Have you seen the oh-so-cute Pretty Pushers gowns? I was intrigued, and this weekend I had not one but TWO moms birth back to back wearing these gowns - one hospital, one birth center.

Things I love - ties in front over their belly for easy access for monitoring (belts with EFM or hand held doppler for birth center.) The low back is designed to allow epidural access when necessary, but in general it's great for those moms getting hot in transition! The neck lifts over or unties for skin-to-skin right after the birth but mom can also wear it around postpartum and have easy nursing access.

The one warning - because it is designed to be disposable it's untrimmed, lightweight fabric and thus not super durable. It is washable, for moms wanting to take it home and use it with the next baby! But if you don't want to pack it up and it's stained then you can just toss it. So that's a pro/con depending on your view!

I'll follow up with both new moms to ask them their thoughts on the gowns, too. Here are some photos of the front & back views from those recent births. Some moms say they're happy in the hospital gown (or nothing!) and others have told me what they wore really influenced how they felt while they were laboring, so they love having options like this. What did you wear during labor?

Update: After attending a few births with other clothing options I better appreciated the ease of this gown. The mothers were covered discretely but could easily nurse and do skin-to-skin. When family came into the room it allows them to again cover up if they felt more comfortable that way. Unlike laboring in a regular dress, the gown allows for discrete access from the front to monitor rather than having to pull the entire gown up to let the care provider listen to the baby's heart tones. I wondered if the moms would feel the gown was too chilly with the open back but both said they felt so hot in transition that the open design felt good. The one concern expressed by a mom was the very light weight material didn't feel durable, but it also felt great as it kept her cool.

A couple recently mentioned they were looking at labor gown options but the prices ($60+) were making them hesitate. When I showed them the Pretty Pushers they were thrilled at the price and how much thought clearly went into the design.

Disclosure - Pretty Pushers did not request this review, I simply love the product and am happy to share this option with parents! 🙂