What did you wear for the birth?

Just wondering what ladies chose to wear to give birth. And was the item wearable afterwards? Do birth fluids stain?

I have seen a birthing wrap advertised but it seems a little OTT and expensive. I've also seen pics of women in the nude. I guess there's a range of options in between but I just have no experience in these matters. Does the hospital make you wear a gown?

I wore a crop top bra and a sarong. Although to be honest, towards the end I was nekkid and it didn't worry me a bit.

i was nudie! was dressed til i got in the shower, went through transition in there and hopped back on the bed to birth, i covered back up with sheets/blankets after the birth to keep bubs warm i dont really remember getting dressed as i had some compications after but was around 6 or so hours after, i cant even remember what i put on :redface:

With my first DS I wore the hospital gown. With my DD I wore a nightie I bought special for the birth... there were no stains in it afterwards and my DD still has it now. With my DS2 I was naked. I have no idea what I will or won't wear with this baby... I will just see how I feel at the time I guess.

I was naked - for all my births. I strip off as soon as I can - it seems like part of the go for me!

after coming out of the shower the first time i put on a nighty but coz i had a drip i couldnt be bothered getting dressed again i just used the blankets when i was cold and i was in the shower most of the time anyway

with my first - i wore dh's singlet
with my second - a nightie
with my third - hospital gown - they offered and I thought - why not.

I've worn the same huge nightie dark blue for all 3 births. It is a goodluck charm for me now

Just trackies and a fleece jacket for labour at home (it was June!) and then as soon as I arrived at the FBC I shed my layers to bare skin :) After the birth (WAY after!) I had undies and a cotton cami (with an elasticised sweetheart neckline for easy pulldown) and a microfibre crop top. I was under the sheets from waist down till the next day to get ready to go home.

I was wearing a maxi dress i bought while pregnant but got way too hot so stripped off anyway. after baby came they put a heated blanket on me to keep me and bubs warm. was so convenient just being naked because baby could be plonked straight on my chest and i figured that your lower half is on display to the world so a pairs of boobs hanging out is no big deal.

Sexy hospital gown LOL

I wore my very favourite Triple J T-shirt that I bought when I was in Year 12! I still have it and I still wear it, and if and when I have another baby, I will wear it again for the birth! (Geez I really do love that T-shirt huh!!)

I had DF's tshirt & trackies on coz thats all we had that was loose enough, everything else was uncomfrotable. After I got to the hossy I just wore the T-shirt. It was red so if there were any stains you cant see them. Afterwards I was changed into a hossy gown for surgery & I was in that until the next day, & I just wore trackies & Ts and my winter button up PJs at night for the rest of the hossy stay

With DS1 - I had a nightie on and it didn't get ruined at all. Still wear it now sometimes. It's super comfy!
With DS2 - I couldn't be bothered with putting my own clothes back on after being in the shower so I just put on a hospital gown. I think I had 2 on, one at the front, one at the back.

I had a nightie that I wore, but it got soaked when my waters were broken so then it was into the hospital gown... TBH I wouldn't worry too much about having something, beforehand I stressed about what I was going to wear, but when it is all happening how you look is the last thing you're worrying about.

BTW the nightie cleaned up fine afterwards.

I was in trackies and a t-shirt but the trackies got soaked when my waters broke so I had a shower and put a hosp. gown on, then just got covered up by the blankets.

TBH I really wasn't all that aware of what I was wearing anyway because there was too many other things going on!

Good luck!

Wow something else I hadn't thought of this time around.
I wore a hospital gown with DS1&2 When I went in they gave it to me and told me to get changed.
Maybe that's not the norm anymore?
Might have to make sure I have super comfy stuff ready for the birth I kinda like the idea of wearing my own stuff rather than the hospital gown, then again I don't remember being too concerned about what I was wearing with everything else going on like Wiggle's Mum said.

I was naked, spent most of the time in the big bath they had. Only got out when I had to, don't think they offered me a gown & I wasn't thinking about it at the time. I was moving about sooo much that I think anything would have been too restricting. Once bubs was born they covered me up with blankets & I put on the nighty I had bought to wear. FWIW I got a grey night shirt thing from Big W with buttons down the front for easy BF. I plan to take it again this time, but sure I will end up in the nothing!

I wore a loose nighty with nothing underneath (my waters broke at the beginning of labour so I kept leaking fluid - I went through about 4 pairs of knickers & pads before I gave up). Toward the end of the pushing stage I ripped the nightie off so I could have skin to skin contact with my bub. I'm normally quite a modest person but its funny how little you care about being naked when there are far more important things to be concerned with!! Like the others have said, I have no idea how long I was naked for - I only remember my son being placed on my chest and a warm blanket being placed over us both.

