Before I gave birth to my first son I had a very hard time deciding what exactly I was supposed to wear whilst giving birth. I was at my most comfortable and relaxed in a T-shirt and leggings, but leggings wouldn’t work for the baby's delivery and a regular T-shirt wasn't long enough to cover my modesty!

My name is Lindsey Benson. I am a proud mother of two boys and founder of The Birthing Shirt Company.

Obviously during labour the most important thing is the health of mother and baby, and there is very little room for vanity, but I realised through my own experiences that it is natural to worry about exposing oneself to others and I wanted a birthing shirt that would give me confidence and a feeling of calm through this serious yet wonderful event.

 

After discussing with many fellow mothers, it became clear that finding a shirt that ticked all the boxes for birthing was a challenge and we all felt there was a lack of suitable products in the market.

 

We wanted a birthing shirt that was: 

 

• Loose so it would be easy to move in an active birth

• In a practical dark colour, as things can get messy!

• Easy to pop down on the front for breastfeeding, skin-to-skin and kangaroo care

• Long enough so that walking about wouldn't expose us

• Short sleeved for cooling but upper arm coverage for comfort

• Cut for an expanding bump as regular T-shirts ride up at the front

• Made in a soft, stretchy, durable fabric that wouldn't make us sweat

• Styled to make us look good to feel good

• Ultimately a shirt that would help not hinder us during delivery

 

Having failed to find the ideal garment after two births, it was during my maternity leave from my job as an Architect that I decided to use my experience in design to establish a company that could produce a better alternative.

 

It soon became apparent through research into high performance eco-fabrics, running through various prototypes and testing fabrics to determine which types held the best qualities of durability, and comfort. I finally discovered the perfect birthing shirt fabric to keep a mum-to-be dry and fresh - bamboo jersey.

 

Bamboo grass is the fastest growing plant in the world and requires very few pesticides, making it really eco-friendly. Bamboo is much softer than cotton (like cashmere). It is also breathable and hypo-allergenic with unique anti-bacterial and deodorising properties. It absorbs and evaporates sweat, and its insulating qualities mean it keeps you warm on cold days but will cool you down in warmer weather.

 

After working closely on the design development with expert maternity wear manufacturers ...  

 

The Bamboo Birthing Shirt was born.

Lindsey Benson