# Water birth wear?



## Mrs Dragonfly

Those of you who have done water birth or plan to do a water birth what will you be wearing? I know plenty say I won't care in the moment, but for now I'd rather have something packed than nothing at all.

Right now I'm debating between a swim suit top or a sports bra. Would a sports bra feel weird in the water?


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## Button#

I packed a vest top to wear for DS. When I got in the room I stripped everything off and got straight in, I very much begrudged putting a nighty and dressing gown on to be transferred to the labour ward when he wasn't coming out. I found it very hot in the hospital and didn't want anything next to my skin.


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## Dtswife

I started in a tank top, and finished in nothing. Right about 8 centimeters, I couldn't stand the sensation of the fabric on my skin. This time around, I am going to look for a very lightweight tankini top that might be less irritating.


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## Mrs Dragonfly

I feel like a tank top or even tankini would be too much. When I'm uncomfortable at home I roll my shirt up above my belly:haha: DH always teases me and says "oh the belly's out!" when I do this. So I'm thinking bikini or sports bra, I just worry about sports bra fabric feeling funky once wet...


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## Feronia

I wore a long maternity swimsuit top and no bottoms. When I got out to labour around the house, I just had a long skirt nearby to put on.


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## sarah34

I would suggest a bikini top. I took a vest top but it was very uncomfortable when it got wet x


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## Alyssa Drough

I got in with the bra and vest top I was already wearing, but took the vest off when I got too hot. I never considered taking anything special to wear cos I ended up completely naked anyway once lo was born.


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## Mrs Dragonfly

I'm not sure if I'll end up totally naked or not, I understand everyone says you don't care but I worry I will lol. A vest top sounds like too much. No where is selling swimsuits (go figure) so looks like it's probably going to be a sports bra.


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## MommyJogger

If you're planning to go all the way in the water, I would wear a bikini top that you can easily untie to nurse in the water. I had a sports bra on because I didn't want the fabric of the maternity tankini on my belly. Some people care. I cared, but I mostly wanted to be naked (as in, had the urge, not planned to be, lol), so the sports bra eventually came off. It didn't actually get very wet in the birthing pool, but I would find wet cotton on pregnancy-sensitive breasts to be aggravating. Don't know where you're located, but target actually sells some not-very-absorbent nursing sports bras that I think in hindsight would work nicely for a water birth.


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## Mrs Dragonfly

Thank you for the suggestion! On DH's next day off I'll have to send him to Target to look for me, poor guy haha. I've been placed on bed rest so I'm not certain how to get that shopping done :(


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## RaspberryK

Feronia said:


> I wore a long maternity swimsuit top and no bottoms. When I got out to labour around the house, I just had a long skirt nearby to put on.

That's very modest of you, I wore a tankini, then just the top, then when I was made to get out I headed straight to the shower in nothing. poor midwife :haha: I hated getting dressed to get to hospital, I ended up birthin in the random top I arrived in and it came off as soon as he was born for skin to skin. 
xx


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## Rhio92

I just wore a bra. I really hated the feeling of clothes on my skin though, if I feel like that this time I'll just be naked, it's labour, no one minds :)


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## MummyToAmberx

I wore a sports bra and £2 vest from primark, it didn't bother me it didnt make me feel uncomfortable as all of my mind was stuck on fact how much pain i was in lol. I didnt have nothing on bottom half & its just aswell i dont think i would have got them off in time.


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## RaspberryK

Just a thought, if anyone does want to wear bottoms you could try tie side bikini bottoms in case you are worried about not getting them off in time. 
Xx


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## Mrs Dragonfly

I'll probably wear bottoms until I get into the tub, but once I'm in the tub I'll just take them off. Side tie bikini bottoms are a good idea though.


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## MummyToAmberx

I wore a dress to hospital knew i wouldnt want the battle with bottoms :p


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## emyandpotato

I want to be covered up! I won't be relaxed if I'm naked because I just won't feel comfortable. So probably a t-shirt or shirt, or a vest top at a push. And definitely bikini bottoms while I can!


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## Mrs Dragonfly

I would hate wearing a tshirt in the water, right now when I'm uncomfortable I pull my shirt up over my belly to let it "breathe" when we're home lol. 

MummytoAmber - I can't find dresses anywhere I like :(


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## lj2245

Last time I can't really remember as I wasn't in water for long and it was all a blur with the pain and baby arriving so quick but I either wore a soft breastfeeding bra (was wearing only this in the photos taken afterwards) or kept my vest top on and removed that at some point. I was in hospital and it was obvious I was near giving birth so I sort of stripped and hopped in. 

This time I am planning a home water birth and plan to have everything as normal as possible until it comes to the pushing stage so plan to have my kids and MIL hanging around and we can watch dvds, etc. I know I won't want to be totally naked until I start whipping it all off to give birth and am at the point where I don't care (strange how that happens) so I have been looking for some kind of swimwear that is like a dress but I can't find anything anywhere. I think I will just have to get a maternity tankini. Not an easy task in December! 

