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Most of us consider having a tidy up ‘down there’ at the pointy end of pregnancy – we just assume the whole birth thing will be far more pleasant for everyone without pubes to deal with. But according to a nurse and doula, there’s a very good reason you shouldn’t shave the bush before birth.

Nurse, doula and lactation consultant Angela Grant made a TikTok explaining why you should ditch the razor in the final few weeks of pregnancy.

Why you shouldn't shave vagina before birth

“Did you know that it’s actually NOT recommended to shave public hair after 36 weeks of pregnancy?” she explains. “Shaving pubic hair can INCREASE the risk of infection at the time of birth, even with a cesarean birth.”

“Waxing isn’t necessary either and is usually more painful during pregnancy. (Doctors DON’T care!). Leave the bush alone.”

After her initial video went viral, Angela decided to expand on her recommendation, after some negative comments on the first video.

“In the field of medicine there are a lot of things that people get confused that, just because it’s done, doesn’t mean that it’s actually the best practice. All I did was share the research, research shows that it’s actually not necessary or recommended to shave before you give birth. It was very common for many years, and apparently still is in some places.”

@nutmeg_lc Don’t shave your bush PART 2! #birth #labourandbirth #pregnant #pregnancy #laboranddelivery #obgyn #rn #birthplan #doula #momsoftiktok #prenatal #lc ♬ original sound – NutmegBirthBabiesBreastfeeding

The nurse explained that micro abrasions happen from shaving, which can lead to infection. She said that if it’s really necessary, a doctor can trim public hair.

“Clipping is fine and is preferred over shaving. Waxing is fine but might hurt more,” she added.”

Why shouldn’t you shave your vagina before giving birth?

While it used to be common practice for women to be shaved before giving birth, more recent research has found it can increase the risk of infection for women who end up needing a c-section. Micro abrasions on the skin surface can become infected.

A 2015 study found that fewer infection occur with clipping, using hair removal cream or just leaving the hair as is, rather than shaving.

Did you tidy up ‘down there’ before giving birth?

  • Nope and not something i even gave thought to.

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  • Didn’t even occur to me to shave.

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  • I did stumble upon this while I was pregnant and ended up buying a lady trimmer. I was getting desperate!! It felt so unlike me to be unkept there, and I couldn’t stand it any more. It was an experience trying to do it in a mirror while not seeing past my belly.

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  • Interesting. I hadn’t even thought of it. The reasoning behind it makes absolute sense.

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  • How come noone has ever said this before. I shaved mine. Do it everyday. Not a fan of hair down there.

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  • Never heard this before.
    I was trimmed for both births by the nurse for c section

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  • Those delivering the baby have seen other bits of you down there, a little hair is nothing compared to that!

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  • I heard about that before but that didn’t stopped me- its personal choice…

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  • Never. I didn’t do it for the birth or anything else. I’m not particularly hairy but it would never have occured to me to shave down there. I didn’t even shave my legs because the last few weeks I was so big I couldn’t reach to shave them. Go the bush….LOL.

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  • I was so sick I didn’t give it a thought to be honest.

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  • That’s so weird back in the day nan said she was shaven by the nurses before each birth! I automatically done it because of that! The nurse said that they would shave the top because I was having a csection but I’d already done it (well hubby did it for me because I was massive haha)

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  • I’m actually 27 weeks pregnant and had planned to book in a bit of a pamper session to tidy everything before giving birth…this advice had made me question my approach…though painful I may still consider waxing, but like many have mentioned…I may not even be bothered as I get closer ????

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  • Hair is there for a reason. I used to wax when I was young and it’s quite uncomfortable. Pretty sure the staff have seen it all. It’s completely natural anyway.

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  • It’s so hard to reach there in the end of pregnancy… so I’m glad I did it right ????

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  • But if you go for a caesar they shave you down anyway?

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  • Until hospital policies change, I’d be just following them.

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  • It wasn’t a done thing when my boys were born and I wouldn’t do it now either.

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  • By the time it came to that far into my pregnancies, I didn’t care :)

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  • Hilarious but yeah my doctor actually warned me against it, due to the possibility of contracting an illness from having open cuts in a hospital setting. I usually just trim anyway so it’s not a big sacrifice to me. :/

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  • I remember hearing this because of the risk of infection.

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