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January 2016 Moms
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Food or Liquids During Labor

fishsticks-n-custardfishsticks-n-custard member
in January 2016 Moms
Hi Ladies,

I tried to search but I didn't come up with anything (maybe I was using the wrong search terms). I was wondering if anyone had given any thoughts to what they were going to drink (and in some cases eat) to keep their energy up during labor. I'm a FTM but if my genetics run like my mom, I'll be labor a long time. I plan on trying to labor at home as long as possible so I can be as comfortable and mobile as possible. My doula recommended having snacks and drinks to keep my energy up. I may skip the solid foods as I am genuinely afraid of the aspiration risk if I need a c-section but definitely looking at things to stay hydrated. I was wondering if anyone else had thought about this.

I found these little snacks which looked interesting. I haven't made them yet but given how much I've been craving ice I think they're work pretty well:

Anyone else have any ideas or recipes to have on hand for labor?

Me: 35, Hubbie: 33
Married DH: 2013
DD: Dec 2015
BFP 8/14/17 --> Due 4/27/2018

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Re: Food or Liquids During Labor

  • hannahduff3hannahduff3 member
    I didn't know you could eat or drink during labor!
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  • holoceneholocene member
    Coconut water is an excellent way to hydrate during labour. I'm planning on making a batch of date energy balls to have on hand as well as some simple power foods like bananas. 

    I've never actually had much interest in eating during labour, but I did drink a lot. There are loads of recipes for labor-aid electrolyte drinks that you can make and keep in the fridge. 
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  • BBEA2006BBEA2006 member
    I've heard peanut butter sandwiches are good but this will be first time trying a non-medicated birth so I'm not sure what to expect either.  I imagine a lot of water and ice b/c I like those anyway but not sure they will give me energy.

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  • fishsticks-n-custardfishsticks-n-custard member
    hannahduff3 said:
    I didn't know you could eat or drink during labor!
    Depends on the person and what stage of labor you are in. ACOG supports clear liquids in uncomplicated labor: 

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2938908/

    Like I said, I'm genuinely concerned about aspiration so I'll be skipping the solid foods out of a personal choice but I know there are practitioners that support solid foods as well. 

    Me: 35, Hubbie: 33
    Married DH: 2013
    DD: Dec 2015
    BFP 8/14/17 --> Due 4/27/2018

    Babysizer Geeky Pregnancy Tracker

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  • MrsB915MrsB915 member
    With my son I ate a pb&j before leaving my house because I knew that I was truly in labor the hospital wouldn't let me eat (I was in ptl so I knew there wouldn't be any flexibility once I got to the hospital). When they let labor progress I was allowed ice pops and sips of water.

    This time around I plan on laboring as long as I can at home if I can get to 37 weeks so I'll have high protein snacks while at home to store up energy. Then I'll bring honey sticks and probably more high protein snacks incase I want them when I go to the hospital. Although I hope to get to the hospital at or during transition so I doubt I'll want to eat. I think at that point it will just be the honey sticks and ice pops. I'm going to look into those labor - aide recipes, they sound like a great idea!
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  • Leah6120Leah6120 member
    It'll just depend how i feel as my best friend spent all of her early labor vomiting.. but I "plan" to labor a while at home so I will try to eat granola bars and peanut butter toast or something like that. We'll just play it by ear. I am actually not too seriously concerned about aspirating given what I've researched (not saying it's not real or not a risk) so I'm a little more open to some light snacks or protein shakes. Do what makes YOU feel comfortable and best equipped to labor the way you want to.
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  • stephanienjerstephanienjer member
    Our hospital only allows liquids after check-in. Liquids do include things like broth and jello, though, so I don't think I'll feel too desperate. (I'm a big soup girl, and I like lots of broth and not a lot of stuff in them.)
    I've heard such horror stories about how painful the first bowel movement is after delivery, that I'm thinking I'll be glad my stomach isn't full of solids.

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  • ChrissyD1203ChrissyD1203 member
    @MrsB915 what are honey sticks?
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  • ShannyFannShannyFann member
    Just a heads up on the peanut butter, it is AWEFUL coming back up. I know first hand. It takes a lot of force to get it up and it tastes and smells horrible. So if you eat PB and then get sick for any reason be prepared. If you're not worried about getting sick than go for it! We know it's good protein for keeping our energy up. I plan on semi soft foods like jello and pudding and stuff. I vomited for the first several hours of my labor and then again the whole time I was pushing. Yeah, it was awesome. (Please note the sarcasm)
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  • BBEA2006BBEA2006 member

    ShannyFann said:
    Just a heads up on the peanut butter, it is AWEFUL coming back up. I know first hand. It takes a lot of force to get it up and it tastes and smells horrible. So if you eat PB and then get sick for any reason be prepared. If you're not worried about getting sick than go for it! We know it's good protein for keeping our energy up. I plan on semi soft foods like jello and pudding and stuff. I vomited for the first several hours of my labor and then again the whole time I was pushing. Yeah, it was awesome. (Please note the sarcasm)
    Glad you pointed that out.  I wonder if there is any correlation between feeling nauseated with meds vs. no meds.  I never felt sick but I had epis so I wonder if the likelihood of me feeling nauseous is same with no meds.  I HATE vomiting...like will do anything to avoid it.

