NIGHTMARE NIGHTWEAR

Site Default - 11 Feb 15

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, the shops are predictably swamped with racy nightwear – from hardly-there satin slips to pom-pom boudoir mules (come on, who really wears such silly footwear?!).

But all these fancy, fussy ensembles would be wasted on me.

Take what I wore in bed the other night for example: zebra-print leggings, a pink spotty jersey top, my husband’s stripy socks (all mine were in the wash) and moth-eaten leg warmers. (I was wearing a woolly hat too but had to take it off when I began to sweat.)

Ok, so my nightwear isn’t always this nightmarish – it was freezing that particular day – but it has definitely plummeted in the style stakes since having children.

In the early days of parenthood, when I felt sleep-starved and low in body confidence, the last thing I wanted to do was slip into something flimsy and silky. And this feeling has stuck.

So, gone are the lace-trimmed chemises, the fiddly spaghetti straps and the carefree ‘let’s-sleep-naked’ days (though hopefully not forever), because I’d rather be warm and cosy. I’d rather be practical. Plus, when you’re woken up most nights by a coughing toddler or a frightened little mite who’s convinced that he’s seen bats, you really don’t want to be caught in next-to-nothing.

And I’m not the only one. Most of my friends admit to sporting pjs or (often oversized and thrown-together) layers in bed when it’s cold and (mainly baggy and unflattering) nighties or T-shirts when it’s not. They really don’t mind what they look like or what their partner thinks. They, like me, are just opting for comfort, while hoping that this will lead to a good night’s sleep: our ultimate aim.

I have also succumbed to hitting the hay in pyjamas (think well-worn cotton ones with hearts imprinted all over them, rather than slinky silk) – something my pre-kids self swore she’d never do. But I haven’t yet got to the stage where my other half is wearing a pair too – fingers crossed that is a very long way off.

No doubt my (‘What-the-hell-are-you-wearing?!) husband knows not to invest in anything remotely sexy for me this Saturday. But, if he wants any hints, some brand new pjs, a box of sleepy-time tea or a super-snug electric blanket would do just fine.

Motherhood is different for all of us… if you’d like to share your thoughts, why not join our Network & start posting?

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Fiona Pennell lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and their two boys, Jack, 6, and Otto, 4. A former YOU magazine sub-editor, Fiona now spends her days being trampled on, going on slug hunts and dreaming of lie-ins. (Twitter: @fiona_pennell)

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