What are you wearing for labor?

guitarra1614 · July 2016

Hey ladies,

I know this seems strange.... But what are you wearing to labor in?? FTMs? BDTD moms?

I know the hospital will give me a gown, but I was thinking a Sports Bra? I have no idea!!

What are you guys thinking?!

mrsvoorhees-2 · July 2016

I was just thinking about this and trying to remember what k did last time. I think I'll probably wear one of my nursing sleep bras and then unlatch it when she's born to do skin to skin.

if you plan to do skin to skin, you'll want something easily removable so you can!

LizC216 · July 2016

I wore the hospital gown and kept my bra on for most of labor with both girls. Towards the end, I wanted it off for skin to skin, but both times it was kind of a pain in the a to get off because of the monitors, cords, IV, etc. My nurses were patient and helpful, but I still felt bad. I may forgo it this time.

Tippy05 · July 2016

Just the gown. It's more comfortable than wearing a bra and I want skin to skin and nursing as soon as possible without all the cords, It's in the way, like @LizC216 said.

After delivery, when I was back in my room I worse nursing gowns with the hospital gown on with the slit in the front so they had easy access to my incision.

diagonalley · July 2016

Just the gown. I have no desire to wear anything of my own. To be honest I don't remember if I had a bra on or not. My son was a preemie so I couldn't do skin to skin right away anyway.

KimmySchmidt · July 2016

I wore a gigantic althetic shirt from a "Run for Your Lives" zombie 5k for a portion of labor. With a sports bra. But eventually I switched to the gown because I got really, really hot.

That shirt is comfortable AF. Would wear again.

mom2adoodle · July 2016

So.. one is completely naked under the gown, yes? Sorry if I sound like a newb. I know labor makes you hot but was anyone cold? I think I would feel uncomfortable in just the thin gown walking around the room..Or is it a different gown? It's easy to open in the front? Do they tell you to wear the slit in the front? I almost feel like I want to deliver in one of DH's old shirts (I sleep in them) but I understand the practicality of the gown.

ruemcclanahan · July 2016

I'm probably just going to wear the gown and a sports bra that I'll take off before baby is out out

KimmySchmidt · July 2016

@mom2adoodle The A/C in the room was set at it's lowest possible setting. I know because I asked that it be turned down lower because I was still hot. It was 55* F. I could have given birth in a snow bank, it would not have felt cool enough. Just like a marathon runner would not run a winter marathon in a parka, you do not need clothes to give birth.

You wear the slit in front, naked underneath. Modesty kind of goes right out the window. You have people coming in and out to stare into your nether regions. People shit on the table. You check your dignity at the door.

ETA Don't wear anything you don't want covered in blood and other bodily fluids. Shit gets real in there. (Am I getting too honest?)

camichael84 · July 2016

I wore the gown and my regular bra. I hadn't intended to keep my bra on, it just kind of happened. DH helped me get it off after she was born for breastfeeding. I didn't get much skin to skin time in the delivery room.

Definitely wasn't cold at all at any point.

erinmarie86 · July 2016

I just wore the gown...it's possible they gave me 2 gowns to wear to cover any openings of the gown, but i can't remember...and as for after labor, i just wore 2 gowns at a time so i was fully covered. But these gowns has snaps at the shoulder/sleeve so i could just unsnap and feed my baby. I don't think i wore a bra the whole time i was in the hospital (2 days). I plan on doing the same thing again

yellowrose314 · July 2016

I'm planning on just wearing one of my nursing sleep bras because they're ridiculous comfortable. I have no problem being butt ass naked delivering, like @KimmySchmidt said, sometimes you just have to check your dignity at the door. And I want skin to skin ASAP after birth if possible, so the nursing bra will probably come off at some point. After the birth I bought some cute nursing nightgowns and a robe. I hate hospital gowns.

TheTamedShrew · July 2016

I'm gonna wear this so that I can hit up the club after:

Just kidding. I'm wearing the hospital gown.

berh2001 · July 2016

I honestly can't recall for sure, but I think they made me take my bra off at some point. Agree with other posters you get over any modesty pretty quickly when you have a million people poking and prodding all of your private parts during labor and helping you learn to breast feed after the baby comes.

tinypikachu · July 2016

I'm thinking of a nursing bra and I'm okay with no gown. I'm weird about nakedness but there's really no modesty when giving birth. I'm sure I don't want my huge, sweaty boobs flapping around until it's time for skin to skin.

Pepper6 · July 2016

Just the gown, no bra. I wore a second gown as a robe when I had to walk the halls to progress my labor before I was admitted, but just one gown once I'd had my epidural.

I did get a little cold during labor, but since I wasn't up walking around anyways because of the epidural, they just gave me some heated blankets. By the time I was pushing though, I wasnt cold or overly hot.

I wore a clean gown for like 24 hours after birth too while they still needed access to check down there.

