to shave or not..

SpitFire23

that is the question! TMI for sure, BUT...

typically i'm a shaved clean kind of gal, but i've been slacking and more or less just keeping everything trimmed up. for those of you who shave as well, what are you doing for L&D or am i just thinking about this too much?! i'm just thinking, "wow, it's going to be on display for pretty much everyone", how the heck am i going to take care of business so everything can be as neat as possible!?

LOL... i know, its random to have THIS be my labor thoughts, but alas, its been running through my mind!

Julia_JJ

Earlier on, I used a mirror. Now, I can't really reach around my belly as well, so my husband has promised to help with some last-minute trimming.

iluvmylab

I could care less what it looks like down there.  I'm sure the nurses and doctors have seen it all before.

EvenAngelsFall

I'm a shaver.... been doing it blind the last couple months, but its worked out ok. Honestly, I have been shaving for about 15 years... and I do it for me (hate, hate, hate hair down there!) I've shaved during periods when I was single, as well as in relationships. And I've kept doing it for me my whole adult life... not for DH or for the L&D folks... just me.

SaraTF

I'm not really concerned with looks (the doctor, nurses, and dh won't care at all), but I am a little concerned about cleaning up pp. My pubic hair tends to get thick and matted, so I will probably trim before delivery just to make sure everything can be cleaned easily.

sagoon

Usually I keep a tight ship down there but trying to work around the belly, even with a mirror, is too difficult.  I do the best I can but the results are definitely not up to my usual standards.  However, the L&D staff see much worse every day, I'm sure.  At least it's not like 20 years ago when they would shave women themselves!

Julia_JJ

SaraTF:

I'm not really concerned with looks (the doctor, nurses, and dh won't care at all), but I am a little concerned about cleaning up pp. My pubic hair tends to get thick and matted, so I will probably trim before delivery just to make sure everything can be cleaned easily.

This is my issue, too - it gets tangled in there!

Nichole06

EvenAngelsFall:

I'm a shaver.... been doing it blind the last couple months, but its worked out ok. Honestly, I have been shaving for about 15 years... and I do it for me (hate, hate, hate hair down there!) I've shaved during periods when I was single, as well as in relationships. And I've kept doing it for me my whole adult life... not for DH or for the L&D folks... just me.

This. I like to be bare down there for me. I'm doing it blind right now, but may have DH help in a couple of weeks.

SpitFire23

EvenAngelsFall:

I'm a shaver.... been doing it blind the last couple months, but its worked out ok. Honestly, I have been shaving for about 15 years... and I do it for me (hate, hate, hate hair down there!) I've shaved during periods when I was single, as well as in relationships. And I've kept doing it for me my whole adult life... not for DH or for the L&D folks... just me.

 ^^ this exactly too! and because i really dislike it, i think that's why i'm just feeling weird about having other people be around that when it's not comfortable for me to be un-shaved!

baby_lance

I used to shave every single day and kept everything perfect down there! Now it's more like twice a week. I can't see and can't handle doing it with the mirror. I know things aren't as great as they used to be, but I do the best I can. I am also worried about what I will look like in labor. BUT My anxiety is due to the fact that my SIL is a nurse and will be in the delivery room if I go in to labor during her shift. I love her and am happy that she might be there to be the one who takes care of our new LO as soon as he comes out, but I know she shaves and will be embarrassed if I look un kept down there!!!

mrs.tashnash

I used to keep it pretty trim but at this point I have a hard time even wiping so that has pretty much gone out the window. I try to just keep it neat with my H's beard trimmer but it's been a few weeks now.

mirandagc91

If you can reach it do it, if not have your s/o at least trim it.  Some hospitals/doctors will have you shaved in case they have to do an episiotomy or have to sew you up and they aren't going to be as delicate.  They will do it as quick as possible and won't give a crap if you're getting knicked in the process.

