Suggestions about what to wear during labor and birth?

[beautifulboy]

I'm trying to figure out what to wear during the hospital part of labor. This is my second baby. For the first I labored at home and wore whatever I wanted (yoga pants) but then when I got to hospital the nurses urged me to change into a gown, so I did. They didn't want me to have pants on becuase they could not check me, etc. (It was more difficult for them.) The embarrassing part for me was that I had back labor so I was on my knees the whole time with no coverage down there.....So we put on another gown, backwards so there was no opening. Then when the baby came I had to struggle getting off these two dumb gowns to nurse in that moment when you just want your baby on your chest. The whole this was a little annoying.
I am a little modest and would prefer to be covered up, I am not really sure if I would be comfortable naked. Also i would like to labpr in the tub, an navigste that art. So......what did you do? Any suggestions?

[lifeguard]

Well I can't imagine pants of any kind would be comfortable for me but I was in & out of the shower a lot.

I wore (& will be wearing again) a spaghetti strap nightgown with a built-in shelf bra. It gave me large breasts a tiny bit of support & was long enough to pretty much keep me covered. Easy to bf in & easy to lift up for delivery/checks/bathroom runs. Mine is brown so it also didn't show a little bit of blood or whatnot that got on it & it didn't stain.

[birdhappy85]

I'm planning a home water birth and I'm still figuring out what to wear, as well. I saw on some other threads that women suggested wearing a belly band over their chest like a tube top while in the water, so I just purchased some and am looking forward to seeing how they fit! They're easy access then for breastfeeding after the birth and allowing a lot of skin-to-skin contact too. I don't think I could comfortably wear flowy clothing in water. I'll probably be bottom naked unless I come up with another solution?

I like lifeguard's suggestion about wearing a nightgown during the rest of labor, though!

[DragonflyMom]

I have packed two spaghetti strapped nightgowns for labor and delivery and a wrap dress to go home in.

Im large chested (44f) so Im also taking a sleep bra that latches in the front to wear during labor and an under-wire nursing bra for after.

[birdhappy85]

I just got my belly bands in the mail and I LOVE THEM! I really wish I had gotten these earlier in my pregnancy. Bleh. I would've worn them every day. I put one on like a tube top and love how it will cover me during a water birth. It's perfect! I got a great deal on a 3-pack of the Baby Be Mine Maternity Belly Bands from Amazon. They had the best reviews, and now I see why! I'll probably wear these all of the time in place of a bra while at home and breastfeeding too. So easy.

[Psmythe]

With my last pregnancy I splurged an bought a really soft cotton nightgown from the local granny store.  It was delightful to labor in, just above knee length, so there wasn't too much fabric bunched up when we pulled it way up.  I pulled the neck down for breastfeeding, but it wasn't quite comfortable that way.  I may wear the same nightgown this time, but I'd alter it to add more of a V neck and put a couple of buttons in.

[caetlinh]

I wore a nursing nightgown with my first.  It was perfectly comfortable, easy to move around in, you just pull it up to have the baby or for checks, and was all set for breastfeeding!  You should be able to find them online quite easily.

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by birdhappy85 

I just got my belly bands in the mail and I LOVE THEM! I really wish I had gotten these earlier in my pregnancy. Bleh. I would've worn them every day. I put one on like a tube top and love how it will cover me during a water birth. It's perfect! I got a great deal on a 3-pack of the Baby Be Mine Maternity Belly Bands from Amazon. They had the best reviews, and now I see why! I'll probably wear these all of the time in place of a bra while at home and breastfeeding too. So easy.

I never thought of using my belly band as a top in labor.    I will probably wear a bikini bra top and the belly band over it.