Ssoccerball · July 2016

I'm so surprised that people giving birth in a hospital could wear something other than the gown. We were told that the gown was not optional. Of course, this was 6 and 8 years ago, so maybe times have changed!

Shiva14 · July 2016

I won't be wearing anything under it because like PPs mentioned, you'll have people shoving their hands up everywhere anyway. No bra for me either unless I labor for a long time in the hospital (I just feel more comfortable when things are held in place while I move). Definitely no bra once it's time to push so that I can nurse as soon as possible. Also, if you plan on breastfeeding and thought you might be able to at least have your breasts to yourself and baby, think again. You'll have nurses and lactation consultants sticking their face down to check baby's latch, potentially moving your boob around or shoving your nips in baby's mouth. And you won't even care at this point, because another nurse will be checking your hemorrhoids and a third will be watching you while you pee. Just plan on having no dignity while you are there (and do NOT feel bad kicking visitors out of the hospital room! I tried to go pee while FIL was there and the gown covering my back slid off. Shudder..)

Eta boob. Not Bob. Duh.

pilotswifey · July 2016

I got one of those fancy delivery gowns, and never used it. I wore the hospital gown, no bra, no undies. I wore a short robe when I was walking around during labor, but it was nice to just toss the nasty gown when done.

I wore some of my own clothes after delivery...mostly pajama-type gowns. Plus, Depends. Yup. Diapers. They were brilliant. I could leak all I needed to, and never had to worry about a pad shifting or stuff falling out.

I remember thinking the whole town could have been in the room when I was pushing, and I wouldn't have cared. Dignity and shame were totally gone. Normally, I am super conservative and freak out about showing too much skin. Yeah. Those feelings disappeared.

frogdog06 · July 2016

I'm petite, so I am hoping the hospital gown provides enough coverage.

@pilotswifey thanks for the input; I'll refrain from ordering a cute gown. I'll bring a robe though!

mommytimesfour · July 2016

I just wore the gown both times. Anything you wear during the labor and delivery process will at some point get covered in blood/fluid. I think having regular clothes on would be a pain in the ass with how many times you're being checked and nurses needing access to the monitors on your belly etc.

CoffeeBeanFiend91 · July 2016

I started in a gown with nothing underneath and ended naked. I was hot and felt I was choking in the gown. All sense of modesty totally out the window.

Flowr4246 · July 2016

If you're delivering at a hospital it's highly unlikely they'll let you wear anything other than their standard issue gown.

camichael84 · July 2016

My hospital allows mothers to wear whatever they want at any point of the stay as long as there is access to your vag. I wore their gowns during birth and the remainder of the day she was born (who wants to buy a special gown/outfit just to ruin it with blood and other bodily fluids?), but my own clothes from then out. I'm taking clothes again, but considering just wearing their gown the whole time to cut back on dirty laundry when we get home.

AnnaS930 · July 2016

I thought I had commented, but maybe not (if I did.. ignore my double post). I wore 2 gowns, 1 forward 1 backwards so I could walk around without an opening flapping in the wind. I also wore my sports bra for the entirety of labor/delivery because it made me more comfortable. I plan to do the same. I think I stayed in the gown for that night especially as they stopped m bleeding, but it felt amazing to shower and put on yoga pants the next day... hoping all goes similarly

mrsvoorhees-2 · July 2016

Megan324 said:

I'm probably just going to wear the gown and a sports bra that I'll take off before baby is out out

Remember though, if you have an IV, it might be hard to get that off.

i remember now, I just wore the gown with nothing under. Because I kept trying to hide my side boob when I was getting the epidural because the anesthesiologist was a little creepy. And def no undies, they're constantly checking you and I'm pretty sure I bled a lot before or maybe it was my water? They kept changing the puppy pad I was on but we're really discreet about it and I never saw what was on it...oh god, maybe it was poop? Does that happen??

Tippy05 · July 2016

@MrsVoorhees - yes, you will absolutely poop on the table. That's how they want you to push, like you're pooping. You will inevitably poop. No one said anything and they kept changing my "puppy pad" too. I was embarrassed but it happens all the time so it wasn't a big deal to the nurses, who were awesome anyway.

mrsvoorhees-2 · July 2016

Tippy05 said:

@MrsVoorhees - yes, you will absolutely poop on the table. That's how they want you to push, like you're pooping. You will inevitably poop. No one said anything and they kept changing my "puppy pad" too. I was embarrassed but it happens all the time so it wasn't a big deal to the nurses, who were awesome anyway.

