Wax, shave or trim your lady bits?

I'm just getting to that stage where I realise somethings gotta be done about the forest down there (:redface:), and as I went into labour at 38 weeks with DS - I want to be prepared this time around. Last time I think I just did a partial shave and all over trim when I went into early labour! (How on earth did I manage that...? lol)
Problem is, whilst I would normally do my own bikini wax, I'm way too 'out there' and uncomfortable to do it myself. Plus then there is the added fact that your nether regions tend to be swollen during pregnancy (and they seem to be much more swollen 2nd time around) and I'm worried the pain of waxing whilst pregnant could almost send me into labour - lol.

I know that when I am actually in heavy labour I will hardly give a #### how hairy I am, but at this early stage I'd rather have it taken care of. What method of grooming were you planning on doing/have done and at what stage? Did waxing kill like buggery or do you think its worth it not to have regrowth a few days later....? Not sure whether to book a trip to the beauty salon or not...

Ta.

Here is a good article Kelly wrote on waxing before she had her son - Waxing During Pregnancy.

There is also another thread going too ;)

http://forums.bellybelly.com.au/foru...x-not-wax.html

I did read that some midwives like it to be trimmed so its more clean, not sure i guess you could ask your midwife/hospital/ob what they prefer?

i dont think i did anything for #2 but #1 i got hubby to clean it up lol

Thanks for the links ladies. After reading some of those I am starting to think that a shave & trim will be easier..... I don't know if I can be bothered with in-grown hairs as well as a potentially torn perenium!

I started getting waxed during my pregnancy (this is my first) because I was really paranoid about the whole labour thing, and because of how messy everything is going to be for that first few weeks, and I really don't want to have to worry about it. Seriously, I am SOOO glad I did. I love it. I didn't find the pain that bad, and it's gone pretty much as soon as you walk out and I feel so much cleaner now.

I can't remember what I did first two times but am pretty sure things were quite ferral with the first! These days I just wax. It doesn't hurt much and certainly not as much as if I was close to a period. I can't be bothered being a contortionist and trying to shave or bother trimming it myself so the beautician does it all for me :)

:redface:my hubby does my umm maintanance :lol:

we do a trim with pube clippers and then he goes wild :rofl: with hair remover cream, I have told him though just nice neat adn tidy before birth :lol:

he jokingly said well you can't see it :rolleyes:

yep i get brazillian wax professionally and i kept doing this through my pregnancies... booked the last one in for around 38 wks so it would beneat and tidy and also so i wouldnt have to worry for a bit after they were born... now i need to get it done BADLY but it is much harder with a NB.
I really recommend having it done - and i have heard midwifes comment that if you need stitches it is much easier if you have waxed...
i dont find the pain that much worse when heavily preg - it is more trying to get into position for them - i usually ask them to schedule a bit more time for me.

JellyBean, can I borrow your thread for a minute? :) I need help too!
I tried waxing myself once and it was a disaster! My skin was bleeding. :( Of course, I realize that's 'cause I was doing it myself, and a beautician would have done a MUCH better job, but it was no picnic afterwards either. I got ingrowns hairs all over, even though I exfoliated regularly and it was SOOOOO itchy growing back in. How do you ladies avoid that? 'Cause there's nothing sexy or comfy about ingrown hairs!
I have the same issue with shaving - instantly itchy! Instantly regret doing it. :(
So I'm curious about hair removal cream. Never tried it. Do you get itchies/ingrown hair issues when you use that? I'd like to be a little more "tidy looking" but I am NOT going to suffer with itchy bits all day just for that! Any suggestions?

I got a question.......

Are those hair removal creams safe to use 'down there'??

ive never found a hair removal cream for "down there" my DH uses a kind thats for men, im pretty sure ur not supposed to use it down there but he still does, and sometimes if he leaves it on too long he'll burn his skin :( poor thing :(
I thought about waxing but since i have never done it before i thought starting while i was heavily pregnant was probably not a good idea lol. (but i do plan on giving it a go when its all back to normal)
i used to shave until i couldnt see anymore, and since its been so long since ive shaved have decided that the ingrown hairs i am bound to get will not be pleasant NOW so im just getting my DH sto shave it with clippers as best he can.
I think a tidy up is a good idea, less messy and more hygeinic lol.

Every coupla months I take a lil trip to Brazil! Esp in summertime, I feel so much cooler and comfortable, whether preggers or not.
As far as ingrowns go, I take a face washer into the shower with me and exfoliate with that every time I shower. I haven't used any of the expensive no-ingrown creams. So far so good!

I use veet sensative, I dont do the whole lot just the outer and upper not the actual hoo hah bits IYKWIM!!! neevr had any problems with itchy or burning skin yes while cream is on it feels weird but no rpobs afterwards

I will just go and get a bikini wax and just ask dh to give me a trim LOL..

