As the day of your baby’s birth gets closer, there are lots of things to begin considering. One of those may be what you want to wear when you give birth.
After they watch Oliver’s birth, I often have women asking me what I wore. It was simply a bikini top and little crochet beach skirt that had an elastic waist band.
When I had my first baby, I chose not to wear anything in the birthing pool. The only reason I wore any clothing when I had Oliver was because I knew I wanted the birth to be filmed. I also had the plan to share it on YouTube, so wanted the extra privacy of clothing.
Lets look at some reasons why you may want to wear your own clothes when you give birth.
If you are in the hospital or birthing unit, wearing your own clothes can give you a sense of being in control of your birth. To wear a hospital gown for some women can cause them to subconsciously feel under the control of the ‘medical system’ and more open to medical intervention.
When we wear our own clothes, we tend to feel more comfortable and at home. This aids relaxation that is essential for the birthing body to open and release the baby naturally.
Another benefit of wearing your own clothes, is that you can choose the colours we wear. Lots of study has gone into the effect that colour has on our mind, body and emotional state.
You may want to choose a birthing colour and wear clothes of this colour on your birthing day to help to keep you in the zone.
Here are my suggestions to consider when choosing your outfit..
Firstly
Spend some time exploring how you want to feel on your birthing day. Choose three words to describe this feeling, for example: sensuous, empowered, supported, embodied, peaceful, relaxed, connected etc. When selecting your birthing outfit, allow yourself to feel into your key emotions and choose something that is reflective of that.
Secondly
Consider practicality and comfort.
- Will you be able to move easily in your chosen outfit?
- Do you want to keep it on to give birth or is it just for the labour?
- Can midwives easily access your belly to monitor baby?
- Does it allow for babies easy descent and birth?
- Will you be able to get wear out of it after your baby’s birth?
This might seem like a lot to consider when it comes to an outfit but you don’t have to go all out. My bikini top and beach skirt was a perfect reflection of how I wanted to feel… ‘relaxed’, ‘calm’ and ‘in love’ ?