SUPER personal question

RBXChas

I guess I could get more personal than this, but...

What is your plan about, um, grooming down there as you approach your due date?

I know people that have gotten waxed down there while pregnant, but I've never done that, not even while not pregnant. It's just not my thing to have some stranger who's not a medical professional of any kind putting hot stuff on a very sensitive area, plus now there's all this talk about how you can get STDs and stuff from that (I guess unhygienic practices) :sick:

I feel like I need to do *something,* though, especially since the weather is getting warmer, and since birth is a messy thing, I don't want to make anything messier than it has to be.

I could share more details about what I did (or, ahem, didn't do) last time and what I've done so far this time, but this post is already high on the TMI scale.

Does anyone feel like sharing? I'm curious because maybe it will give me some more ideas as to what I should do. I do not feel comfortable with a regular razor and a mirror at this point (34+ weeks), but I do have an electric razor that I use exclusively for this purpose. I also don't want to ask my husband or anyone else (like my sister) for help.

AsellusReborn

Last time I didn't do anything - I couldn't see well enough to shave (lol - couldn't seeeeeeee at all!) and waxing never occurred to me. I ended up with a csection and they shaved the top, but the rest never even occurred to me to manage.

Since then I was getting regular waxes, but stopped once we got our BFP. I've been thinking about starting again but am a little chicken...if I don't wax I probably won't do anything.

ehg87

LOL...I always worry about this pre-labor and yet once labor begins I could care less if it it looks like I fertilized with miracle grow down there. I'm with RBX have never waxed down south and don't plan on beginning now. That being said, I can't really see what I'm doing anymore. So my plan is just to keep things trimmed as possible around the bikini line, and not worry about it otherwise. It obviously won't be super neat, but who cares by the time I've dilated to 10 it won't look like that much hair anyway!

RBXChas

I'm glad you ladies answered, since I have hemmed and hawed about whether to ask this question for about a week! I love the "miracle grow" comment, too

The thing is that I get my first late-pregnancy pelvic check on Tuesday (boo!) with my strep B test (double boo b/c I was positive last time - hoping not to be this time), so I don't want to look like beast woman down there. My sister reminds me that my OB has seen like a million vaginas in her many years of practicing medicine and won't care what I look like.

Last time I shaved for as long as I could but then (probably around 25 weeks) had to let it go. I'm sure it was a crazy mess down there. Actually, I know it was, because by the time I could get around to it postpartum (probably at least a month after birth), it was awful to deal with. I didn't care when I was in labor, but leading up to it, I was self-conscious.

This time I gave it all I could with the electric razor a few weeks ago, and since I'm coming up on weekly pelvic checks, I figured I should have at it this weekend and then try to maintain (or at least clean it up) on a weekly basis. I'm not saying it has to be perfect, but I'd prefer that it be manageable.

Perhaps I wanted to feel better about being extremely unkempt down there in case I don't find the energy to clean it up, so thank you for sharing! I read this article that mentions the topic, and the comments are AWESOME about what a jerk the anonymous nurse is about personal grooming:

http://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/108826/confessions_of_a_labor_delivery

ehg87

I always hate seeing what's going on down there in the hair dept postpartum. It's like OMG couldn't my hubs at least have told me that I had missed the same hairs shaving for at least 4 months and that a few are so long they're braideable?! UGH!! So not looking forward to that. I had also forgotten that in 2 weeks I also will have my strep B test (which has always come back negative) These upcoming appts are the ones I hate, the dreaded " Undress from the waist down and the Dr will be in soon." So glad this will be over soon!

TheLaser

Ha ha, I had a little omg! moment about this last week. My primitive solution was to take a pair of nail scissors and cut carefully whatever I could feel without nicking myself. Afterward in the mirror it didn't look tooooo bad.

ybodwen

Wow that article from the LD nurse is a real eye roller- seriously lady if you have a problem with women in labor pick a different job!

I wouldn't start waxing during pregnancy! Definitely not the time to test your body's limits, esp not that part of it..

rubybeach

It's so funny you ask this, I decided to go in blindly last night with my new electric razor and managed to draw blood!!! No way am I risking waxing if its that sensitive.

I use this instead of scissors;
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EMM4P0/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Which has worked well.

I've had some laser hair removal years ago, so luckily I'm not super hairy.

rubybeach

Anyone try VEET?

LadyJocc

I am dying! This is great.

