What Does One Wear to a Labor Anyway? Must I Wear Hospital Garb?

Hey S.,

I just gave birth 2 months ago. I actually brought clothing to wear after the baby was born, but decided not to wear them. I was bleeding quite heavily (especially when I would breastfeed) and went through a bunch of hospital gowns. I was wearing the hospital pads and still bleed through them. Sorry to be so graphic! This was my experience with trying to wear my own clothes.

When my daughter had her son last year, she wore the hospital gown until the next day and then changed into her own stuff. She had some cute PJ's that had boxer shorts with the button down baseball type shirt. You can get those at Deb, any Jr store, JC Penneys and Sears. Also, Wal-Mart and Target have some very nice maternity night wear that have the openings for breast feeding. Also the Exchange if you are military. something that I do myself but you could do in the hospital is a larger pair of boxer shorts and then a man's short sleeve button down shirt that is a size or two bigger than what you would wear is very comfortable too. Get the boxers a litte bigger so you are comfortable and they don't pull on you.
Good luck!

To be completely honest with you....when comes to the pushing and the labor pains, you won't be thinking about what you are wearing. I know I didn't! However, with me, immediately after my baby was born they did put her on my belly and it does completely ruin whatever you have on. I would use the hospital gown, if it gets ruined you didn't spend the money on it and you don't have to clean it up later.

Have you made a birth plan? If not, maybe you should. I wanted to wear my own nightgown but Virginia Beach general wouldn't let me. Something about hospital policy. It was a bunch of BS. I'm going to a different hospital this time, using a midwife instead of the conventional doctor. I'll be giving birth in a birthing center, the only one I know of here in Virginia Beach/Norfolk, De Paul. From what I understand this is just about the only place (Unless you're giving birth at home) where you can do whatever comes natural. Most women like being naked when giving birth. I'd suggest you wear a bra or bathing suit top if you don't want to show all your stuff. But in the end, your stuff is going to be on display and you're most likely not going to care too much.

Are you planning on having a lot of people in the room when you give birth? I did my first labor and birth. Well, it wasn't actually planned it was more like everyone just showed up. My second one, I asked everyone to stay home and it was only me, my husband, and the nurse in the room. The best experience since. This time I plan on doing the same thing. And well, the nurse and the doctor have already seen my stuff, as well as my husband, so it really doesn't matter if I'm naked, you know? I mean, I feel ya. I don't want to be naked infront of everyone either. So my suggestion to you... Don't invite people whom you wouldn't want to see you naked or in a comprimsing position. Labor and birth is a serious thing and well, you need all the support you can get without having to worry about what people are thinking about your naked body.

Good luck!! : )

I have 4 kids and wore the hospital stuff every time. The last thing I wanted to do was try to wash all that junk out of my own stuff! And yes, the hospital garments are very utilitarian and comfortable. And no, you won't care who's watching when the time comes. And when breastfeeding, I say bare it! They don't have to look! The nurses can also better help you if they can see how breastfeeding's going for you. Don't want someone in the room? Tell them to leave! With my last, I had one really awful nurse who I requested be removed from my room. No more problems after that. Good luck! And congrats on your first!

In my experience I wore the hospital garb for the delivery but for the postpartum recovery room however, I was allowed to change into something more comfrtable such as my nursing pajamas!!

I brought a nice blanket from home to add a little color to my hospital bed along with a few pretty things for baby rather than the plain white t-shits they provide in the hospital.

It made me feel a little more cheerful to have pretty things from home to brighten up the hospital room.

To be honest I found nothing wrong with wearing the hospital gown. Why ruin something I own? Plus the nursing benefits were great, I just had to untie the needed side at the shoulder and start nursing. EASY access, and if I needed to go to the bathroom I went when I had no visitors, so no one saw my rear, LOL.

J.
http://www.brodiegirl.com

I brought a babydoll type cotton nightgown to the hospital. I thought that would be easiest and most comfortable. But honestly Va. Beach General convinced me to just wear the hospital gown. You can change after delivery into your own clean, cute stuff. Target actually has P.J.s for pregnant women with easy reach for nursing. Also, cotton shorts and a tank top is comfy too! Good luck! Here's something I learned in the hospital-pack light! You don't need half the things the baby books tell you to bring. P.J.s, cell phone and contact list. That's about it. :)Oh, and something for the baby to wear home!

Well you really want to be in something that you don't care about. When your water brakes and after the baby is born, your going to put a lot of milk. Everytime my daughter cried i poured milk. Sometime after you have your baby is when I would change in to your own night gown. If you are going to nurse then bring something that is easy to move. Now if you are not going to breast feed then make sure before you go get a sports bra tighter then whay u normaaly would war. Get some nursing pads from your materinty store and get a very long ace bandage. When you get home make sure your husband has some green cabbage that is cold! The greener the better. Your breast are going to hurt! Put a cabbage leaf as big as your breast and it made take two.Then put the nursing pads on top of cabbage. Then put the sports bra on then take the ace bandage and wrap it tight around your breast! I know it sounds yucky but when you are in so much pain the cabbage will feel good and it helps to dry you up!

