Let’s talk eating during labour.
Can you eat during labour?
The short answer is, Yes. For low-risk women, the World Health Organisation recommends eating and drinking during labour, if you feel like it.
Why it is important to eat and drink during labour?
Imagine preparing to run a marathon. You’ve prepared your mind and your body. You are at the starting line ready to go and then someone tells you that you aren’t allowed to eat or drink anything throughout the entire marathon. Even if that marathon takes you 12 hours (or even longer) to complete.
Giving birth is like running a marathon and your body needs to be properly fuelled and hydrated for it to function at its peak. Your uterus comprises muscles requiring fuel to function effectively, just as much as the rest of your muscles do.
Eating small snacks and drinking may help you cope better with labour and help prevent ketosis. Ketosis occurs when your body doesn’t have sufficient access to its primary fuel source, glucose. As a result, your body breaks down its own fat stores to produce energy, also producing ketones, an acid. Ketosis during labour can cause nausea, headaches and vomiting, and may reduce uterine contractions and lead to a longer labour.
So it makes sense to eat small snacks and keep up your fluids to help you through your labour and birth, just as much as a runner does the same for a race.
The other side of the conversation around eating and drinking during labour is maternal satisfaction. A recent study from Manizheh and Leila, found a correlation between environmental stressors and pain levels – meaning that the more stressed a woman felt during labour, the higher her reported pain levels. One of the biggest reported stressors was restricted fluid intake. Half of first-time Mums and 78% of Mums who had given birth previously, mentioned restricted fluid intake as a stressor.
Why do some hospitals say no eating or drinking during labour?
To understand why some hospitals recommend no eating or drinking during labour we have to go back to the 1940’s. At the time, anesthesia for caesareans was much less safe than it is today and aspiration was more common. Aspiration is where a person vomits their stomach contents into their lungs and it can result in serious illness or death.
Thankfully, anesthesia use today is far safer and epidural use is common for caesarean sections. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, there was only one death due to aspiration during labour and birth between 2005 and 2013 in the US. They also note that in the UK there were no recorded cases of aspiration causing death between 2000 and 2005. Compare this to 15 cases in 1000 during the 1940’s.
Whilst more research still needs to be done, there is some thought that fasting when your labour begins may still not guarantee an empty stomach during birth, as stomach emptying is thought to slow down at the start of labour.
Whilst there are some ‘high-risk’ circumstances where it might make sense to fast, including pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, morbid obesity, diabetes or other complications requiring caesarean, for low-risk women, hospital policies have been quite slow to catch up. If you are deemed high risk, or if you have any doubts at all, it is best to speak to your caregiver.
What can I eat during labour?
Whatever you feel like – within reason. It is best to be guided by your body here.
If we go back to our marathon analogy, your body needs fuel which will sustain you for the entire race, but eating anything too heavy might make you feel ill.
Snacks which give a slow-release of energy, rather than a sugar high followed by a crash, are best. Choosing the right snacks will give you the energy you need to cope with your labour and birth.
Some great ideas include;
- Yoghurt
- Light sandwiches
- Toast
- Crackers
- Rice Cakes
- Veggie sticks
- Dried fruit and nuts
It is best to be eating smaller snacks more often rather than eating big meals.
Make sure your kitchen and hospital bag are stocked with foods that are nutritious and require very little, or no, preparation.
Snacks during labour
What can I drink during labour?
Labour can be thirsty work!
Although you may be happy to eat during early labour, many women find that they no longer feel like eating once in active labour. It is important to still keep your fluids up throughout your labour, even if you don’t feel like eating. You may be able to run a marathon without eating anything, but you definitely want to be staying hydrated throughout.
Remember to pack a water bottle in your hospital bag and to keep taking sips of water during your labour. Ask your birth partner to remind you to keep drinking water as well – it may be the last thing on your mind. Having a bendy straw also helps!
Other options may be clear juice (apple is best), coconut water, cordial or isotonic beverages. You can always dilute these if they are too strong.
Don’t worry about having to wee. Having to go to the toilet acts a great reminder to keep mobile. Being on the toilet is also a great place to be during labour as it creates a sense of privacy and helps baby get in a good position for birth.
The best thing to do regarding eating and drinking during labour is to listen to your body – it is usually very good at telling you what it needs. Get ready to run that marathon and fuel your body to run the best race of your life.
To find out more about eating and drinking during labour, what to pack in your hospital bag or ways to prepare your body and mind for labour and birth, join my upcoming Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth Classes. To find out more click here