@rennie1108 - most don't allow you to eat in case you end up needing a c-section (like I did) Having food in your stomach can cause complications with surgery. Due to being induced + labor for 36 hours meant I actually had no food except a little chicken broth for almost 48 hours. It was kind of crazy.
Me: 32 DH: 31
TTC #2 since January 2018
Baby #1 DD Born 8/25/2016 BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
I’ve also heard some people throw up during transition (usually when it happens super fast). I assume liquids would be easier and have an easier clean up.
this is my backup acct. prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
thanks, everyone. all of that makes sense. when I delivered my first, my water broke before contractions, and I was positive for that bacteria that requires you to be on antibiotics, so I had to go in. and yeah, they had to induce me, but they only used the foley tube to get me to a 4. they didn't give me pitocin until I didn't progress for a couple of hours. I guess I'm pretty lucky in that I'm delivering at a hospital that DOES allow us to move around as much as we need to while we labor. I remember until I was hooked to monitors, I was allowed to walk up and down the halls (they actually encouraged it) to get me to open up some more. it was only after they had to put monitors inside me (external monitors weren't working properly after they gave me pitocin) that I was bedridden.
lots of food for thought. I'm finding this thread so useful. thank you all so much!
@rennie1108 I believe the rationale is that if you require a surgical intervention, and for some reason you need general anesthesia, its considered dangerous to have food / liquid in your stomach. That being said, more recent evidence shows that if you are at a low risk for requiring a surgical intervention, there are no differences in terms of complications between women who eat / drink freely during labour vs those who don't. In fact, the only difference between those two groups is that women who were able to eat / drink freely were more likely to be satisfied with their labour experience.
@rennie1108 my understanding is the same as @kate_e_nb ‘s: it has to do with the potential but very very uncommon use of general anesthesia and, within that, the potential for aspiration.
@thatbaintforbetty I threw up as they wheeled me from antenatal to labor and delivery (so like...30 min before DD arrived?) and it was nbd to the staff - just another deep barf bag to toss. I had warned them I felt nauseous, though.
@lyse01 I would assume it would be NBD, especially considering the other bodily fluids/things that can accompany labor. I wouldn’t think it would be the main reason but a possible contributing factor.
this is my backup acct. prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
@rennie1108 I think usually it’s because you can’t eat if you’re having a c sec, so just in case they have to do an emergency c sec they don’t want food in you. Some places are more lenient though.
@rennie1108 a lot of hospitals have a no eating policy in case of c-section being the outcome and the anethesia can make you ill and vomit which has a slight risk of having you inhale the vomit and choke. That's it in a nutshell. Most hospitals allow you to have clear fluids from what I've read. Last labor I ate an energy bar on the way to the hospital and this time around my midwife said I can eat/drink whatever I feel like during labor since we aren't in a hospital setting and therefore don't need to abide by "in case of surgery" policies.
Typically laboring at home is more comfortable. And less likely to have medical intervention that isn’t needed.
As far as food goes, my hospital won’t give you any but we could bring our own, and as long as I didn’t have an epidural I could eat. Not that I wanted to at that point. My doula gave me a marathon gel pack to eat right before my epidural to help with energy. You can bring clear Gatorade and they don’t know it’s not water... or coconut water or other drinkable that has energy and electrolytes in it. Honestly, bring snacks and if you aren’t on an epidural than eat them if you feel hunger. What are they going to do, scold you? You have rights.
@jenbarrdoc glad everything is OK! And thanks for sharing the link for that robe – what a cute set.
My OB allows her patients to eat and drink while in labor because her reading of the research is that for low risk women the outcomes are equivalent. even if you needed a C-section, it's very unlikely that you would need general anesthesia. In my normal life I really like to eat so I put a lot of thought into what food and snacks to pack for labor. I didn't want any of it! I had a couple of bites of dry toast that I immediately threw up, and that was it. So you never know how your body will react.
Yeah, I was a little concerned about whether I'd be permitted to eat in labor or whether I'd turn into a hangry weepy weak mass, but frankly I didn't think about it a second time after I got started. I went in at noon, gave birth at 3 am, and didn't think about food till around 7 or 8 at the earliest. Not saying everyone'll be that way, but just that the experience different than I expected.
i packed a dark chocolate bar w/ nuts and had little squares of it here and there while i labored. i found it helpful. i like to think it gave me a boost when i needed it.
Waiting on a doc to come clear me to come home, but after contractions and cramping on and off all day I just spent the past three hours or so in L&D for monitoring. They had me drink a ton of water and checked my cervix (high and closed) so they think it was just this killer cold leading to dehydration. Great way to spend my night
Yesterday was a horrible day. I had to go car shopping and I hate just the idea of it. It turned into a huge ordeal. The sales man was a total scum bag. As I was trying to leave my clutch died in their parking lot. Fun right?? Got towed and made it home after a $245 tow bill. I was so worked up that I had crazy Braxton Hicks all night. I probably fell asleep at 3am, and had to get up at 430. I was a little worried I was going into preterm labor. They have calmed down today. Thankfully I have an appointment tonight. That should clear my conscious.
