Ok, maybe I am a little crunchy granola.
But from the first time I heard about the idea of a birthing skirt, I loved it! Mainly, it sounds way more comfortable than a hospital gown. Comfort is very important to me. I have always said "If I have to go to the hospital for anything, bring me my own PJs!" After being in the hospital for just a few hours the other weekend, I realized I super hate the hospital gown. It would fit a small elephant! I wanted something that would be comfortable, would provide the hospital staff with the access they need, and would give me ease of movement during labor. Since we are trying a med-free birth, I need to be able to move around in different positions.
I started looking them up online. They START at $50! That seemed a little unnecessary. So I turned to DIY tutorials and was sorely disappointed. There aren't any really great ones out there! I did find out that seemed to make sense to me and went with it. I didn't need the skirt to be super awesome, just to hold up enough to serve this purpose!
I ended up following this tutorial. It was really good, except for a few confusing parts. I do better with pictures!
I spent about $6 on this stretchy knit fabric (with a coupon). It is 97% Polyester and 3% Spandex. The fabric made it possible to not hem it. The fabric should also work well with the...grossness...that comes with birth. Though I do not plan to keep it afterwards! When I asked my doctor about giving birth in something other than the hospital gown, she said she didn't care, as long as I knew it would get gross!
**Added after the fact**
I wore my birthing skirt with a nursing tank and robe during most of my labor. When it was time to push, I just decided to take the skirt off and push sans bottoms. It made it easier since I was pushing in so many different positions.
1. I did use the recommended template for making the pattern from Crafter Hours. I did not follow it exactly, because I didn't need it to be perfect. I just measured and then cut the fabric. I didn't actually make a pattern.
2. For the waistband, I didn't do the whole fold and curved sides thing. I just cut rectangles.
my loosely cut out pieces
All pinned together
waistband
All finished
Trying it On
Standing up straight-panel is hidden
Able to squat and still keep slightly covered, will be good for birthing ball
