it was handy IMO.
I wore a liner in the days leading up to labour as I was Laing my plug. My waters were broken so for the first part of labour yes, I wore a maternity pad and kept needing to change when I had another gush of fluid. When my contractions got bad though and I left the shower I didn't care and don't remember whether I needed one or not . I'd pop a few in your bag, just in case. The hospital will also have some (although not as good IMO). Good luck!
I wore maternity pads as I had SROM at home with both my girls and needed something to help to soak it up on the way to the hosi. I still needed to sit on towels in the car though and was absolutely soaked when I reached the labour ward but it helped contain it a bit. Although I knew full well my waters had broken, it was also helpful for the middies to test the fluids to be sure.
I too wore them throughout my labours as well but I was using the ones supplied by the hospital at that point. There was an awful lot of fluid though so they needed to be changed frequently. It did feel a little better for me than just dripping amniotic fluid constantly.
With my first my waters hadn't broken, but once I arrived at hospital my middy got me to pop one in. With my second, my waters broke at home and I didn't give birth for another day and half a night, so definitely needed pads!
i was induced both times and i they told me to put one on after they broke my waters. i think i had them on the whole time until the late stages and pushing.
Thanks. Sounds like I should just keep a range of options open and go with the flow (no pun intended). A friend just lent me a big absorbent waterproof cover for the my bed at home too just in case - I never would have thought of that on my own.
My waters were lost in large volumes, i think with DD it would have been at least .5 litre. Ik flooded my bathroom floor, and that was the second of four big gushes at home. The one following I had gotten dressed, mat pad, thick trackies and soaked the lot. I seem to carry a lot of fluid!!! Definitely a good idea for the mucouses but depends on how you lose your waters as to whether or not it would be useful in that regard!
2013 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
Maternity pads and labour?
. I'd pop a few in your bag, just in case. The hospital will also have some (although not as good IMO). Good luck!
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