what to wear when giving birth?

just wondering what you's all plan to wear when giving birth? or those with bubs already, what did you wear?

i dont wanna wear the stupid backless hospital gowns, but i dont wanna wear an old lady nightie either!! :P

With Chelsea i wore a shirt and bra.

With Jasmine i spent time in the shower so i was naked....but when i got out i threw on a hossy gown and once she was born was naked again to hold her close to me.

when I was in the shower I had on bra & knickers, then when I got out I just had on an old oversized tshirt. Then when Darlie was born I took it off for skin-to-skin!

I just wore a comfy t-shirt and undies. One thing I was told to make sure I had was a pair of socks because you get cold feet. I bought a pair of really pretty, fluffy, comfy socks. I put them on mainly for the cosy factor. But by the time Clae was born I didn't want any clothes on me at all.

I had a nightie on but ended up with it off to push. I got it from BigW, it's a maternity one but was pretty pointless, but was cute at least!

yer i think i will try and find a cheap singlet nightie kinda thing, but yer a cute one :p

i had a nightie on during the labour and was planning on it with the birth but cause i had to have an emergency c/section i was made to wear the hospital gown!!

i got mine from the maternity section of BigW!!

i had plans to wear tshirt, but, i ended up in hospital gown, and then ended up mostly in the nud cause i got so hot. i say go the gown, there is alot of mess!

Last time I packed a looong pink singlet to change into, but used water for pain relief, and had a waterbirth, so it ended up being nothing. :)

Plan on something that's totally not restricting, but you might find, like myself, that you found any clothing at all annoying (and pointless, being in a bath). I'm pretty modest but found I didn't care about that kind of thing once in labour - my focus was totally elsewhere. ;)

I was in a tank top till I had an epidural - then I was in a hospital gown! That worked out well in the end because just before bubs arrived DH opened it right up and put bubs straight onto my naked skin :)

yep!! oversized T-shirt and knickers worked for me, tried the water thing it wasn't for me it kept me away from the gas, and I needed that gas!!!LOL

I don't usually like walking around in a room when I'm the only one nude, but I tend to nude up as soon as I hit the shower and stay that way because I'm in there more then I'm out. Thankful for the endless supply of hot water.

I got to the birth centre room and stripped ;) Naked in the bath, naked for a few hours after until family started to visit, so I put on a crop top (little stretchy bra top from Kmart) and singlet (adjustable straps from Target and stretchy chest section so that I could just pull it all down to feed) and kept my bottom half covered by the sheet on the bed, while Oscar lay on top of me. I brought some old cotton undies from Target that I knew I was going to throw out once I got home (actually, threw out two pairs whilst in the BC, so keep from bringing them home and changing my mind about them!).
Really, nakedness made me feel so free and ready, and it was only DP and the midwife in the room.

he he he... GOOD QUESTION!!
I had a singlet and knickers on with Jacob..... after about 10 hours of labour and changing positions sixty thousand times I realised I had ripped all my clothes off and was butt naked on all fours!! HE HE HE.... sooo funny now I look back on it!!
Then the gorgeous fashionble hossy gown once I had the epi..... then it all ended in a ceaser.... so the hossy gown it was....
But one thing I did have planned was what I was wearing after!! :) I had bought some silky PJ's from target that were just lovely to slip into after all that drama and a nice cotten set of PJ's too.

Good luck!!
xxoo

Try to wear something that is not restricting at all and also that you won't mind throwing out if you need to (Sometimes they get stained). I started out in a lite t-shirt and DH's trackie pants but I got in the shower so I nuded it up and stayed that way until after my shower after having DD. I was surprised at that because I'm the biggest prude and I always said I wouldn't have DD nude. Make sure you pack extras of what you decide incase you need to change due to staining.

A big, comfy men's tshirt I bought at Best and Less especially for the occasion and paid a grand sum of $10 for :lol:

It was comfy, it didn't matter if it got messed up (which it did).

When I had DS my water broke early in labour and I leaked and leaked and leaked for about 2 hours before his head came down enough to plug it up...I went through at least 4 pairs of shorts in that time it was ridiculous.....

When I arrived at the hospital I was wearing a singlet top and trackies. I ended up getting naked for a while, then the midwife got me to put on a hospital gown but that only lasted a few minutes before I got naked again. I just didnt feel comfortable in clothing, plus I wanted to go under the hot water in the shower.

I'm usually nude all the time, I just can't stand the feeling of clothes on, plus I got really hot as well, and I also spend most of my time in the shower for the pain relief, ooohh heaven.

hugs xoxo

Ive been tossing up on this one too. I have looked in the shops and even the op shops for something but cant find anything. It is either too small or too grannyish or cant open up the front etc. I have decided to just wear a hosp gown cause I'm too cheap to buy anything to just chuck out and I might not even want to wear it if it is too hot.
For those who wore hosp gowns... did you wear it with the opening at the front to do the skin thing? Did it bother you that it wasnt stretchy?

I actually just wore a hospital gown (highly attractive.........not)

But the last thing you are thinking about at the time is what you look like, and I found them loose and the most comfortable.

Go the big tshirt and socks. Borrow hubby's shirt and buy/wear bedsocks that you don't mind getting ruined. Same for hubby's tshirt, of course!!!:p

I've got a huge NY Yankees tshirt - it's going to be my "workshirt" while I'm giving birth to Ramlet.