No, I mean before pushing, while just sitting around. Is it possible to just be so relaxed that you pooped and don't know it? I wasn't super concerned about pooping while pushing and I don't know if I did or not. But so you sometimes poop long before?

camichael84 · July 2016

I may have farted in the nurse's face, but I didn't poop on the table. I fully expected to (and still expect to this time) because of my bowel issues. But when SIL asked me if I had (yeah, she asked this the day I gave birth), I was about to say no because I didn't feel like I did, then I hesitated because I realized I could have and didn't know it. DH then chimed in and told her I didn't. I'm sure he will let me know if I do poop this time. He has no shame in discussing poo in great details.

hey_clever_girl · July 2016

I don't remember what I wore to the hospital last time, but I wore the gown almost the entire time I was there. This time I'm planning on getting some nursing bras, maybe a pair of pajamas, and I'll bring some maternity clothes for when we leave. Oh, and flip flops. My feet were so swollen after birth that they wouldn't fit into shoes last time.

hey_clever_girl · July 2016

KimmySchmidt said:

I wore a gigantic althetic shirt from a "Run for Your Lives" zombie 5k for a portion of labor. With a sports bra. But eventually I switched to the gown because I got really, really hot.

That shirt is comfortable AF. Would wear again.

I ran that race back in 2013!

hey_clever_girl · July 2016

Shiva14 said:

I won't be wearing anything under it because like PPs mentioned, you'll have people shoving their hands up everywhere anyway. No bra for me either unless I labor for a long time in the hospital (I just feel more comfortable when things are held in place while I move). Definitely no bra once it's time to push so that I can nurse as soon as possible. Also, if you plan on breastfeeding and thought you might be able to at least have your breasts to yourself and baby, think again. You'll have nurses and lactation consultants sticking their face down to check baby's latch, potentially moving your boob around or shoving your nips in baby's mouth. And you won't even care at this point, because another nurse will be checking your hemorrhoids and a third will be watching you while you pee. Just plan on having no dignity while you are there (and do NOT feel bad kicking visitors out of the hospital room! I tried to go pee while FIL was there and the gown covering my back slid off. Shudder..)

Eta boob. Not Bob. Duh.

100% accurate. So many hands. So many eyeballs. No f*cks to give.

danielle1290 · July 2016

I wore the hospital gown with either my nursing bra or a tank top on under it during labor, I think it was a tank because I think I remember throwing it out after holding DS while he was still covered in fluids. In order to get better skin to skin this time I will probably just wear the nursing bra or no bra at all under the gown. I took a cheap nightgown with me last time and tried to wear it until I realized there was no way to nurse in it. This time I will probably look for a different nightgown that is "nursing-friendly." I just like the feeling of being in my own clothes and not having to worry about the opening every time I stand up.

JasonKristen · July 2016

I was only allowed to wear the hospital gown. They said that was standard in case you would need to go into surgery. You do lose all modesty while in labor and I love the ease of access for skin to skin.

jevers · July 2016

Yep same here for delivery. After delivery though I was able to wear whatever I wanted. I stayed in the gown, I was exhausted and did a lot of skin to skin so it was just easier. This time I'll bring a robe but will probably stay in the gown again.

ElcaB · July 2016

runningisrad said:

KimmySchmidt said:

I wore a gigantic althetic shirt from a "Run for Your Lives" zombie 5k for a portion of labor. With a sports bra. But eventually I switched to the gown because I got really, really hot.

That shirt is comfortable AF. Would wear again.

I ran that race back in 2013!

@runningisrad & @KimmySchmidt, I came down here to say that, too! I ran it in 2013 & 2014. So much fun! I survived the first year and died the second.

I will probably wear a sleep nursing bra --- I'm not doing a water birth, but I expect I will be in the tub a lot during labor. It's the bottoms that I'm trying to figure out. I'm not worried about modesty with the staff, but I'd like to have my mom & MIL in there some of the time. I don't really want to flash my vag at them, especially MIL.

hey_clever_girl · July 2016

@ElcaB @KimmySchmidt I only ran it once & fell into a ditch full of rocks. Fairly sure I still have knee issues from that. But it was fun. I did not survive and have my "Infected" medal hanging on my cubicle with the rest of my race medals.

homebird · July 2016

My hospital doesn't allow you to have a sports bra or anything under the gown. I think because of the epidural, possible IVs and monitors. They need to have "access" to random body parts at any given time, and you don't want them to have to cut something off of you, lol.

RedMar · July 2016

Put me in the open hospital gown/no bra club as well. I was SO frieking hot, I don't think I've sweated so much in my life. DH kept spraying me with one of those portable handheld fans and those mists were HEAVENLY. Definitely going to need to get that thing locked and loaded again for this time around.

also, I pooped, I know I did. Who the F cares??! Do you have any idea how much shit they see on a daily basis? It was the last thing on my mind as I pushed for 3 hours.

RedMar · July 2016

@TheTamedShrew I need that gown. Is that Janice from Friends btw-lol?

AmMcc12 · July 2016

I'm planning on gown no bra. FTM and I'm prepared to give birth nude. I get super clammy and warm during surgical procedures and assume this will be no different. I don't know if we are allowed our own clothing at the hospital or not but I am making a slouchy nursing dress to wear after

What are you wearing for labor?

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