being in labor and not eating

kimberleigh30 · December 2009

Did anyone have a problem with this? This worries me. I can see myself in labor for hours and not eating a single thing but ice chips.

Was eating the last thing on your mind?

Pennylane824 · December 2009

kimberleigh30:

Was eating the last thing on your mind?

Yes. Although I killed an Arby's meal about two hours after delivery.

MrsDB · December 2009

eating will not cross your mind unless you get an epidural and are just sitting in bed feeling fine

cindydee · December 2009

i was able to suck on lollypops. Hope that helps

fionacaitlin · December 2009

They brought me a food tray right as they broke my water & wanted me to eat, but my labor went SO quick it was the last thing on my mind. (2 hours) The minute he came out I chowed down on the cheeseburger & a granola bar!! (Our hospital doesn't restrict eating during labor)

Scooter359 · December 2009

I was there for 36 hours without food. They had me on an IV and I didnt really notice the hunger,even afterwards. Ive never loved ice chips more in my entire life then I did at the hospital. Now I hate them.

PAIrishBride · December 2009

yeah don't worry about eating...it will be the last thing on your mind...and if you are like me (which I hope you aren't) and end up puking you will be happy you didn't eat anything!

rebeccaontherocks · December 2009

I went from 6pm to 6pm w/o food and I was starving the first 12 hours because I didnt sleep with my induction and after 12 hours they broke my water and after that food was the last thing on my mind.

livinreality · December 2009

I was allowed clear liquids, soup, jello, soda, popcicles... hate chicken broth but it was great when I had nothing else to eat... also I think that the cafeteria thought I was insane because I ate a jello almost every hour... so I had about 10 of them (I labored 7am - 9pm)

Honestly eating real food was the last thing on my mind, I was just trying to stay hydrated. ?

stephanier1126 · December 2009

MrsDB:
eating will not cross your mind unless you get an epidural and are just sitting in bed feeling fine

this was me! i got induced the night of 11/12 and all day i was too nervous to eat/drink so when i arrived at the hospital i was extremely dehydrated! long story short id advise you to eat a good meal before if you can! lol after my epi i was starving but all they would give me was nasty jello, i begged for something solid and then was given graham crackers, boy they never tasted so good.. till they came up! haha i shoulda listened to the nurses and let myself be hungry!

teeah22 · December 2009

I was starving!! I had a 26 hour induction though. Once I actually started making some progress it didn't bother me, but the hours leading up to my water breaking sucked.

mrsbird1129 · December 2009

I was induced and was starving a few hours in to it. I was there for over 24 hours before I was allowed food. I couldn't have anything to eat besides the ice, and it was very noticable to me (probably as I was there for so long without it). I also did puke up my last meal though (they had given me a morphine rest when I got there), so that may have made my hunger worse. I'd suggest eating something easy on the stomach before you go, and hope labor is fast. It may suck to be so hungry, but hey, labor kind of sucks. It'll be ok. I wouldn't worry too much about it in advance.

Mabzie · December 2009

I wasn't allowed anything (they made my toss my water bottle at registration) but ice chips. I was in labor for 26 hours and I was really freggin thirsty afterwards. I killed a few juice boxes and then I made DH go get McDonalds.

Jenn.J. · December 2009

No way, I was starving and thought about it the whole time. I was un-medicated for a very long time, and both with and without drugs I would throw everything up I tried to eat (they let me try to eat applesauce after the epi). I was so hungry!

tiffanylaw06 · December 2009

I went 36 hours without food and almost 24 hours without liquid. Food was the last thing on my mind. But I was very, very thirsty. I was dying for something to drink and literally begged the nurse to let me sip on ice water. The ice chips weren't cutting it. They finally let me sip on water when I started pushing. As soon as Dylan was born they brought me a turkey sandwich and I drank about 10 of the little cups of apple juice.

ToledoDeux · December 2009

"Eating will be the last thing on your mind"? Not necessarily. It depends on how long your labor is, and how it progresses. I was starving and ate throughout both of my labors, and actually had a full meatloaf and mashed potatoes lunch served to me in the hospital when I was in active labor with DD#2. She was born three hours later. No vomiting, no complications.

If you're hungry, eat. If you're worried about vomiting, keep it something light - but honestly, if you're going to throw up, you'll do it regardless of what's in your stomach. And for sure stay hydrated. Ice chips are crap - just drink some water.

wnk1029 · December 2009

I gave birth at home, so I had no restrictions at all on what I could eat... I had a good breakfast, but by lunchtime I had lost all appetite. By the time dinnertime rolled around, my support team was trying to get me to eat something to keep my strength up... I had some pieces of fruit, but really didn't want anything until after the little guy was born... I had a huge meal after that!

kubes · December 2009

Being hungry was the last thing on my mind, I never even thought about it. I didn't do an epidural or anything though, so all I wanted was ice chips. Trying to manage the contractions took all my concentration. As soon asI delivered though, I was starving.

snowflake19 · December 2009

I was starving but in too much pain to care and once I had the epidural I was too overtired to have an appetite. Once I could eat all I had was a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It was many weeks before my appetite returned.

