So a midwife at the one (and only) antenatal class i attended suggested that waxing (down there) was not necessarily a good thing, because it increased risk of infection?!?!
Normally i'm a total fan of the full brazilian, but haven't bothered during the later stages of my pregnancy (i can't see below my belly anyways )... but totally planned one for the next couple of weeks or so before giving birth (heaven forbid i should even slightly resemble the ladies in those 80's films they showed us in the antenatal class)!
I would have thought it would have made things cleaner, and easier to look after any stitches/tears after birth (even though i am breech and looking at having a c/s if this bub doesn't turn)..
While it can be uncomfortable to get the waxing done (the laying on your back thing), if you usually like to be waxed, then you will probably feel better having it done than not. I know I felt 'tidy' and ready for my nether regions to be on display after getting waxed.
I can only say make sue you get a beautician that understands being awkward and uncomfortable in pregnancy and will give you enough time to recover on your side if you need it, without making you feel rushed. I had to swing over to my side a couple of times as being on my back was really sore towards the end.
Good luck with waxing and the imminent arrival of your bubba!
The midwife said it would increase the risk of infection?! How weird! I got my usual waxing done last week so I'm ready to go now. I get waxed every 6 weeks but like you, definitely couldn't stand the thought of sporting an excessively hairy muff while giving birth - yuk!
I say go for it. I feel so much better (as always) and 'ready', IYKWIM Like Winter said, just make sure the beautician understands how uncomfy and potentially dangerous it is for a pregnant woman to lay on her back so she can do it in stages or prop you up as much as possible.
Midwives have seen it all and won't judge you either way. Waxing does increase the risk of infection as each hair is torn out of it's follicle small capillaries are broken allowing germs to enter and grow forming pustules. Ingrown hairs are also more likely and these too often are a site of infection. Make sure that your undies are not too tight because this can lead to an increased risk of ingrown hairs.
Personally I opted for a trim rather than a wax and I think that is the most common scenario. It can be hurtful to read that your choice to allow hair to grow in that area is "yukky" and it might be more tactful to refrain from posting those types of comments. Lots of women give birth with the natural amount of hair and that's fine... I can understand how it is probably a more "modest" aesthetic to keep some hair... some women feel more "naked" with every fold of their most private parts on display... a bit of hair serves to cover that up.
Thanks ladies for the advice and info. I can see now how it might be a slight risk of infection and yet i need to weigh that up with my own thoughts on being 'neat and tidy' in that area.
Bathsheba, i certainly didn't mean to offend anyone and completely agree that this is a very personal choice with many women feeling sensitive about the issue. Thankyou for reminding us of the need to be more sensitive in our opinions
Well, i may just opt for something in the middle... a bikini/g-string wax and a trimmed 'runway'... just to feel 'tidied up' but not necessarily bare.
Well I am one of those ladies in the '80's birthing videos!!!
I took no offense but it always makes me giggle that pubic hair is seen as yucky!!! Why is that??? It's part of growing to woman hood and personally I find the brazillian as odd as you find the hair !!!!
It's all good - no birthing assistant would ever judge you on your lack of hair or sporting the full growth of your years. It all works the same hair or no hair!!!
Aaaaahhh I was so worried that I would go into labor before I got my wax done, or worse have my waters break while I was getting a wax... I ended up going for a wax at about 38 weeks because I thought that it would help me feel a lot more comfortable bearing my bits on the big day. I didn't get a brazillian though, just a tidy up, because I figure that if I had to have stitches (any even if I didn't) things would be pretty tender down there and the last thing I would want to do is exfoliate. In the end I had an emergency CS, I didn't exfoliate for three or four weeks after (I was too scared to) and ended up with a couple of nasty ingrowns so I'm glad I didn't get it all done cos I think it would have been much worse.
To wax or not to wax!
)... but totally planned one for the next couple of weeks or so before giving birth (heaven forbid i should even slightly resemble the ladies in those 80's films they showed us in the antenatal class)!
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Like Winter said, just make sure the beautician understands how uncomfy and potentially dangerous it is for a pregnant woman to lay on her back so she can do it in stages or prop you up as much as possible.
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