Eating during labour?

[ladybird11]

Sorry for silly question - I've never laboured (yet) and as I'm going for a VBA2C I'm aware of some restrictions on eating / drinking during labour.

Expecting an uphill battle with the Ob's I'm just trying to scope whether this is a restriction that I am going to agree or disagree with!

One part of me says 'well if we end up going for a c/s then it may assist with the surgery - but pffft, what do they do with heart attack patients or car crash victims - turn them away from urgent surgery or pump their stomachs prior?? I don't think so ?
My fitness background tells me I will need energy to 'push' thru this labour (pardon the pun ), and going without food could set myself up for failure.

Soooooo, did you eat during labour (and what sort did you have) - or were you so taken in everything else going on that food was the last thing on your mind?

[Miss.September]

I didn't eat during labour. Not long after we hit hospital, I had gas and threw up so that was the end of me even thinking about food. The m/w who ran the birth classes encouraged us to bring food to keep energy up so I never considered that it'd be an issue.

[*Efjay*]

I ate in early labour but I did find I didn't eat much during the thick of it.

[AndiE]

Eating was the last thing I felt like during both my labours. Having said that, the stuff I did eat before my labours really ramped up I threw back up. And I'd advise you to not drink any acidic fruit juices ... pineapple juice made a quick return the minute I drank it during DS2's birth. Blurk.

I agree that hospitals encourage you to bring food/drink you may want during labour. Your DH might get the munchies, if nothing else.

For the record, I have a friend who swore by lemonade icypoles during her three labours ...

[black_rose]

I was encouraged to eat to keep my energy up too but i three up in the early stages of labour with both the girls. In the end the labour was too fast to worry about it too.

[~Stoked~]

I had some electrolyte icypoles during my labour. I definately didn't feel like eating!

[Sagres]

No, I didn't feel like eating. I had dinner before going in (for induction) and threw it all up and didn't feel like eating at all.

[Glamourcide]

I ate a full meal when I was in 'early' labour (about 6cm, contx about 15 mins apart and regular) with DD2, we'd been to hospital for monitoring and decided to go home as it was going to be a long night... DH and I got dinner, I had a big carton of seafood Mee Goreng in the hope that the spices would get labour progressing further!!
Once I was in established labour, I didn't feel like eating but was constantly thirsty and sweating despite it being late at night and really cold, all I took to hospy with me when we went back was a massive bottle of cold Gatorade. Just remember to ask for ice, room-temp drinks during labour suck lol!
Good luck hun, have a bag of snacky-type things prepared so you can eat if you feel like it, but you don't have to if you don't want to

[Party-of-five]

didnt even think about food during labour

[Loula]

Another who ate in early labor DH and mum thought I was crazy. It all came back up three hours later at transition! Lol

Forgot to add I ended with EC under general

[Early Kids]

DS1, I woke up having contractions every 3-5mins, tried eating breakkie but was very hard doing it in pain. I think I managed 1/2 slice of toast. Lunch came and went, still labouring, dinner approached and I BEGGED for something to eat I hadn't eaten for 24 hours (except that 1/2 slice of toast) so they let me have a basic sandwich (hospital made) and then I was only allowed to crunch on ice and sip water. He was born "naturally" early hours of the morning.

DS2, I got my first really strong contraction (had been contracting for 8 weeks) after dinner. He was born at just after 10am and then I had lunch. I didn't want to eat anything, water was making me sick. I crunched on ice.

[tattoo_mama]

I arrived at hossy at 10pm and was starving but kitchen was closed so got a salad sandwich, i hate lettuce and in my gas induced haze I threw it in the bath that I was sitting in to ease contx haha!
Later on Didn't even think about food but 5 mins after DD was born I sent XP to the vending machine for a can of coke ( I love coke and was super thirsty!!)

[Nai]

With DD1 I ate when in early labour and vomited it all up later. Actually I did that with DD2 as well.

[Sagres]

No, I didn't feel like eating. I had dinner before going in (for induction) and threw it all up and didn't feel like eating at all.

I just realised this isn't true - I had really bad morning sickness the whole pregnancy and literally had not felt hungry for 8 months, then as soon as I had an epidural it must of killed the nausea sensation also because I was suddenly STARVING for the first time in 8 months. I was like woman possessed, I think I even told the anesthetist how hungry I was (cause she would have cared?!). But in reality I wasn't really in the zone for eating!

[LimeSlice]

I ate some asparagus on toast right before I went into hossie - DH forced me, as I hadn't eaten the whole 34 hours I had been in labour, save a bowl of cereal 24hours earlier.
I honestly didn't feel like eating at all, I didn't want to be 'weighed down' by it. But in the end, turned out to be the best thing I did - they wanted to put under a GA for the emerg cs, thankfully due to the fact I had eaten only an hour before, the ob refused and I had the epi instead, so I got to be present when she was born

Anyway, never ever heard of a restriction on fluid intake - aside from the fact it would be cruel, it is also highly dangerous, so drink whenever and whatever you can feel you want and can stomach.

[peanutter]

I was offered things from time to time ... I ate a small apple, tiny slice by tiny slice, over the course of about 12 hours, and I had three cups of coffee towards the end. I had sips of water, but not much.

I was offered other stuff, but couldn't even imagine trying to eat ...

That's all!

I did however end up on a drip, because it was a very long labour, and I hadn't been able to drink or eat much.

HTH ... good luck!

[Girl-23]

I wasn't allowed to eat. I was starving. I hadn't eaten for 24 hours. My OB and midwife refused me food when I requested some. So throughout my labour, I had orange juice and spirit to keep my energy levels up. By the time DD was born, I was so hungry but didn't eat because I was too tried. Good thing, the hospital served me a big breakfast in the morning.

[human bean]

As far as I'm aware it's really important to stay well hydrated during labour (and to keep peeing too) and I drank bottles and bottles of water during the whole day I laboured at home and then at the hospital. I laced all my water with rescue remedy that day too. I ate lots of really small meals during the day (i.e. little bowls of rice, a sandwhich for lunch) as I was trying to keep up my energy, not neccessarily because I was hungry. I did mung out on a bag of Allen's lollies earlier on in the day but they didn't stay down long. Think that was more sugar overload than labour lol Just before we set off for the Ob (at 8cm) DH tried to feed me toast and I had one bite and refused it. Didn't eat again til she was born later that night then devoured toast the middies made us.