Should you shave your pubic hair before giving birth?

Remember 70's porn?

I do.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "But, Sam, you don't look like you were born after 1995 which is way after the 70's." This is mostly true.

When my gal pals invited me over to a no-parent sleepover in my mid-teens we found a stash of porn hidden in a closet (we were looking extensively for alcohol after our shared bottle of Malibu had worn off). We awkwardly giggled as our inexperienced adolescent selves tried not to seem too interested while still trying to take it all in. To make light of a somewhat uncomfortable situation I asked: "why does the hot woman have a furry animal growing on her crotch." I knew it was pubic hair, but I certainly hadn't seen it at its full potential as it was in this retro porno.

Growing up since around 1995 I've noticed that folks with a vagina have been encouraged to keep themselves rather well groomed. Mainstream depictions of babes wearing eeny-weeny teensy-weensy bikinis and lingerie show no signs of any pubic hair and have led many of us to believe that this is the normal way of maintaining our nether regions.

People talk to me about their vaginas. This may be in part to the countless blog posts I've written about vaginas, or perhaps because I've had many conversations like this:

Kid: Taking 19 hours to choose between ordering Mac n' Cheese and a grilled cheese sandwich.

Me: "I pushed you out of my vagina in less time than you're taking right now..."

Working as a Postpartum Doula and being part of the birthy community for quite some time now I've had more than a few folks ask me if they need to do any maintenance on their pubic hair before they give birth. I've never actually caught a baby, but in my experience being a patient of numerous docs and midwives I've NEVER been asked to shave. Once upon a misinformed, highly patriarchal time, folks were shaved before strapped down to deliver their baby (this is also around the same time women were clinically masturbated to cure hysteria...so....), but times have changed.

It's an entirely personal choice if you want to do some trimming before you give birth. There are a few suggestions I could make, though:

-Try waxing if you choose to do some tidying. Shaving an area you can't see isn't the easiest or safest task imaginable.

-Don't do any servicing close to your Estimated Due Date. You're going to have enough discomfort after you welcome your wee one into the world and you don't need razor burn on top of that! In fact, having broken skin (razor burn) when you're delivering makes you susceptible to infection.

-If you don't plan on trimming or maintaining your pubic area understand that NOBODY will say anything about it when you're strutting your sexy stuff at the pool or beach. Trust me.

-Avoid billboards and advertisements of smooth-skinned, cleanly shaven beauties and try your hand at some good ol' fashioned 70's porn bush!

If you're concerned about your hairy situation talk with your healthcare provider. As with everything with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum life be informed and know your rights!

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