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March 2013 Moms
NoeK
member
Do I have to wear a hospital gown?
NoeK
member
Although this is my third baby, this will be the first time I have to give birth in a hospital (stupid Cigna insurance). I am wondering can I wear what is comfortable for me or do I have to wear one of those gowns. The idea of putting something on that women have bled and birthed in before seriously... seriously grosses me out.
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Re: Do I have to wear a hospital gown?
I think you can buy them online, if you want to bring your own? Honestly, I had both my boys in the hospital using what I'm guessing is a pre-worn gown and it was not on my mind, lol. In fact I would not have wanted to spend money on that and keep it, lol.
Ask your hospital about your options though, if it will really bother you of course you need to be a good state of mind!!
Natural M/c 12/13/08 at 8w5d
Yeah all the hospitals I know of, wash and reuse the gowns. Its nasty
Etsy has some cute custom hospital gowns but I think I'm going with the Binsi Labor Skirt. Clothing designed to worn while in labor so they move in the right directions and don't get in the way.
https://www.birthinbinsi.com/index.asp
LOL, I love it. Chocolate bars within reach!
Um, is anybody really going to be focusing on the cotton wrap they give you at the hospital when you are IN LABOR?
Due to a complicated miscarriage last year, I have had more than my share of hospital visits, and I can honestly say that on not 1 of those occasions was I ever thinking about the hospital gown. You're in the hospital because something major is happening. It's not a fashion show. There's going to be blood, body fluids, maybe even poop. Hospital gowns, the sheets on the bed you will labor in, the sheets on the bed you will recover in, the towels you will use to dry off after you shower, your DRs' and nurses' scrubs, all of these things are washed in special washing machines that properly sterilize the fabrics. In fact, I have never seen a single stain on any fabric I have seen in the hospital.
That being said, I do intend to bring some comfy clothing to wear after the delivery. But I have no intention of buying something that will be covered with the aforementioned bodily fluids and then need to bring that home with me.... dirty... to be washed in a residential grade laundry machine... that's gross.
https://www.prettypushers.com/
I know it sounds silly, but for me i find little things comforting. At least theres sonething i can be in control of! And I plan on tossing it after delivery.
The last time I was in the hospital (stupid appendix) they gave me a brand new hospital gown in the package. I think the standards are different now because of the risk of c-diff, so you should be fine. At the very least, I know that all the hospital gowns are professionally cleaned and sterilized.
As for the Etsy hospital gown, I've considered it too. There is nothing that makes you feel worse than those terrible, drafty gowns. However, I've heard that it's not worth it, because labor is a pretty messy business and it's better to be able to change gowns as needed.
That said, I've already got some cute pj's ordered for recovery. I couldn't wait to get out of that stupid gown after I had my appendix out. I mean I know it's stupid, but I just felt so exposed and uncomfortable in that thing.
I get it. Trust me, I know very well about the pains of labor. I've had two 8+ pounders au naturale, so I know in the grand scheme of things, this is a minor thing.
However the gown thing was never an issue before because I had my other two at a birthing center. But even though its a small thing it, does matter to me. It will give me that extra level of comfort. And I would not bring it home, it would be more of a one time wear thing.
I can tell you that was the last thing I was worried about when I was covered in amniotic fluid and blood and in my 12th hour of labour. You will jus be glad someone is taking care of you, and that you aren't the one who will have to clean it all up after. The one thing i did bring is my pillow, for comfort.
But Yess most place will let you bring your own things to wear as long as you don't mind it possibly being ruined. I am actually thinking of making my own just because I think the ones in the hospital are ugly and even the nursing ones aren't veryy nursing friendly. But like with my scrubs in will not touch any of my other clothes, washed, put in a plastic bag and stored once it has been in the hospital, cause can anyone say MRSA???
I work as a postpartum nurse. We reuse gowns, sheets, towels, and baby blankets. However, once moms come to the floor from L&D, they are welcome to change into anything they are comfortable in.
The linen is cleaned and sanitized thoroughly as well as undergoing a QC process before being distributed to the floor.
https://www.lazygirldesigns.com/hospitalgown.php
Actually our hospital recommends bringing your own pillows and pillow cases and your own robe and maternity gown. I have been told by numerous people to bring a towel because the ones at the hospital are small and scratchy and it is a nice luxury to have a normal towel.
Why wouldn't they reuse the hospital gowns?! Do you guys actually think they use brand new ones for each patient?! Get out! They are made of cotton and likely pretty expensive, so it would cost a fortune for them to accommodate every single patient with a brand-spanking-new-gown.
They are washed/treated at extremely high temperatures in the hospital laundry to kill off any potential bacteria and viruses - they are sterilized, essentially.
If you are picky about this kind of stuff, then you will have to bring everything with you - sheets, blankets, pillow cases, etc. because all of this has likely at some point been contaminated with someone's bodily fluids!
I am a doctor and honestly have never given this much thought, other than knowing that they do wash everything used in the hospital at very high temps for sterilization.
I labored for a very long time and was at least able to wear pants for a good portion of the time.
DS1 -6/25/11
DS2 -3/23/13
Missed MC D&C 8/26/14
DD - 8/26/15
LO#4 due 5/30/17
Both times when I was in labor, the nurses came in to check on us periodically, but other than that we were in the room by ourselves. It wasn't until I was ready to deliver that the room got crowded. I had a gown to wear that opened in the back and a robe to wear that opened in the front so whenever I was on my feet the whole circumferance of my body was covered.
It's not the blood and amniotic fluid getting on my clothes that has me prefering to use the hospital gowns in labor -- it's the fact that in looking at photos from dd's birth I had sweated so much the bedding was soaked and being able to change into a dry gown was a relief -- logically speaking, you can only fit so much into the suitcase that you bring to the hospital.
On a humorous note, when dd was born, the labor room was tiny so my ex had my dad put my suitcase in my car so they wouldn't trip over it as my dad was leaving from dropping off my mom. After dd was born, ex gave Mom his keys to drive his car home then when ex left in my car, he was so tired he forgot to bring my suitcase back inside and I had been too doped up to know where my suitcase was. So I was left to spend the first night after dd's birth with a pair of socks and a hospital gown and nothing else. This was at a military hospital that required the dad's to follow regular hospital visiting hours after delivery/recovery and all visitors were required to wear the long sleeved surgical style gowns when visiting if they wanted to hold the baby.
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