In the movies and on TV, laboring mothers are often depicted as panting, sweaty women who are only allowed to suck on ice chips. Luckily, that image can finally change. After years of food and fluid intake restrictions for women in labor, there has finally been a closer scientific look at this practice and the ban has been (somewhat) lifted.
As some of my most athletic, marathon-running prenatal yoga students will agree, labor is one of the most physical acts a woman can go through in her life. So why restrict energy providing nourishment during this time? The reasoning for this protocol is rather outdated. According to Cochrane Summaries, “In many birth settings, oral intake is restricted in response to work by [Dr. Curtis] Mendelson, [a New York obstetrician], in the 1940s. Mendelson reported that during general anesthesia, there was an increased risk of the stomach contents entering the lungs. The acid nature of the stomach liquid and the presence of food particles were particularly dangerous, and could potentially lead to severe lung disease or death.”
While Dr. Mendelson’s findings may sound like good reason to avoid food or fluid, obstetrical anesthesia has changed considerably since the 1940s. With better general anesthetic techniques and a greater use of regional anesthesia, risks of potential danger have been greatly reduced, according to Cochrane Summaries. Even the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has announced they’re in support of laboring women with uncomplicated pregnancies consuming “modest” amounts of clear liquids, such as water, juices, carbonated beverages, tea, black coffee, or sports drinks, according to an article on News.com. While ACOG is still not in support of laboring women eating food, many individual doctors and midwives allow liquid intake for low-risk women.
A recent study published in the British Medical Journal states, “Consumption of a light diet during labor did not influence obstetric or neonatal outcomes in participants, nor did it increase the incidence of vomiting. Women who are allowed to eat in labor have similar lengths of labor and operative delivery rates to those allowed water only.” So why not let women eat if they want to?
Truthfully, most women will not have a huge appetite during labor, but it’s still important to keep the blood sugar balanced and provide energy for the task at hand. For those who are allowed to eat and have the desire to munch a bit, I would recommend staying away from sugary, processed foods. Keep it light since you won’t want anything too heavy in your belly. Think energy food! Ask your helpers to prepare foods like whole-wheat toast and almond butter, scrambled eggs, or quinoa salad. Fresh cut fruit and brothy vegetable stew are also good options. Complex carbohydrates, protein, and natural sugars are great energy providers. Years ago, I read in Midwifery Today a blurb from a midwife about a concoction she always made for her clients. She called it the “midwife’s pitocin” — oatmeal, honey, and nuts. Sounds pretty delicious, even if you’re not in labor!
Labor is often a physically draining, dehydrating experience. In fact, dehydration can slow labor down. For fluid options, try herbal tea, water, watered down sports drinks, coconut water (which is also a great source of electrolytes), watermelon juice, or vegetable broth. You can also make or buy fruit juice popsicles.
It’s very important to discuss the option of eating and drinking with your care provider ahead of time, as you don’t want to start negotiating this during your labor. For those at a hospital or with a provider who follows the older recommendation of fasting during labor, you will most likely be hooked up to an IV to compensate for your lack of food and fluid. The IV delivers dextrose, which is basically sugar and water. Dextrose is a refined sugar with deleterious physiological effects: it rapidly elevates blood sugar content, causing a temporary energy rise, but this too-high elevation causes the pancreas to secrete more insulin, resulting in a rapid drop in blood sugar and a sudden energy slump. When dextrose is administered intravenously for many hours, the result can be internal physiological havoc, which the patient will experience as exhaustion, according to Birthing Naturally. This artificially induced glucose high can also lead to the baby suffering from hypoglycemia, About.com states. This seemingly innocuous dextrose IV certainly has downsides that should be considered by every expecting women.
I encourage you not to be shy about asking your care provider for a little leeway in having a light nosh during labor. To me, the benefits really seem to outweigh the risks for both you and your baby.
Happy birthing!
Debra Flashenberg is the founder of the Prenatal Yoga Center. After spending much of her life in musical theater, she was introduced to yoga in 1997 and has since become a certified doula, Lamaze coach, midwife, and certified vinyasa yoga instructor. She is continuously in awe of the beauty and brilliance of birth and is the proud mother of baby boy Shay.