I delivered at Greenville Memorial and I wore the normal hospital gown for the delivery. I didn't want to mess anything I had up! In the postpartum area they had gowns that were just like regular nightgowns but they had slits for nursing. They were comfy so I just stayed in them. They weren't the prettiest things but they were functional and it didn't matter if they got dirty (and I didn't have to do the laundry!)

well the hospitals i have delivered at where i live make you wear the hospital stuff until after your baby is born and they see you are doing great

To labor, to labor ... oh what fun & joy! Really my best advice is to have: 1) slip on shoes 2) bring some socks to trash afterwards 3) bring something you like for after labor -- if you're breast feeding feeding might want to make sure the holes are plenty big or else at 2AM you will accidentally make them bigger. For en route just have some comfy clothes laid out (and keep them laid out ).
You've already been give some really Fantastic ideas so here's a "picture" 'to enjoy.
I watched my best freind try to make the labor trip to the hospital for #2 & it was hilarious! Both parents running in circles trying to figure out where were her lace up shoes (right in front of the door) & how to tie them AND then trying to remember where was the packed bag & camera. I always thought the TV shows were exaggerating!!!
By the way, if you're using an epidural(sp), just remember 4cm. (I was scared to death of it because of a back injury & bad epi experience). However, since I had back labor I changed my tune quite quickly. (I also don't deal w/pain very well historically speaking).
Don't worry. Everything will work out fine. If you discover you forgot something, someone will glady get the item for you!
By the wasy, I was 37 when my DD (& only child) was born. My wish for you is no back labor pain and an easy delivery. (I was 3 pushes & a giggle. No, really! I giggled after being tickled by DD).
You're not too old!

I have 5 children (set of BB twins in there) and wore the hospital gown everytime. I didn't want to ruin anything I had, which is a big possibility. I did buy nursing nightgowns for after the birth which I used the whole time of nursing at night! They have hidden slits in the front to nurse the baby with. This way you are not overly exposed while at the hospital either. Good luck! Congratulations!

I actually took just a cheapie nightgown I'd bought at Walmart or some place like that-- it was basically a nightshirt, but it had a few buttons at the neck, enough that I could unbutton to nurse. I also took a robe-- a wrap-type bathrobe-- that I could use to cover up, although I was always so warm that I rarely wore it. Remember, though, that during the actual birth, you might want to just wear the hospital gown because there is quite a lot of mess (blood and fluid and all that) both during and right after the birth itself. I ended up just wearing the hospital gown, partly because my son was born pretty quickly and I didn't have time to change (and didn't really care once I was in hard labor anyway!) and I was glad, because the gown was a mess-- and then I had my nice "home nightgown" to wear later on, when I was feeling better and getting visitors. Good luck-- this is a wonderful time in your life and it will be an incredible experience-- and I think being a little older made me appreciate it more! =)
Becca

Hi S.,
I had my baby 2 years ago at 35. I bought 2 P.J. sets for nursing and only put one of them on one time. You won't care about what you are wearing when you are in there. I did shave my legs just before I went in and had a friend comb my hair and brush my teeth within an hour of having my baby so I am not saying you won't care about anything....

Depending upon where you have your baby, only one person will be allowed in recovery with you and that is when you will 1st attempt nursing. I had my little guy at Leigh.
Good luck!

My daughter was born in July as well and I found that a lovely STRETCHY tank nightgown was perfect and I lived in them. 1) it was comfy, 2) you could stretch the neck or lower the strap to nurse easily and unexposedly, 3) it was long enough to cover the buttocks and straps around your middle while I did unending laps with or without the hospital jonny 'robe' 4) it could be pulled up out of the way for hospital staff to poke, prod and inspect things. Then after it was just comfy and relaxing- and you could even great visitors in it. I had two! good luck.

With my first baby, I did much of my hospital labor in a tub, so by the time he was born I was completely naked. With the second it was much the same, except they put a gown on me before I started pushing. It was just me, my husband, the midwife and a nurse or two. You get to a point where you just don't care what you're wearing. Plus, there are lots of, um, fluids going everywhere, so you don't want to wear your own nice clothes. As far as covering up your breasts, when you start breastfeeding the nurses will want to get a good look at the baby's latch, and so will be looking full on at them! Basically, while you give birth, you lose all sense of modesty. Don't worry, though, the nurses and doctors have seen it all before. Are you planning on having a lot of people in the room? If so, the hospital gown would probably be best. You might want to take a robe and some socks in case they have you walking around during the labor. Then later, after the baby's born, put on whatever makes you feel pretty, fix your hair, even put on makeup if you want, and greet your visitors.

You can buy a nightgown that is made for nursing with the panels in the front. Buy it a size bigger so you have lots of room. Good luck! You'll do fine!