Innak0531 · December 2009

Until I got the epi I could care less about food. But once the epi kicked in and my SO was talking about getting hungry...about 6hrs after getting to the hospital, I was starving. After she was born, all I wanted was food and apple juice for some reason. Don't worry too much about food, things will work out

murdermuffin · December 2009

I had a big meal about 4 hrs before I went in to be induced. Eating was the last thing on my mind. I was tired then in PAIN. I waited until the LAST min to get an epi. The pain and lack of sleep distracted from any hunger. In fact after I had LO I had NO appetite for about a month and a half. I had a hard time breastfeeding because I had 0 appetite and was being forced food to keep up my supply. I still have no appetite some days its weird because while pregnant I HAD to have breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks or I'd be sick. Guess I was just freakin tired of eating!

coliecarryon · December 2009

For me eating was the last thing on my mind, and I was so into LO that i wasnt hungry after delivery either.

april_lynn_08 · December 2009

Yes eating was the last thing on my mind. Ice chips were a huge help though. I couldn't imagine going through labor again without them.

SmallandNeedy · December 2009

I had a midwife team who supported eating and drinking as needed in Labor. I was STARVING during my pushing phase and ate a Luna Bar. I also drank ample amounts of water and Pedialyte. I don't see how a natural birth is possible without nourishment -- think about running a marathon without water ... not only is it hard (or impossible) but incredibly unhealthy. I couldn't do it, that's for sure.

adcffaa · December 2009

My sister wasn't allowed to eat once she got the induction meds because they thought since it was her second baby it'd go by quicker than the 8 hours of labor her first one took. After 35 hours without eating (and no improvement as far as baby goes) the doc finally told her to eat something. (It took so long because the induction meds didn't work.)

I'd imagine while pushing a LO out your mind is more focused on getting the baby out rather than whether or not you're hungry/thirsty/etc.

Mabzie · December 2009

They pumped me full of fluids through iv instead of letting me drink water. I was not happy about that. I puffed up so much from all the fluids they ran through me. ugh.

msloan27 · December 2009

I was induced on 11/17 at 7pm and ate dinner before I went to the hospital. I wanted breakfast the next morning before they started the pitocin (I was worried I would be hungry later) and I took a bite of toast and vomited so I never finished. DH and my mom ate in my room while I was in labor and it made me sick to my stomach to smell the food-I wanted nothing to do with it. I drank water through labor and pushing, vomited a few times and after I gave birth at 6:32pm on 11/18, I was starving and ate a gigantic turkey sandwich. I was worried I would be starving but honestly, food was the farthest thing from my mind once I got going.

Mee83shell · December 2009

Believe me, when you're in active labor, the last thing you want is to eat. Those ice chips taste golden :-)

And after delivery I chowed down big time :-)

thetwistedwillow · December 2009

Wow I disagree with everyone. In early labor you definitely want food and you need it for energy. Once you hit transition you will NOT be thinking about food. My midwife advised me to labor at home as long as possible, to eat and drink, etc. She said once I stopped wanting and needing food was when it was time to head in because I was most likely in transition (5-7cm). Well my water broke so I didn't have a chance to eat anything but a protein bar on the way out the door.

And it was true, I didn't think about food this last birth. I didn't have drugs so I was really focused on the pain. With my other two I did have an epidural and I kept begging the nurse for food because I felt so ill and NEEDED to eat.

You DO need to stay hydrated. ACOG has changed their minds about women having only ice chips and now say it is okay to have water. So if you're thirsty you CAN drink water.

SusieQ1982 · December 2009

I made myself breakfast before we went to the hospital and I'm glad I did. While I tried to labour unmedicated, food was the last thing on my mind despite my doula encouraging me to eat. I was hungry after I got the epi but then I wasn't allowed anything more than water or apple juice.

HerHighness · December 2009

I was hungry, but I survived.

I woke up bleeding and went quickly to the hospital and didnt think anything of eating. It was 830am when I got there and I hadn't eaten since probably 9 the night before. I had Aubrey around 5ish and was allowed ot eat shortly after.

i did eat like 4 popcicles while in labor

rissainthesky* · December 2009

it sucked during my 35 hour labor... but it sucked more not being able to eat for 24 hours AFTER my c-section.. i was so hungry....

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