A tshirt or dress is a bad idea...it will just be floating around you and all heavy and annoying. Go for something lightweight and designed to be in water :)


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## Mrs Dragonfly

Yeah no such luck finding swim suits anywhere this time of year:haha: Hoping to find an open front sports bra when I run errands later after the black friday madness calms down.


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## lj2245

Mrs Dragonfly said:


> Yeah no such luck finding swim suits anywhere this time of year:haha: Hoping to find an open front sports bra when I run errands later after the black friday madness calms down.

I am absolutely in love with Mothercare sleep bras and this is what I wore in labour last time, after I had him and all through this pregnancy. They are so soft and supportive. THey do ordinary nursing bras but I found they didn't stretch to support my engorged breasts as well as the sleep ones do. So so soft!


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## Mrs Dragonfly

Darn, I don't think we have a Mothercare here in the US.


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## RaspberryK

What not even online? Xx


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## Mrs Dragonfly

I could order online, I'm just curious how much shipping would be lol.


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## RaspberryK

I'm sure you'll find something, if you look in the bf section there's a post going around about the target bras, maybe you could look there first some of them look ideal. 
I got my tankini in the winter i think when pregnant with ds mothercare online. I think most places will stock maternity swimwear all year round online. 
I've seen a lot of the ladies at aquanatal here in their normal bikinis with their lovely bumps all out. 
Xx


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## lj2245

RaspberryK said:


> I'm sure you'll find something, if you look in the bf section there's a post going around about the target bras, maybe you could look there first some of them look ideal.
> I got my tankini in the winter i think when pregnant with ds mothercare online. I think most places will stock maternity swimwear all year round online.
> I've seen a lot of the ladies at aquanatal here in their normal bikinis with their lovely bumps all out.
> Xx

I tried a normal bikini on and it honestly looked (from the front) like I had nothing on my bottom half :haha: Not a good look for me :) 

I have a swimsuit that is sort of like a tankini. The bottom is joined to the top by mesh and the top part ruches and you can pull it down as low as you like. I might just cut the bottom part off that as it still fits me and buy some bikini bottoms :)


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## lj2245

Mrs Dragonfly said:


> I could order online, I'm just curious how much shipping would be lol.

Awk maybe you can fnd something similar. Amazon maybe?


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## MommyJogger

Target maternity swimwear is actually on sale online. They're usually willing to ship it to store for free, and you can go try them on there and decide if you want to 'return' it. So you can 'buy' a couple sizes and then return what doesn't fit all in one trip to the store. There's a 2 piece (sold as separates) shorts tankini that ties around the neck so you can untie it to nurse when the time comes. 
https://www.target.com/p/maternity-...#prodSlot=medium_1_10&term=maternity+swimwear


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## Feronia

^^ I used the Target maternity swimsuit posted above (in black) for my last birth. The only problem was getting it off quickly after the baby was born. I remember my midwives struggling with the knot while we were trying to do skin-to-skin and start breastfeeding. I'm wishing I didn't sell it afterwards! This time I found a swimming top in a thrift store. It goes down a bit over my belly but not all the way -- at least it was cheap!


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## Sussy

With my first I hadn't planned for a water birth but as the pool was free and they offered it to me I went in. At that stage I didn't care and got in naked. For some reason I was mortified about it after! With my second I had a planned water birth at a stand alone midwife led centre and I wore a bikini


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## Mrs Dragonfly

I found an old bikini top that I haven't worn in years that I mostly fit into... I figure who cares if my boobs look a little funny in it, it'll eventually come off anyways. I just want something to start out in because I know I'm not going to be ready for nudeness right at the start lol, I'm a bit bashful.


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## MrsKChicago

The woman who did our hospital orientation said most mothers just get in the tub naked. I'll do that if that's what I want in the moment, but I'm probably going to bring my maternity tankini (not sure I'll bother wearing the bottoms), and a few soft nursing bras like this one (enough for during and after the birth): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002K6F79Q/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't think I'll want to deal with a clingy wet shirt, and sports bras are hard enough to get off when they're dry and I'm not in labor ;) I want to have the option for modesty (ha!), but make it as easy as possible to go straight to skin to skin.


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## RubysMommy

I wore the nursing bra I had on when I got to the hospital. I was in the hospital gown after I checked in. No bottoms except a giant pad to sit on lol. Then as soon as I got the chance I was in the tub with my spandex nursing bra and portable baby monitors attached to my belly the whole time. I didn't even notice I had my bra on lol.


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## NDH

I didn't have a waterburth but I did labour in water for my first. I had packed a bikini top and a couple of sarongs for modest dry labouring and made a swim skirt (with no pants part) for in the water. But then I ended up in syntocinon and it was such a hassle getting undressed so I said forget modesty and spent the rest of my labour nude, though I think I was wrapped in blankets or towels when I got out of the tub still pretty early on. 

My next birth will be photographed though and I want to feel comfortable sharing photos so will again plan on a swim skirt for in water and a sarong for on land. I wear Venus bras/Genie bras etc since they stretch and nursing bras don't come in an A :haha: so will probably just wear my bra.


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