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Is an IV always required for dehydration?

caymarkscaymarks member
in Natural Birth

I talked to my midwife about IV's and she told me that they do not require them and they don't even use heplocks. The only thing is my last pregnancy they said I was dehydrated and that was causing BH contractions and ended up leaving me on the IV. This time I'm trying to be much more informed. Do I NEED the IV if I'm dehydrated or can I simply ask for tons of water and drink my fluids? I guess I just don't know the difference between what I NEED to let them do and what they WANT me to do.

In the beginning I see the nurses more than my MW until in more active labor so I feel like the nurses sometimes think its just part of their job to tell me that I really do need these things for the benefit of my baby. That in turn scares me into saying yes. I really want to KNOW what exactly I do need to do and what I can simply say no to.

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Re: Is an IV always required for dehydration?

  • sschwegesschwege member

    I'm merely speculating here, so take that how you will.  But I think if you are already at the point of dehydration it might be best to get some IV fluids, then you can ask them to discontinue it once you are better hydrated.  I think it would be hard to chug large amounts of fluids while in labor, not to mention it might end up coming right back up.

    There is certainly plenty you can do to avoid becoming dehydrated though.  I tried to eat little snacks while in early labor and after I no longer felt like eating DH would give me my straw cup to sip water after every contractions.  I know if he hadn't been doing that I would have ended up dehydrated, drinking was the last thing from my mind.  Also coconut water is a great thing to drink while in labor, some people call it Nature's Gateraide.  I wasn't so crazy about the taste by itself, but if I added a bit of honey I could drink it.

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  • annabelle.27annabelle.27 member
    Women get dehydrated because they aren't allowed to eat or drink in labour, which according to my midwives and my ld nurse friend, is an outdated rule. I know some women throw up in later labour if they eat or drink, so if you experience that and have a long labour and get dehydrated, get the IV. Otherwise, drink what you can, especially in early labour. I never had an IV with either of my labours, although one was a homebirth.
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  • runrinserepeatrunrinserepeat member

    I think the key is to prevent dehydration. DH brought a bunch of Gatorade with to the hospital, and I drank as much of that (and even more water) as I could.

    But this was a big fear of mine. I was vomiting when I was admitted to L&D, with every contraction. I couldn't even keep the water down and I knew it was only a matter of time before they wanted an IV, so I accepted an oral dose of zofran, then started chugging water once the nausea dissipated. I made it through the whole thing with no IV :) 

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  • bekkabratbekkabrat

    I had a hospital delivery with a midwife with #2 and didn't want an IV. Even though it was standard procedure in the hospital, my midwife allowed me to labor with no IV as long as I made sure to drink plenty of fluids...and she also reminded me to keep emptying my bladder as well, to keep as much space open as possible down there.

    When I got into more active labor and was hesitant to drink water and gatorade, I ate ice between contractions. I didn't end up needing the IV and I could not be happier about that!

     Good luck! 

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  • sbevmc09sbevmc09 member
    imagesschwege:

    I'm merely speculating here, so take that how you will.  But I think if you are already at the point of dehydration it might be best to get some IV fluids, then you can ask them to discontinue it once you are better hydrated.  I think it would be hard to chug large amounts of fluids while in labor, not to mention it might end up coming right back up.

    There is certainly plenty you can do to avoid becoming dehydrated though.  I tried to eat little snacks while in early labor and after I no longer felt like eating DH would give me my straw cup to sip water after every contractions.  I know if he hadn't been doing that I would have ended up dehydrated, drinking was the last thing from my mind.  Also coconut water is a great thing to drink while in labor, some people call it Nature's Gateraide.  I wasn't so crazy about the taste by itself, but if I added a bit of honey I could drink it.

    ITA.

    I think the important thing is to try to avoid dehydration all together.  If you go into the hospital for labor already dehydrated I would imagine it's better just to get the IV fluids and then make a decision from there.  You need to drink plenty of fluids during labor to avoid dehydration.

    But yes, it's well within your rights to say no even if you're hydrated.  I suppose it couldn't hurt to try to push the fluids on your own, but I just can't imagine chugging a bunch of water while in labor.  As PP said it could come right back up anyway. 

    Since you know dehydration is already a possibility I would start really pushing the fluids now.  You need at least 80oz/day of water.  Even better if you drink half your weight in water if that exceeds the 80oz. 

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  • bdutton0005bdutton0005
    If you are truely dehydrated ( not just fluid lacking) then you do need the IV because they are replacing you electrolyes also not just fluid. Most of the time they draw blood when admitted and that is one thing they check. If your electrolytes are out of whack it leads to all kinds of side effects. If you want then to d/c it then yes they can but they may want to draw more blood to check you balances.
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  • CurbsideProphetCurbsideProphet
    I think if you can avoid getting dehydrated you could avoid an IV. However if you are already dehydrated, the IV might be the best option.
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  • pixieprincsspixieprincss member

    In a hospital setting, maybe. In a non-hospital setting, drinking coconut water or laborade* are options.

    *You can google a ton of recipes. My MW had me do juice of organic lemons plus honey, salt, and crushed magnesium/calcium tablets. I will forever drink this instead of Gatorade becase it is delicious! I froze mine into cubes to suck on.

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