Just wanted to make a comment on the midwives/Obs wanting it more clean and neat - well they can just go and get stuffed...!!! All women are born with pubic hair and can give birth with it, shock horror! I've not met a woman who has had birth complications or endangered the life of their baby from inconvienient pubic hair. If you like it on, keep it on and who cares what the rest of the world thinks!!! Better still, have a birth in water and no-one will even see your public hair and how neat and tidy it is. :P

Well mine is a forest atm and I can't be bothered doing anything about it...I can't see it, let alone reach it! I can barely shave my legs lol.

I didn't bother doing anything to "tidy up" (couldn't see anyway) and had stitches (2nd degree tear) - no probs. Neither my ob or midwives had a problem and it was easy to keep clean - no different to normal really. I think they were more concerned with getting the baby out (me too) than worried about the state of my pubes!

Ha ha - this thread is entertaining indeed. I ended up getting DH to give me a neat trim the other day and its just as well - I was feeling very swollen down there (more so than last pregnancy) and my midwife confirmed that I have a pregnancy-induced varicose vain running down my right labia toward my perenium, and that it is twice as swollen as the left side!!!:rolleyes: Probably would have been very painful to wax - especially as I am not accoustomed to waxing in that area.

Kelly - I would love a water birth!! At present the birth centre here in WA only allow women to labour in the birthing pool, but not deliver. There is a petition going to have this changed. I might just try pretending that I am not really that far along and when I get the urge to push just refuse to get out of the bath- lol!!

i think the hospital i am also birthing at (warragul) has a policy on not delivering in the water, but labour is okay.... however i looked up the policy on it and basically they cannot make you get out of the water, they just try to discourage it.... i say you just don't move out of the water, what are they gunna do????????????????

Well, we've wandered a little bit OT, but hey, water birth is always a good discussion. :) I'm totally in favour of water birth, having had a great one myself, but I wouldn't recommend putting your caregivers into a position they are uncomfortable and stressed about. At least discuss it with your midwife before hand and try to get an idea for how she feels about it.

I'm still waiting for more info on hair removal cream.... anyone? :)

after reading the other hair removal thread, i tried the hair removal cream very close to sensitive areas down there..... hard to describe where i did it, kind of underneath where your leg meets your bits, and right back very very very ultra close to ummmm here goes, rectum area, and had no problems at all.... my only disappointment was that after a day of being smooth as a baby's bottom, the regrowth started straight away, so i was a bit disappointed i didn't get longer out of it. after my experience i can't see it being a problem using it on labia etc, as long as its not an 'intricate' area, and is just your normal every day skin..... hope that helps! wow can't believe i used the words labia and rectum at 7 o'clock in the morning.

It's after 5pm here Emma - does that help? ;)
Any itching issues? That's what drives me mad.
Thanks for the info! :)

It's years since I used creams but I found that I got itchy within a very short period of time. Not sure if that's because I'm prone to ingrown hairs or if it's to do with the cream. Have ultimately given up and just get waxed all the time now with less itching resulting.

i didn't have any itchiness, just *****liness, as i felt the hairs growing back and kind of sticking into the opposite area if it makes any sense, probably doesn't.... i can't stand the *****ly feeling, like stubble!

I'm booked in for a wax on Wednesday - I'm off on holiday with DH and haven't done any "maintenance" work for a while, DH usually does it but he's away with work atm. It's my first professional waxing, long story but I bought an at-home kit last year put the strips on then pleaded with DH to pull them off because I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was messy, uneven and left a rash. A disaster!

Cricket, I used the hair removal cream for the last few summers. I would go for one for sensitive skin, takes a bit longer but gentler on the skin. Usually works best after you've had a shower. I would get DH to apply because it can be awkward and I'm no gymnast. The most uncomfortable part is waiting the half hour or whatever it is for the cream to work because it feels all gooey down there!

OK, I've gone brazilian for a while now and just did some 'self-maintenance' on the weekend with my epilator, so feeling very smooth again. I just prefer the feeling, especially for a planned waterbirth (so it's for me alone, as no-one's gonna see much!).
I have found MooGoo Post Wax cream to be really effective and I just made up my own product the other day because my last professional wax job was a bit dodgy (the second last one was ACE and was done somewhere a bit further away that I didn't want to drive to a few weeks ago!) and left me with some stubborn ingrowns. It's a pot of aloe vera gel (that I already have from my aromatherapy supplies) with loads of tea tree oil, some lavender and chamomile. In the 3 days I've been using it I've nearly rid myself of the buggers! My supply of MGPW cream is down to a couple of finger loads, so being frugal with it wasn't working very well. Glad to report that my DIY gel is effective :)
As for self-epilating - not for the faint hearted. With the extra blood flow I have to wash the epilator head and leave it to dry for a day on the wood heater - follicles just release blood I never knew existed when they're yanked out at this stage of the game!