@browneyes88-2 That sounds awful! H and I have been in discussion about replacing one of our cars soon and it stresses me out just talking about it. Hang in there and take care of yourself. I hope your appointment went well
Add me to the “unexpected trip to labor and delivery” club. I was in a pretty bad car accident last week. Ended up breaking my ankle and of course I was completely terrified about the baby. It was a big enough impact to deploy all of the airbags and I know there was an impact on my belly. Thankfully baby started to kick while I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and baby and placenta looks great after 24 hour monitoring and a detailed ultrasound. I will need surgery to fix my broken ankle and the recovery time for that is 6+ weeks (I am almost 33 weeks!). My OB agrees that I should go through with the surgery as soon as possible so that I can be as healed as possible before the baby comes. I am currently pretty beat up and unable to reposition in bed without help much less stand and/or walk. This was not the way I planned on spending the rest of my pregnancy but given the alternative I will happily take it. As long as baby is okay I don’t really care about the rest!!
@eli_belle, yikes! That sounds terrifying and I'm so sorry to hear you broke your ankle! Sending healing thoughts your way, and so glad babe is alright!
@eli_belle I’m so glad you guys are all right! I was in a bad car accident at 7 months pregnant with DD and I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my entire life. That really sucks about your ankle and needing surgery though. Take it easy and hopefully you have a fast and easy recovery!
this is my backup acct. prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
@eli_belle I’m so sorry! That must have been terrifying. I hope you can get it done quickly and be fully healed before baby. But what a nuisance dealing with that in third tri! I broke my foot while prego with DD and that was annoying in itself having to stomp around in a boot. Surgery plus a really long recovery I can’t even fathom.
@eli_belle oh how scary! And painful and annoying and exactly the thing you don’t want right now. How does all of that work out with work?
i had arthroscopic surgery on my ankle several years ago and got 30 days of convalescence because it was going to take a while to heal. They said. I felt immediate pain relief as soon as the initial swelling went down (so, like 3-4 days post op) and was gingerly walking around a few days after that. Jumping took weeks but why would I normally be jumping? Granted, this was to remove floating bone chips and evaluate whether the 2.5/4 severed tendons should be repaired after 5 months of casting had failed, so your situation will vary, but I found recovery to be much faster than expected. so, hope.
also, get one of those knee scooters (or one for each floor if possible) and strap a bicycle basket to the front of it so you can move like a semi-normal person. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Thanks @lyse01 unfortunately I broke a weight bearing bone so my understanding is that I’m supposed to keep all weight off of it for the full 6 weeks. I think this means I start maternity leave now... I was planning on starting my leave in 3 weeks anyway. I will have to figure out if I’m allowed to take two separate short term disability claims or extend my pregnancy claim. We will see... I am hopeful that I can be semi mobile by the time the baby comes.
eli_belle hugs to you. Keep up the good attitude, I believe it will make all the difference and I bet you'll be telling this story the rest of your life!
I'm adding to the thread. My waters broke this morning and I am in the hospital until delivery. Baby is doing well, head down and ready to go. They have me on antibiotics, steroid shots, and a medication to keep contractions at bay. Right now Wednesday is the short term goal to allow the steroids to kick in and long term goal is next week Tuesday. Longer baby stays the less NICU time it needs, if we make it until next Tuesday it wont be an automatic it will be based on how baby is doing.
Re: Braxton Hicks and trips to labor and delivery
BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
lots of food for thought. I'm finding this thread so useful. thank you all so much!
@thatbaintforbetty I threw up as they wheeled me from antenatal to labor and delivery (so like...30 min before DD arrived?) and it was nbd to the staff - just another deep barf bag to toss. I had warned them I felt nauseous, though.
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
As far as food goes, my hospital won’t give you any but we could bring our own, and as long as I didn’t have an epidural I could eat. Not that I wanted to at that point. My doula gave me a marathon gel pack to eat right before my epidural to help with energy. You can bring clear Gatorade and they don’t know it’s not water... or coconut water or other drinkable that has energy and electrolytes in it.
Honestly, bring snacks and if you aren’t on an epidural than eat them if you feel hunger. What are they going to do, scold you? You have rights.
My OB allows her patients to eat and drink while in labor because her reading of the research is that for low risk women the outcomes are equivalent. even if you needed a C-section, it's very unlikely that you would need general anesthesia. In my normal life I really like to eat so I put a lot of thought into what food and snacks to pack for labor. I didn't want any of it! I had a couple of bites of dry toast that I immediately threw up, and that was it. So you never know how your body will react.
BFP: 1/26/20 | EDD: 9/20/20
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
i had arthroscopic surgery on my ankle several years ago and got 30 days of convalescence because it was going to take a while to heal. They said. I felt immediate pain relief as soon as the initial swelling went down (so, like 3-4 days post op) and was gingerly walking around a few days after that. Jumping took weeks but why would I normally be jumping? Granted, this was to remove floating bone chips and evaluate whether the 2.5/4 severed tendons should be repaired after 5 months of casting had failed, so your situation will vary, but I found recovery to be much faster than expected. so, hope.
also, get one of those knee scooters (or one for each floor if possible) and strap a bicycle basket to the front of it so you can move like a semi-normal person. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
BFP: 1/26/20 | EDD: 9/20/20
Married 7/6/13
EDD 2/5/21
DD 4/19