Wow. What a bunch of fantastic stories!
I only started wondering about this because I went out and bought a pair of pjs and a new nightie after reading a "what do I pack" thread. As I was folding up my lovely new purchases I thought -- oh, are these going to get wrecked if I wear them for the birth? I don't really like the idea of being naked but if there's so much going on -- and a drip, urgh -- then whatever.
Thanks again! :D

my drip was for antibiotics coz my local hospy stuffed up and gave me a ve after my waters broke and i was going to another hospital so i was at risk for infection but it was only in for half an hour and by the time they were supposed to give it to me again i was pushing lol

I also wore my nighty during labor then put on my bather top to get in the bath. I stayed it that when I birthed (out of the bath) Nothing stained my clothes, all the stuff washed off :)

Naked, for both. I wouldn't buy anything specific to birthing (I agree a birthing wrap seems a bit OTT!) because I guess you don't know how you'll feel about what you want to wear. Both times I was just covered over with a blanket afterwards and the birth centre has pretty good climate control, so I never felt cold/hot.

It WAS nice, once I was in bed, and settled a bit to put on favourite clothes (even though I was naked from the waist down in bed until I left the birth centre, both times... just a bit more practical, kwim?!!) Maybe if you wanted something special you could look at getting something for afterwards?

ETA: sorry, you already DID buy something - but you know, you'll be able to wear it no matter what, whether it's during, or after!! Also, I'm usually not one for running around without clothes, but somehow it is the last thing on your mind!!

During birth you obviously end up bottomless, and a comfy loose cheep t-shirt with no bra keeps you warm.
I never bothered washing, just throwing out after birth. Baby gets flopped onto you and can be messy.

I laboured in a nightie id bought especially for the birth (i still have it and will use it for #2 when the time comes), but after being in the shower i was naked and birthed naked (well apart from some blankets covering my back and bit of my butt!! :)

Naked in the end which was great!

I was Naked... Something about clothes felt really constricting to me I remember with DD1 i had to strip because (my crazy thinking) thought she couldn't come out if i was wearing a top! I kept the bra on tho...
And with DD2 I was naked as soon as i walked into the birthing suit! Everyone got a great view :) BUt i never felt self concsious and no body cared :)

i wore a hospital gown. not really by choice (i took a tshirt to wear) but it just seemed to happen (but they didn't make me either, just gave it to me in case i wanted it)! i found i didn't care at all, almost from the beginning. sure, it made it that little less personal, but as i was being induced & was hooked up to a monitor & had a drip in, the whole experience wasn't exactly as i'd envisaged.

i reckon save your nice things for after the birth - i think the best thing was when i had my first shower & could then put on my own nice, comfy clothes afterwards :)

I wore a breastfeeding singlet, which was a standard part of my wardrobe in the later weeks!! I had one of DHs tshirts on over that. Tracksuit pants came off very early in the piece!!
The midwife took off my tops once DS was born for skin to skin contact. But I was so hot I could've easily been naked alot earlier!! You really don't care about clothes/being nudie once you're there.

I wore a black singlet until bub was born, then pulled it off.

Not sure what i'll wear this time around...

I have been saying to my sister that I don't want to be naked when I'm giving birth, and she pretty much said what a lot of you ladies have been saying. When you're in labour you don't really care and you'll probably want to be naked anyway! She also said they usually have mum take her top off (if it isn't already) once the baby's born so they can have skin to skin contact with the baby.

I think I'll probably start out wearing a top of some description anyway, or a gown. I wouldn't mind a water birth though so I guess I'll get naked before too long :lol:

I had taken in a long old business shirt of my DH's (cause it unbuttons at the front for first skin to skin contact). When I arrived at the hospital I was wearing track pants and a singlet top. Ended up in just my singlet top.

Well I had my son on Monday this week (YAH) and I wore a stretchy dress over workout pants for the fist 30 min, then I got into the shower (starkers!), then knickers and a t-shirt my sister had made for me that said "today it is ALL about me" on the front with a small transfer of a coffee plunger to remind me how to push, then it was getting serious so we took of my knickers (that helped me to let my pelvic floor relax and let everything "hang") while draped over the bean bag and the labor bar and eventually over the back of the bed. Just as I began pushing my sister suggested I take off my t-shirt and then was naked for the pushing (all TEN minutes of it) and so I could pick up my son from between my knees and hold him skin to skin.

I am a VERY private person and so was prepared with a thigh length nightie and loose pj pants but I just went with wearing the minimum to allow my body to move as it needed too.

i was originally in my bikinis as i was in the bath since arriving at the hossi.
but due to me not being able to bear the pain i was moved to the bed where i was fully naked, honestly i was so nervous about getting fulled naked i said to absolutly everyone im not getting naked! well that flew out the window once i went into full blown labour trust me dignity dissapears whilst giving birth:rolleyes: