Dear Morgan
I love your story and your discriptions! I put it under my EMPOWERMENT file!
As much as I tried mentally to picture you, dear Kafkan lady! I wish I could 
see  true photos of you - birthing, skin to skin and breastfeeeding.
CLOSE OT THE HEART
Leslie, Midwife and  IBCLC
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Morgan Gallagher" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 11:47 PM
Subject: Re: Self-latching in hospital (gowns)


>
> We don't do hospital gowns here, in the sense that hospital gowns are the 
> basic appalling paper cloth coverall with completely open backs, that are 
> handed out if you are an emergency admission.  Every wears their own night 
> gear otherwise.  Mothers wear what they want to, and are advised to wear 
> "A big baggy t-shirt" type thing for labour.  Something I felt was 
> entirely designed to make me feel exposed and half naked.  Not to mention 
> rather inconvenient for skin to skin.  They usually go into normal 
> nightdresses afterwards.
>
> During the many many trips in during my pregnancy, and sick to death of 
> lying immobilised with my pyjama bottoms pushed down and my tummy exposed, 
> I devised a pretty and practical solution to endless monitoring.  I had 
> several multi coloured 'sari' type strips of cloth - that I wore as a 
> sarong, wrapped round and tied in front, the long fabric ends easily 
> accommodating a big knot that took seconds to undo.  Underneath I wore a 
> soft crop top and knickers.  Everyone could access all areas, through the 
> long draped curtained effect at the front, easily pulled back, but with 
> enough fabric that I could walk around without flashing anyone or 
> anything.  It is to my regret that the fabric I had only came to just 
> below the knees when tied like this!
>
> I was in it them so often, that one midwife walked into check on my 
> monitoring and exclaimed "You're the kaftan lady!"  My obstetrician loved 
> the set up, as she could examine in seconds with no faffing and no fuss. 
> Those hideous belts for monitoring could be hidden when they were on.  You 
> just put them on, and moved the fabric folds back up to cover.
>
> It also meant I was free to spray down my face, neck and shoulders with 
> scented water during the entire labour - I plumbed for rose water and 
> lavender.  (Clearly, I'd lost the crop top and the knickers!)  I had 
> envisaged my birth partner spraying me gently with it as I lay there... 
> the reality was I had to douse myself with it as she was so fascinated by 
> the 'business end' I hardly saw her face!
>
> After the birth I spent so long with my darling son on my naked chest, him 
> naked but for a nappy, one midwife told me off and said "That baby needs 
> clothes on."  I ignored her, just as I ignored the legion of staff and 
> other people's visitors who traipsed into my curtained cubicle and 
> recoiled in horror at my almost naked form, naked baby pressed to me.  I 
> closed the curtains, what more did they want?
>
> It is to my regret that candles were forbidden in the hospital.  However, 
> I'd have given anything to see the face of the doctor who came in to find 
> the lights dimmed, a famous Bollywood song playing full blast, and me on 
> my knees on the bed, dancing and singing along, with my naked butt in the 
> air.... Everyone tells me it was a spectacular scene... and I'm so off 
> topic I feel embarrassed!
>
> Sarongs - definitely an option in maternity.  :-)
>
> Morgan Gallagher
>
> Rachel Myr wrote:
>> I work in a hospital where self-latching is meant to be the norm.  After
>> birth, baby stays skin to skin on mother's body, and while some women 
>> still
>> have clothes on by then, most are wearing next to nothing.  We don't have
>> anything resembling gowns for patients.  What we have are big loose
>> shapeless soft cotton shirts that button down the front, and knickers 
>> made
>> of netting whose sole purpose is to hold a sanitary pad in place. 
>> Sometimes
>> we snip away the crotch of one of those and use it as a tube top to hold 
>> a
>> flannel cloth there if mother is leaking copious amounts of milk.  I 
>> don't
>> know what the pediatric ward uses, but every adult in our hospital is
>> offered the same shirt.
>
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