A lot of mothers want breast coverage while they deliver, which is completely understandable, and you can keep your bra on during labor if you want. However, we recommend wearing a simple bra that is comfortable and easy to remove.
You can wear a hospital-provided gown or buy and bring your own. A birthing wrap. Also known as a rebozo or a towel wrap, this multipurpose shawl is used during labor by taking weight off you as you hold a squatting position. It's wrapped around your back while someone stands in front of you while holding the ends.
A comfortable, loose fitting nightie or T-shirt that you can wear through labour and to give birth in. Expect that this may get covered in the fluids from delivery. A water bottle. Any sweets, snacks or drinks you would like to have on hand.
This can be heavy, especially in the first few days, so bring a lot of special maternity pads with you. Tampons and menstrual cups are not recommended during this time. Normal pads can be worn after the first few days.
You usually don't need to wear a bra during surgery because you'll have the hospital gown and a surgical drape over your chest. You may want to invest in a bra that's easy to put on and remove if you're getting arm or shoulder surgery.
Clothes should be comfortable, soft and easy to take care of. Stretchy jumpsuits that fasten at the front are best, as well as tops with envelope necks, which are easier to get over your baby's head. Jumpsuits with zips can make dressing your baby quick and easy too. Clothes made from cotton are a good choice.
Pubic or perineal shaving is a procedure performed before birth in order to lessen the risk of infection if there is a spontaneous perineal tear or if an episiotomy is performed.
In a video that has more than 3.7 million views on TikTok, Grant Buechner, who is also a registered nurse and lactation consultant, explains that grooming is not recommended beyond 36 weeks gestation. “Shaving pubic hair can INCREASE risk of infection at the time of birth, even with Cesarean birth,” she wrote.
A professional salon wax or sugar wax may be the better hair removal option for your bikini line during pregnancy. Make sure the salon you choose is clean; the technician should wear gloves and use a new spatula between applications to prevent sharing germs.
During labour and birth touch is a powerful tool to aid birthers in working with functional pain. Pain and pleasure run along the same neural pathways so it makes sense to utilize pleasurable input, such as touch, to block pain messages from reaching the central nervous system during labour and birth.
As long as mom and baby are well, immediate and continuous skin-to-skin contact is recommended. Skin-to-skin contact during the Golden Hour after birth is highly recommended, when possible. It promotes bonding and milk supply. Skin-to-skin in the first one to two hours provides oxytocin production in both mom and baby.
Don't drink alcohol, use street drugs or use harmful drugs. All of these can affect your mood and make you feel worse. And they can make it hard for you to take care of your baby. Ask for help from your partner, family and friends.
A comfortable outfit or two.
"It's nice to have a sense of normalcy when you know your world has changed forever." Loose clothing such as maternity leggings and tops are a good option, since your belly will still look pregnant (and if you have a C-section incision, tighter clothing will be uncomfortable).
On the day of surgery, you may be asked to arrive several hours before your procedure is scheduled to begin. This allows the staff to complete any tests that cannot be performed until the day of surgery.
Hospital gowns worn by patients are designed so that hospital staff can easily access the part of the patient's body being treated. The hospital gown is made of fabric that can withstand repeated laundering in hot water, usually cotton, and is fastened at the back with twill tape ties.
Hospital gowns with an open back are designed to allow medical staff easy access to whichever part of the patient is required.
No matter how you delivered your baby, the postpartum recovery period is generally considered to be the first six weeks after childbirth. This doesn't mean that at six weeks you'll magically bounce back to pre-baby condition.
If you had a healthy pregnancy and a normal vaginal delivery, you should be able to start exercising again soon after the baby is born. Usually, it is safe to begin exercising a few days after giving birth—or as soon as you feel ready.
After an uncomplicated vaginal birth, you'll likely stay in the hospital for 24 to 48 hours. There's a lot that happens in those two days after delivery before you go home, including: You'll need to rest and wait for any anesthesia to wear off.
After the birth of the baby, both vaginal and c-section birth, the Golden hour consists of uninterrupted and immediate skin to skin contact, limited interventions that are not necessary, if possible and desired having delayed cord clamping, and having the first feeding of baby completed.
The first hour after birth when a mother has uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with her newborn is referred to as the “golden hour.” This period of time is critical for a newborn baby who spent the past nine months in a controlled environment.
Going home. If you've given birth in a hospital or midwife unit and you and your baby are well, you may be able to go home 6 to 24 hours after your baby is born. You may need to stay longer if you had a caesarean section or a complicated labour.
Pushing Can Feel Like Relief
Some even say it feels good, similar to orgasm. Pushing is often described as relief from active labor contractions because it's a natural urge you can give in to. For many, it feels more active than passive.
During labor -- especially if you haven't been given pain medication -- you may find yourself screaming, crying, even swearing at your husband or doctor.