I had my son a Women's, I wore their gown. Afterward they gave me a gown for nursing with panels in the front. If you would be more comfortable in something of your own I would just get a nursing nightgown from a maternity store.

FYI..ONCE LABOR BEGINS...YOUR CLOTHING WILL NOT MATTER!! HAHA

Just as you are, I was going crazy trying to find "Hospital Attire" I was searching for something to wear during and after labor(when visits began). Remember, you will have an IV, so a T-shirt will definitely not work. If you go to the Mens section at a department store you should be able to find a short sleeve button down shirt, they have pastel colors that should work, or go to their pajama section. They have what looks like a Male nightgown. That should work just find.

PS. What's so funny is that when it's time to push, you will be remarkably surprised that you are flashing everyone and you don't even care.

PPS. You are never to old. . . I have a sister that is 22 yrs younger than me.

I was most comfortable naked. I didn't want anything touching me.

Well defintely don't wear anything you care about as it will end up gooey. :) The big thing is that they need to have easy access. I bought a couple of custom made hospital gowns on ebay that were made to actually cover your backside as well as the front. :) They also had snaps down the shoulders so that I could easily nurse without getting naked. :)

Good luck!

I wore a cotton night shirt during my last delivery (my 4th). I have a few different styles, including a sleeveless one that buttoned to just above the waist--perfect for nursing. My mother in law picked them up for me at Walmart. Just be prepared, it could get ruined.

R. D.

I'm sure you already had your baby by now and congratulations but to anyone with this same question coming close to D-Day in my experience i felt more in control during labor and delivery in my own clothes (maybe because hospitals freak me out).I had a drug free natural birth with a midwife but for my insurance to cover i still had to give birth in a hospital and have an IV and such. I wore my bikini top and a spaghetti strap night gown i pulled my arms out of the gown and wore it as a skirt that was just below my bikini top that way the nurses still had easy axcess to my arms for IV checks (thats pretty much their only reason to insist that you wear a hospital gown.I'm sure that if you show them it wont get in the way whatever it is (I have known of some women to were only a bikini top because realy whats the point of being modest when soon your not gonna care whos there or what is seen lol).As far as not waisting your time because it will get messed up it just depends on how dear to you a ten dollar nightgown is or if the material will stain.Mine happened to be black silk and any blood washed right out of it and i still wear it.(It works great for breast feeding.)

I went with the hospital gown for delivery. It is very comforting to the baby to snuggle on your skin right after birth. Plus it is rather messy. I wore nursing jammies after delivery. They are comfy and there is nothing showing that you don't want the world to see. Not a huge variety, but not very expensive.
Just so you know, at least 3 people will come in and "check" how you nurse as well as poke and advise. It is a little overwhelming, but helpful. Probably a better chance of successful nursing if you learn quickly the best way for your baby (as an individual) to nurse.

I managed to find a nightgown with three buttons in the chest area that lent itself well to breastfeeding however I only wore it after labor. I went to the hospital in sweats and a tshirt. And ended up pretty much naked by the end. You will want to change your clothes after the baby's born.

During the birth I didn't care who was there they were seeing it all. Which is why it was just my hubby and the dr's and nurses.

I would HIGHLY recommend that you wear the hospital gown to give birth in-it is a very messy thing and if you use the gown that they give you, you don't have to worry about cleaning it up, stains, etc. I would defiantly take your own comfy clothes to wear for after the delivery but before you go home...no one warned me about this so I was stuck wearing the hospital gown until my husband could go home and get me something else to wear. (Funny thing about that though...I was walking down the hall to visit my daughter in the NICU and didn't realize that my butt was hanging out the back of the gown until a nurse stopped me and asked if I would like to wear a robe to cover up :) Oldnavy.com has some really cute nursing pjs that are very good for not exposing yourself while nursing and they also also come with a matching outfit for your new little peanut-the address is http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?cid=5874&pid...
Good luck and congratulations!

I'm a doula and childbirth educator, so I answer this question a lot! You got a lot of good responses from other moms, but I'll throw in another idea. First of all, hospitals should allow you to wear what you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with their providing you reasonable medical care if necessary. They do offer the hospital gown, which many people take as a "you have to wear this," but are usually open to alternatives provided they allow them to do their job monitoring and checking on you, etc.

There's a great company called "Birth in Binsi" (I'm not affiliated with it!) which makes great birth skirts and tank tops that have buttons like scrubs so that docs/nurses/midwives can easily do what they need to if necessary. I've had lots of clients order their skirts and tanks and use them to labor in-- and everyone loves them! They are about knee-length and soft and breathable fabric, and sit below your belly so that you don't feel like you are wearing too many clothes. And the tanks are like supportive nursing bras with snaps on the side so that if you need an epidural or IV or whatever, you don't have to get it off in a difficult way. You can birth in both of them, since the skirt is loose and open, and then the baby can be on your belly, which will be naked, but your breasts will still be covered. It's really a great design!! Check it out www.birthinbinsi.com

Good luck with your birth!!
W. Doula. :)