I also have my first late pregnancy cervix check and strep check next week and want to tidy up. I had been sugaring everything until a few months ago when it became much more sensitive down there (all that extra blood I suppose), and since then I've relegated this task to my husband. He does pretty well with the electric trimmer, but it's still hard for him to get all of those areas as short as I'd like them.

Anyways - I'm with you guys - I laugh at myself over this all the time (for over-thinking it), when I'm sure my OB couldn't give a *kitten*.

Erinthebodo

I use a standard razor and hope for the best... last time I didn't draw any blood even after not being able to see I would do it weekly so I would hope to catch all those "spots" that I might have missed. After I had my son I was pleased to see that I didn't do too bad of a job. But I started not looking when I could still see to "check" so by the time I couldn't see I was pretty good at it. Love the topic by the way!

jaylas_mom21

I will be doing a "trim" but that is all. I can't even remember last time if I did. I'm sure those doctors have seen it all. As long as you're clean and don't stink I'm sure they'll be happy! I know working in the health field, I'm just happy to have clean patients!

kori333

I think my first 2 babies I did nothing. I don't think it even occurred to me to do anything. The next one I trimmed with an electric clipper. It was so much easier to keep things clean postpartum than with my first 2! I'll for sure make things clipped and neat as I can this time too despite not being able to see what I'm doing. Not for the midwife though. It just makes hygiene easier.

luzmidd

Haha, It seems this thought has crossed a lot of minds! :-)
I use my husbands clippers to "trim" and I veet. With veet at least you don't have to see what you are doing, so just slap the cream on, wait 4-5 minutes and voila! I'm planning on veeting before my c-section, will just confirm with my doc, but I can't see why it should be a problem.

kcasey155

Bikini trimmer here - short as possible - nothing worse than midwives tugging at sensitive areas

Taraanne76

For two pregnancies I left it and came home from hossy w/ a circa 1970's bush. The other one I tried to shave but I'm sure it looked super uneven. I was thinking this time,there should be no modesty left at this point, and tel the hubs to trim me up.

RBXChas

All you ladies had me laughing so hard, my husband asked what I was reading that was so funny (of course I didn't tell him)! I'm SO glad enough people didn't think this was offensive to get some answers. (I figured if anyone was offended, they could just move on, but I'm glad to see that so many of you were willing to share.)

I'm thinking the Veet thing isn't a bad idea. I used to have a Veet kit with a little rubber "razor," but I think I tossed it a long time ago, not that I would have used the product itself. I'll have to check my linen closet.

I may just trim up using my electric razor in the meantime. Someone mentioned it above, and I will second it, that you absolutely can make yourself bleed using an electric razor! At least with a regular razor, it would be a new blade, but that worries me for infections and stuff with my electric one, since it's not like it is easily disinfected.

RBXChas

Ok, so I went out to Target and bought this: http://www.veet.us/products/creams-lotions/fast-acting-gel-cream-hair-remover-pump-with-essential-oils/

Here's hoping! :drinker:

RBXChas

I use this instead of scissors;
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EMM4P0/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Which has worked well.

Oh, I wish I had remembered to look at this link before I went to Target today because I'd have tried it! (That's why I came back here; I remembered that someone recommended something that I forget to follow up on!)

I don't mind having hair down there, just not a jungle. If Veet doesn't work to my liking, I will go try this. Thanks for the recommendation! :happy:

ETA that apparently Gillette told someone a few months ago that Amazon is the only place you can buy the Venus bikini trimmers as a stand-alone product. (You can get them otherwise, but only if you buy their razors.) They sell a three-pack for $16 and change.

pregmeg119

This post had me laughing so hard i almost spit out my drink!

I've been keeping up with shaving. I've considered getting waxed but chickened out before our wedding so I'm sure i will chicken out again (just too sensitive a place to have some stranger with hot wax!)

I told one of my prego friends about a post i saw on another website about husbands trimming or shaving their wives and she said her hubby is going to do it for her - I'm all about openness with my husband but I don't think i can ask him to do that.

RBXChas

I told one of my prego friends about a post i saw on another website about husbands trimming or shaving their wives and she said her hubby is going to do it for her - I'm all about openness with my husband but I don't think i can ask him to do that.

Yeah, I agree; I am very open with my husband about a lot of things, but that's a line I am just not willing to cross! I will help him manscape if we are going on vacation, but not "down there." He can do that himself. I'll help him with his back and chest.