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  • kayelah23kayelah23 member
    My hospital let me eat jello and graham cracker and i could drink water or Sierra mist/sprite.
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  • MrsB915MrsB915 member
    @ChrissyD1203 honey sticks are just placid straws filled with honey and sealed at both ends. You can find them at most health food stores, somewhere like while foods or Trader Joe's. I didn't get a chance to pick some up last time but they're on my list for the next grocery trip.

    As far as nausea during labor, once you've been admitted the nurse can give you anti nausea meds. I'm a huge baby when it comes to nausea and wasn't able to focus on relaxing. Once I had the meds the nausea was gone and labor was so much more manageable. I didn't get sick once.
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  • OrangeFoxOrangeFox member
    I'm planning on making Laborade. There are literally hundreds of recipes out there for different types. I don't love coconut water but can do it okay when used as a base for the labor drink. It's like a healthy version of gatorade (no coloring or artificial flavors, etc). Many of the recipes also just use water for a base if you don't like coconut water. I'll start making it in the next week or two and drinking it for the next month or month and a half until baby gets here. My husband and son like it too, so it gets consumed pretty quickly at our house.

    As far as food goes, I did throw up once during labor last time. It was pretty early and I was still at home. After that there was no nausea for me. I ate applesauce and a cheese stick while I was still at home. I had a few granola type bars, crackers, bananas and some honey sticks that I packed to take with me as well. However, I had a very short labor and so I didn't really need to eat during. I had my first at a birth center and wasn't restricted to broth/liquids but I can't imagine wanting to eat much during active labor.

    This time we're having baby at home. I'll have the same snacks on hand.
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  • Emott13Emott13 member
    I, too, felt absolutely no desire to eat during labor. I LOVED the ice chips, though, so I'll just be sticking with that. I think I was too excited and nervous and all that jazz to really notice if I was hungry or not. Maybe it'll be different this time around. Whatever you do, as soon as the nurses tell you no more food, NO MORE FOOD. My mother went into labor at the same time as another woman at the hospital and the woman had her family sneak her a snack because her labor was so long. She died from aspirating on her own vomit, despite having a completely complication-free delivery. (Back in the early 80s there wasn't as much concern about medical privacy- the labor nurses told my mom the whole story). I don't say this to frighten, but to remind everyone that there are reasons for medical protocol. Listen to your nurses. Don't grab something to eat "just real quick" before you go to the hospital if you're already in labor because you're afraid they won't let you eat. There's good reason for it. Please don't try to cheat the system. It's just not worth it.
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  • ShannyFannShannyFann member
    My labor wasn't typical I don't think. I have a sensitivity to a lot of drugs so when they gave me the epi laced with a narcotic it made me really sick, then they gave me anti nausea meds which stopped my labor dead in it's tracks so they gave me pitocin which caused super painful intense contractions so they upped the epi with the narcotic which made me sick so they gave the nausea meds which stopped my labor so they upped my pitocin and this cycle lasted for roughly 15 hours until I finally delivered my son. I threw up A LOT. So the meds can be counter productive sometimes. I really don't want to scare anyone, just saying that the nausea can't always be totally solved by meds so if you're good with meds and don't react poorly to them then go ahead with whatever you had planned to eat, but if you are like me maybe think about sticking to clear liquids and semi soft foods.
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  • lwebleylwebley member
    Most hospitals won't allow anything except a small amount of water once admitted, just in case you were to need a csection.
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  • Wicked4589Wicked4589 member
    Mine offers and encourages as much as I can drink. They actually recommend taking a few drinks of water with each contraction. They also allow ice pops, jello, broth, and crackers. I can't imagine wanting to eat much of anything while in labor.
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  • MeghaJakeMeghaJake member
    With my second, I waited until my favorite breakfast restaurant opened before going to the hospital so I could get an egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich on a biscuit. It was freaking my husband out because I was pretty far into labor and our hospital is 30 miles away.

    But I was starving when I had my first and it was a terrible experience for me. I was shaking and felt so weak. It took a long time to get dinner after the baby was born and I had been in the hospital for 14 hours before they let me eat. My hospital has a no food or drink policy - only ice chips. I don't throw up during labor or pregnancy though and not eating really bothers me.
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  • miranderpmiranderp member
    @MeghaJake
    Haha, me too. Except it was a burger because I knew I'd go back to being vegetarian after baby was born.

    I drank vitamin water (basically sugar water) through active labor and delivery, and, while there were no limitations on food, nothing could have been further from my mind by that time. I arrived four hours before she was born, so it wasn't very long at all, but I was STARVING afterwards so I can imagine how hungry I would have been if I'd had a long labor.

    I would suggest blending up some really watered down fruits and veg in a blender if they won't let you have food, just anything to keep you hydrated and your blood sugar stable.
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