I recently had a friend who had her third baby. She labored at home for as long as possible, then made it to the hospital just in time to deliver a beautiful baby boy. She also had someone with her who photographed her labor and delivery. When I saw the photos, I literally gasped out loud. Not because of anything scary or dangerous or anything that looked particularly out of the ordinary to me, but because she was wearing the most beautiful lacy black bralette in all the pictures! She was completely immersed in her labor–in and out of the tub, moving from position to position–yet she looked like she had just effortlessly thrown on a super comfortable, sexy intimate to wear for one of the hardest jobs of her life.
I asked her about it and she said she had picked it out exactly for that reason–because she wanted to wear something comfortable, yet beautiful and special, something to make her feel powerful and sexy during labor. I can’t believe I’d never thought about that as an option before!
I’m (hopefully) due to go into labor any day now and I’m thinking about ditching the ubiquitous hospital gown for something special, like my friend wore. All the options I’m eyeing are made of soft natural fabrics and don’t have an underwire or padding or anything else to cause discomfort. And of course they are all nursing friendly, so that when baby comes out, I’ll be ready.
Here’s what’s in my shopping bag (click on the images to shop!):
So what do you think? Is buying something special and pretty for labor a waste? Or maybe an empowering little something to make you feel extra special? Let me know in the comments!
My baby just turned 6 weeks, and I remember thinking about whether I should buy/bring anything special to wear for the delivery. Man, am I glad I didn’t bother. When I got the hospital I was already 10 cm, so when they wheeled me into the room, I just started wildly stripping off my soaking wet maxi dress I’d worn on the ride there and climbed onto the bed. I couldn’t have cared less what I had on at that point. I may have felt differently had I actually labored at the hospital for any length of time, but I would gently suggest not to think too hard about it. There are plenty of other things to occupy your mind as you prepare for birth! 🙂
Wow, that sounds like an exciting birth! Congratulations! I ended up getting to test out this experiment a week ago and I ended up loving it! Obviously, I wasn’t focused on how I looked during labor (I mean let’s get serious here–I was still vomiting all over the place and pooping all over the bed!) and it wasn’t really ever about that. I did however, in between contractions, catch a glimpse of soft black lace on my chest and I would have a little extra feeling of femininity and power that we all know we need in labor! The second baby came out and started our magic hours the bra came off and we were skin to skin for pretty much the entirety of our hospital stay afterward. But now, I still put on that bra as a regular nursing bra and am taken back to that incredible time delivering my baby boy.