Attire & Guests in the Room

[Allie142]

Really excited and probably over thinking every little detail, but have been thinking about what would be most comfortable to wear the day of. Also if I decided to just wear a gown or be nude who should be in the room. Any experiences or advice really would help. Thanks

 

[krissie328]

I wore a tank style short pajama dress with my first. But honestly being naked probably would have been nice too. The hospital gown was awful, I would not want to labor in that. I just had my dh in there with me. I will this time as well. I just find having people come in and out to be too stressful. I wanted it about me and dh and bonding with our baby.

We did skin to skin and delayed cord clamping so he was on my exposed belly while i got some stitches. Then we tried breastfeeding after he was cleaned. So for me i was way more comfortable with only hospital staff and dh.

 

[jessmke]

With my daughter I had my own night gown that I brought to the hospital with me. It had buttons down the front so I could unbutton it for skin to skin and breastfeeding immediately after birth (but I ended up just pulling it up to my neck so didn't really need the buttons). It was very handy to have because my labour was very long and I was in and out of the shower a lot so I could just pull it on over my wet body when getting out of the shower.

With my son, I brought the same night gown with me to the hospital (we call it the birthing gown, lol). We left for the hospital at 2:30 am so I was wearing a baggy t shirt and pyjama pants. My water broke in the car so my pants were soaked when we got to the hospital and I was already 8 cm dilated. I took off my pants and underwear as soon as we got to the delivery room, I was labouring pretty hard and sweating so the midwife asked if I wanted to take off my t-shirt which I did, so I was just wearing a bra. My husband asked if I wanted the birthing gown but I was starting to push so there was no time to worry about what I was wearing, so I gave birth pretty much naked minus a nursing bra. If we arrived at the hospital earlier I would have put on the birthing gown, but baby was born less than an hour after arriving at the hospital so there was no time for wardrobe changes.

Regardless of what I was wearing, the only person I wanted in the room with me was my husband and the midwife delivering the baby. For me childbirth is not the time for a bunch of guests to be coming and going. I know some women want their mother in the room with them but my mom and I don't have that kind of relationship at all.

 

[Mum2BKW]

I was just in my nursing bra towards the end, I can't remember at what point I stripped off! Hubbie and midwives were in the room with me but anyone could have walked in and covering up would have been the last thing on my mind!

I'd suggest loose comfy clothes that you don't mind binning afterwards if they get very mucky.

 

[second.time]

I wore a maternity dress to the hospital, really stretchy. I had a pretty nursing kaftan but felt self-conscious wearing it to the hospital ... which seems silly because I was in active labor and yelling, so I wasn't exactly elegant anyway. Once I was there I just changed into the gown they gave me. They had special gowns for moms, pink ones with slits to make nursing easier afterward. I wore my sports bra under it but obviously no underwear. It was pretty comfy, I wore it during the birth and then I think they gave me a new one (?), it was all blurry because I was so high and happy from giving birth. I changed into my own bathrobe the next afternoon after I'd taken my first post-birth shower.

I only wanted my husband in the room. I felt shy having anybody else see me naked/in pain/throwing up/etc. It also cut down on distractions.

 

[MindUtopia]

I would bring several options that are all comfortable and allow you to move around easily. They'll also be good for after as you'll want to wear something soft and comfortable as well. I personally wore a swimming cover-up, like a comfortable cotton sleeveless dress that came just above the knee. That worked well for me. Towards the end I was just in a bra and then I had someone take that off me once she was born for skin to skin. I could move around well, but I didn't get cold (it was February and I had a home birth in a usually cold, drafty house).

If you're having a hospital birth, obviously you'll have hospital staff coming in and out, but honestly, you probably won't care too much about being naked in front of them after a point. You'll never see them again anyway. As for anyone else, I wouldn't invite anyone to be there who you wouldn't feel comfortable seeing you naked. You will be naked in some way eventually and people will probably get a good look, especially as baby is coming. If you're having extended family or friends there, just make sure you're totally comfortable with that level of intimacy with them. If not, I'd have them wait outside or come later. Honestly, it's not really the sort of thing you want an audience for and I found even with two midwives in the room I felt very watched (otherwise it was just my husband). I certainly wouldn't have wanted anyone else.

 

[WackyMumof2]

First labour was hubby's Fubu shirt because it was huge and baggy. Wish I hadn't now because the kind of fabric it is made me uncomfortably warm. Second I had a hospital gown and found it restricting in regards to trying to get comfortable. Third time I had on my maxi dress and took it off a couple of hours after arriving and just laboured in a sports bra which was so nice! No fabrics to restrict me or make me anymore uncomfortable than I already was. This time I'll probable go nude so immediately at birth I can feed baby. Last time due to sugar levels my midwife wanted to avoid breastfeeding and just do a formula feed an hour after to stabilize his sugars which was fine by me. Meant after all that work I could just snuggle and the midwife would be able to control his sugar levels better.

It has just been me and hubby for the birth of all our children and that's how it should be. I had my MIL and FIL when I was in labour with my eldest but with back to back labour, I couldn't be stuffed telling them to get out. REFUSED for them to be there for the birth or exams. FIL was there briefly for my labour with DS2 until I got angry and told him to 'f**k off home because he wasn't funny'. Lol. But he came back with a full bag of black jellybeans so he was quickly forgiven. I didn't want people popping in and out last time nor do I want that this time. The first moments after birth are for me and hubby and the only visitors I will allow again in the first 24 hours are my other children so they can bond with baby.

 

[Weebles]

Am I the only one who prefers the hospital gowns? I brought several things I thought I might like to labor in but honestly once I saw that the gowns had snaps along the shoulder seam for breastfeeding/skin to skin I went with them instead. What mattered to me more was having clothes for afterwards and I wish I had brought more yoga pants and a few nursing shirts. (We were there longer than expected)

 

[annio84]

I took like a wide strap vest top which I wore in the pool and a very oversized nightie from primark which I wore while I was wandering round. In the end though I ended up naked when it came to pushing. To be honest I don't love wearing clothes at the best of times.

 

[luz]

I wear hospital gowns the entire time I'm in the hospital. Once a nurse told me that most women like to change and wear their own clothes, I wanted to slap her. I don't want to bloody up my own clothes!! Plus the shoulders snap off easy and you can get easy access to feed and have skin to skin once baby is born