I went nude, I spent most my time in a big bath & didn't see the point. I did buy a big nightly from Big W with buttons down the front for feeding, but it was the last thing on my mind at the time. I put it on only at the end when being taken back to my room. I don't like to feel restriceted & I knew I would end up naked as the midwife suggested is often the best. It didn't bother me the slightest, the doc had seen it all anyway & my hubby has seen me naked so no probs there.

I wore a t shirt and undies, though I did get in the shower and was naked at that point. After the shower I threw my t shirt on again but ditched the knickers. Then when she was born I ditched the tshirt for our cuddle and just strategically placed the hospy sheet ;)
I agree with Nelle, while I'm usually pretty particular about showing body parts, I found I just didn't care at the time.

yer thats what im worried about, dont want everyone seein my 'bits' LOL :lol:

Trust me Jess, I think we all think that in the beginning. But when you are half way through labour, its really the last thing you care about - they have seen it all before. LOL

LOL Jess - where d'you think the baby's going to come from?!? :lol:
Sorry. I do completely understand your reservations. I felt exactly the same way until it all happened.

jess: i am the same as u. i am like there is no way i will go naky lol but i guess we can just find somethign to wear and then if it comes to it strip off. lol

Well I think I am going to look for a nice streachy loose T-Shirt thingy and a crop top - the hospital gowns are not that comfy (they tend to restrict movement a little). Something long to cover my bits if I need to walk around but other than that there won't be much need to cover up I guess...I will be kinda busy and I can always pull a sheet over if need be...

I wore a crop top bra thingy and a sarong ... and thick fluffy socks! The socks I got out of the way just in time when my waters were broken ... I don't think I actually cared what I wore to be honest.

i was like that i took all sorts of different things to labour and birth in but i got in the shower and it was bliss lol its where i spent most my labour i was walking in and out to have checks or a rest on the bed and i had nothing on lol i couldnt have cared less.. i am usually really embarrassed about stuff like that and even shy a little with dp sometimes but for some reason i just didnt care haha even when the dr came in who was a man to do a test i didnt care lol last thing on my mind i figure hes sure to have seen so many women same as the midwives.. in saying that though i couldnt have planned to have nothing either lol lol i took lots of big stretchy singlets :)

It's a very, very messy affair. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're probably better off in the hossy gown - my clothing advice? Take plenty of undies - old and new. The old ones are most probably going to come out looking the worse for wear.

I had my T shirt and trackies on. Daniel came so fast I only had time to take off the trackies, so I had my crusty polo shirt on which ended up having to be thrown out and it got covered in what my DH likes to term "juice" - I think that means not necessarily blood.

I was just thinking about a friend of mine. When she was explaining to her teenage son (as he was going to be present) what would be happening during the birth of his little brother
she told him that she would probably end up naked. Shocked at this he asked "but you will be leaving your nickers on won't you?" I guess she had a bit more explaining to do.

Def naked!!! Mind you it would be weird to walk in birthing suite and strip ready to go!! ha ha I think it's a gradual thing where you just end up being sick of clothes. I stared in shorts and singlet, then put bathers on. I kept on getting in and out of the shower though so ended up naked. I did have gown on for awhile too and it was comfy. Took it off for pushing though.

Afterwards I had 2 pairs of nice PJ pants and maternity tank tops and that's what I wore the whole time - NO clothing just PJ"s! I also bought a 6 pack of black undies from target and wore them the whole time - nice and new but dark.

:

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Shocked at this he asked "but you will be leaving your nickers on won't you?" I guess she had a bit more explaining to do.

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PMSL! Yes, I think a bit more explanation was required ;)

hehe lol!

well i bought a nightie 2day, just pink with white spots, and its was cheap and i tried it on and its big and comfy and top bit comes down easy so i will have that for labour... at least going from room to shower haha!
and best and less have undies for 99c ea so i bought 6 of them 2day too...

You'll probably end up naked. They have seen it all before... thousands of times.
I was starkers, but I did get to the hossy at 8cms dialated, and then it was only 3 hours till Lach was born. CLothes just get in the way. Trust me, you think of NOTHING except breathing in and out, and pushing when you have to! lol
I am not a small person, but I couldnt give a rats!
lol

I had on my most comfy, favourite nightie and shorts on at first, ( the shorts were that worn they had a few holes in the bum part and the nurses laughed at me. Hehe )
They offered me one of those gross out gowns... but in the end I just had my nightie on.

Nude. That's was the way to go for me. I had no idea what to wear. So i had a singlet top on and tracky pants. When i got into the labour ward i was so sick of it I took it all off and got into the shower so i was nude for about 6 hours.

After the epidural I got into the hospital gown. Take socks (like the other mums said) and lots and lots of undies.

Also if you have a *natural* birth you'll need some pads to help with the bleeding. Sorry if TMI. Take the big nanna pads or a friend of mine used the incontinence undies and she didnt have to wash anything when she got home!

Ann

Can I add to luua? Don't just take pads - take millions of the flamin' things!! I had to get DH to go and buy some more. I had no idea - maybe that's just me.

I was in total shock about the mess I made (TMI). I think the last thing I said as they wheeled me out of the labour ward was, "Are you sure you don't want me to clean up??" I was so embarrassed......... as if I had any control over that!! I'm a little prudish about that. I have to talk myself in to smear tests for months and months. During birth I was really not caring who saw what and when........... all I knew is that my husband kept taking the gas away to chat to the midwife and itermittently look at my hoo haa.

But, hey!! Bring on the S-E-X............ ha, ha!!