Mayaness, isn't lavendar something that should be avoided during pregnancy? early part anyway? I'm sure i read when I was preg first time that it could bring on miscarriage during early preg. (not that you're early preg...!!)

I am wondering what to do also. I have never been for a professional wax. I have very sensitive skin and it reacts to almost anything I do. I sometimes shave but usually get a nice rash (as I do now) that is really itchy. About half the time when I wax I get lumpy and itchy regrowth (and a few ingrowns) and creams don't seem to work that well. Usually I just go for a short all over trim unless I'm going swimming (but usually wear boardies anyway!).
Any suggestions? Not sure if I'm bold enough to go to a salon...

Lavender used to be on the restricted list - it's not really, anymore. I don't really like lavender as a scent and use it for remedial purposes (burns, skin healing etc) :) I don't put it in moisturisers for my face cos of the smell that puts me in a bad mood! I tended to avoid oils that are more known for regulating hormones and cycles earlier on (fennel, geranium for example). Tea tree is supposed to be debatable, too, but I made my own call on it - still no labour symptoms, three days on ;)
I'm not an aromatherapist, so check with someone who has something resembling more formal training...I'm just a backyarder!

crack up, my words got beeped out, and i was saying (i will spell it wrong so you know what i was saying)

prikkly

good one, thanks Mayanes, I was hyper paranoid during my first pg about it. Like you, I don't much like the scent either so it wasn't a problem from that perspective. Just a paranoia... like, I won't eat licorice when I REALLY want it because it's on the list of what not to have!

emma - can't understand why it would beep out that word?!!!! how amusing!!

Jleigh - I reckon wander into the salon, I've alwys had a much better result from a salon wax than a home wax, every time. Occasionally get an ingrown but a lot less itching and a lot less rash. To them, seeing your bits is just the same as a gynae - they see them all the time and think nothing of it (doesn't stop a little modesty creeping in but still...!) Good luck!

I did it! Went for my first ever waxing today in a salon. It was (relatively) painless and now I'm nice and neat! I will definitely be going again. Heaps easier than doing it yourself.

Ha with DS I was in full blown labour in the bath trying to shave my downstairs with my then DP holding a mirror for me so I could see. I refused to go to the hospital until I was done :D
This time Im unsure if I even still have a vagina, havent seen it in weeks so I assume its hibernating lol.
Does anyone know if it matters with a c section?

good on ya! I'm too chicken to get a wax after a professional's not so professional efforts. not only did she burn me but she missed half of my hair. had huuuuuuuuuge blisters and then she got jacked up because i refused to pay for her botched up job. went into same place a week later to get my hair done by my very reputable hairdresser and she informed me dodgy waxer was fired after doing a repeat performance on a lady's bits. said i was well within my rights not to pay! at least it was only my legs i got done but i had tears in my eyes for other lady!

I like to give myself a good tidy up with the home hot wax tub and trim up what 's left with some hair clippers but I'm not a fan of the 'all off' look, more a g-sting wax. Last time when I was preggers I did a good, thorough wax at about 39 weeks for my own sake. I used a mirror and went by feel! Even though when you're in labour you couldn't care less about what your bits look like, I felt that if I felt uncomfortable about my hairiness, my self consciousness might affect my concentration and outcomes. Midwives are used to seeing all extremes from 70's bush with 3 inch long hairs to porn star waxings! -What ever you present them with, they'll work with! I think a lot of anxiety comes from the fact that the current fashion seems to be for minimal pubes and women feel judged for being out of fashion.

I'm thinking of going for a pro-wax this pregnancy when I'm bigger (I'm 21 weeks now) as the extra bloodflow makes the skin extra sensitive and I'm no sadomasochist! The thing that puts me off going to a salon is the thought of being all trussed up like I'm at the gynie with a bright light on my bits and someone staring intently at them!

I've also heard that if you're waxed (vs shaved or haired) and you have to be extensively stitched up, you have a better outcome so that's my only 'practical' arguement!

Meh, hairiness schmairiness! DP knows the only reason I do legs and underarms is for HIM...so he can feel guilty about his social imposition on me :P My bikini I do for me - leaving landing strip cos or I feel a bit weird and I don't need that off for what I wax for. I love the feel, love how it feels when in water and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that I get no chafing when horse riding! Them's my practical considerations ;)
I am disturbed by the denigration of body hair and that young people see it as a necessity. It seems like a dumb fixation and a wholesale recommendation for girls and women to do. But I think the same about skinny jeans (ha! managed to avoid THAT fashion dictate!) and now those new baggy/skinny shorts...no thanks, not just cos everyone else is doing it!
Anyhow, I guess it's about what is deemed to look sexy when sending vis sms...:o