Ah, the lowly hospital gown. It isn’t much to look at and for moms planning to breastfeed, it isn’t all that practical once the baby arrives. However, donning the gown is often one of the very first rituals of giving birth in a hospital. Most women don’t even think twice about shedding whatever maternity clothes they arrived in and changing into a gown that the hospital has provided for the occasion of their labor.
For some, the hospital gown represents the perfect accessory in which to handle the various bodily fluids that may be present during labor and birth. It is taken off when the delivery is done, it disappears and mom and dad never have to deal with any laundry issues that might occur….just like Las Vegas, whatever happens to the gown in the hospital, stays in the hospital. For others though, the hospital gown represents something else entirely….it is the first intervention in labor. By removing her own clothing, a laboring woman becomes a hospital patient wearing the same uniform as the truly ill. For this mom, the gown represents a loss of her sense of self and maybe even the loss of her voice during labor.
The hospital will not be offended if you remain in your own clothes or even rotate through a series of costume changes as labor progresses (I mean labor typically lasts longer than the Super Bowl Halftime Show and those acts usually have several outfit changes). Many women wear sports bras, nursing tanks and even bathing suits if they are planning to labor in a tub or shower. There are also companies that sell labor wear such as cute gowns or dresses designed to accommodate possibly needed medical equipment. Skipping the gown does not mean letting it all hang out during labor…though that is always an option too of course!
If you are a lady that loves the gown, embrace it in all its backless glory. If you find the gown to be unfashionable, uncomfortable, immodest or otherwise annoying…don’t wear it. If wearing the gown makes you feel less able to advocate for yourself and your child, by all means don’t put the thing on. Making the choice to put on the gown or not is the first of many choices a woman will make in labor and as far as those choices may go, this one is pretty non-controversial; if you prefer not to wear a hospital gown, simply tell the nurse you have brought your own clothes or that you will continue wearing what you currently have on. Obviously at some point your care provider may have to access certain areas generally found under one’s clothing, but these items can be removed easily when the time comes and a skirt is just as easily pushed up as the gown. Bottom line, when you are in labor, wear what makes you feel like the strong, competent and beautiful woman you are and enhance your experience of labor.