MrsRucinski85

I personally hate being hairy! It drives me nuts and makes me feel unclean. I have blindly been doing it since I got this belly and a few weeks ago cut myself pretty good. I havent really really shaved since then and feel kinda dirty about it. So I decided that I am going to get it waxed. I figured it lasts about a month and thats one month that I dont have to worry about it and maybe this baby will come early and then I can go back to doing it myself bc I wont (or hopefully shouldnt) have this huge of a belly)

kylayton

I know doctors and nurses have seen it all, but I want to be nice and trimmed down there just so it's easier to keep clean after delivery.  The bump makes trimming almost impossible.  I thought I had done a good job until I looked in the mirror.  Yikes! 

emd2887

If you can do it and want to, then I say go for it. Yes, I know the doctors and nurses have seen it all before, and I know personally that's probably going to be one of the last things I'm thinking about at the time, even though I'm a clean-shaved gal myself. There's so many things that are embarrassing about L&D, so I feel that anything you can do to give yourself a bit of a self-confidence boost is a plus. And, dealing with a jungle and post-partum bleeding and/or stitches is not something I want to have to deal with. 

mclaugh

They actually tell you to stop shaving as you get closer to your due date because it can open up the area for infections.  If they need to clean you up for a C-Section they will do so but I would be careful being too "clean"... good excuse to be lazy for awhile

MissBHaven1024

I kept up with my brazilian waxes until september, and last week I decided to just start shaving. I can't see anything, so I just go from memory, but I manage somehow to get everything! Once LO is born and after the 6 weeks postpartum, I will resume my monthly waxes.

And I don't think it's random at all. With DD, I went in for a scheduled induction and in the shower, I made sure to have a nice clean shave! I didn't want doctors and nurses seeing my lady parts in disarray!  

asyph107

Honestly I would be concerned about infection, etc if you shave right before L&D. With all the stretching and trauma do you really want a nick or cut down there. Also with hair growing in, possible tearing or stiches it does not sound like a good combo to me.

jmd22

Well, the last time I tried to actually shave down there, I cut myself, so no more of that! I have been using an electric bikini trimmer to try to keep it semi under control-- I hate being all bushy! As a few others mentioned, I would like to trim it up a little before delivery, not because I care about what it looks like, but because it seems like it will be cleaner for the "after care." I think I will have to enlist DH for some help though! 

Temp401037375003448

They shave you for c sections, I prefer to tackle it on my own bc I just think it's weird to have a nurse preform this lovely task while I sit there in my gown. Last time I busted out a mirror and my husbands electric trimmer. I will do this again, but in the mean time I could care less, out of site out of mind.

Happily Overwhelmed

I've been shaving this entire time. Just not well... It got hard to tell what I was missing awhile ago.

I'm not planning on letting myself go but I'm not worrying about missing areas or being a bit stubbly. I'll just keep quickly shaving what I can in the shower each day. In my mind those who see will think "hey, when she's not pregnant she takes care of down there!". But in reality...no one who sees is going to care! The medical staff have seen it ALL (think of all the different cultures).

sept9107bride

I've been doing it for the last 10 or so years so I'm pretty familiar with the process even though a good portion of it is going in blind.  I just look in the mirror for 1 sec when I get out to make sure if there is anything I need to get next time.  With DS, my water broke at 10pm, I showered at 1:30 am (including shaving), then went to the hospital at 2am.  I felt most comfortable going in prepared if possible It was not stressful. 

TauntyCupcake

mrs.tashnash:

I used to keep it pretty trim but at this point I have a hard time even wiping so that has pretty much gone out the window. I try to just keep it neat with my H's beard trimmer but it's been a few weeks now.

^^Me too!^^ I never thought I'd have THIS much difficulty!

Generally, I am a pretty shaved person. Lately it's been SO difficult though so it gets a little out of control. I have to have DH do it though because the hair gets caught in my panties and it hurts like hell to get tugged on! Ickk. Anyway- I plan on being trimmed before hand but nothing bare. PP is going to be hell on me- I get pad rash SO bad have since I got my first AF and THIS time I can't wear a tampon (not that I think I would want to!) So post baby is my fear right now.

lageorgiapaperie

I used Veet 3 days before giving birth. I didn't get rid of everything, but it definitely helps to have less down there for the aftermath!

KatieMcClure86

Normally I would cringe at the thought of not shaving but I began slacking a while ago and now it's such as PITA.  I tried to the other day but got sore trying to maneuver around the bump.  I figure that I can't have the worst case down there that the doctor has ever seen, right? lol

OurJellybean

I just trimmed. They encourage you not to wax or shave because risk of infection