Eating during labour

I am just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for good things to eat during labour...or will it be the last thing from my mind?

It really depends on how long your labour is and also how long before going into labour you ate.
My waters broke but contractions never started, so I was induced, Therefore I made sure I ate breakfast and lunch before going in.
When labour started contractions were 3 minutes apart and continued that way, and getting stronger the whole time, so food was the last thing on my mind. I did however suck on ice cubes like there was no tomorrow. That way I didn't get dehydrated.

I couldn't eat a thing from the moment i got my first contraction. They gave me an anti nausea injection 29 hours into labour and after that i managed to suck on ice and that was it.
I ate last wed lunch time, went into labour wed 6pm and had ashlea friday 1.27am. Needless to say breakfast at 6am that day was devine!

I forget where I read it, but as a drink during labour, some of those sports drinks can be a good idea, and just little things to eat like muesli bars or something. Did I remember this wrong?

Plenty of fluids...and yes Netix, i was told sport drinks too. Little snack things, fruit, fruit bars, light meals such as sandwiches. I think its more to do with incase u need an emergency c-section??

I didn't notice I was having contractions until halfway through dinner... chicken skewers with potatos and salad. So I noticed during dinner & ate the lot. I snacked on some chips a few hours later & then we headed into hospital and I brought 2 sports drinks one from the freezer & 1 I had that was a slushy consistency. I also had in my labour bag some musli bars and some 2 minute noodles jic DH got hungry.

I didn't eat anymore throughout labour, but then again I don't normally eat between 10pm-7am... but I did drink both sports drinks & almost a litre of water during labour.

We went out to dinner in the middle of my labour with Hamish. ;)
I had a large crepe filled with chicken, pineapple, ham and cheese! And washed it down with a large banana milkshake. Yum!

I had to stop every 5mins or so with a contraction, but that was OK.

With Jenna I think I had some barley sugars in the middle of it all, and they even stopped letting me have water when it was apparent I was having an assisted birth in theatre. Rotten buggers - I was dying of thirst and could have had all I liked after all......

Eating was the furthest thing from my mind with Jenna, but Hamish I was starving - so I guess be prepared either way :D

I had my usual porridge with a half banana then tried to drink as much water as I could. For lunch I could only eat half a capeseed roll with nutella and threw up the orange I tried to eat. I wasn't really hungry but I tried to eat little bits here and there.

Once I hit the hossy I only had a bit of powerade and water. Beware the sports drinks though as they dehydrate you and if you have a bung in your hand then the hossy wont take it out (after labour) until you've done two good wees and they've checked them (or at least that was my hossy's policy). I guess just try to alternate between sips of water and sips of powerade/gatoraide/lucozade.

Good luck!

KarenM - if you are having a hospital birth - you might want to subtly ask them what their policy is.

When I was at my ante-natal classes at mine, the head midwife said that if you ring up chomping on dinner and saying you are in labour they tell you to stay at home because "women in real labour don't want to eat". She went on to say that part of labour is the body evacuating everything and anything from your stomach etc to minimise the energy you are expending on non-labour activities.

CLEARLY from reading on bellybelly this is a crock of **** as so many BB girls happily munch away during labour. So I'm going to eat if I feel like it BUT I won't be saying anything to the hospital about that when I ring them - that's for sure!

Karen, I was so absorbed by contractions that I didn't want to eat or drink. My support people, one of whom is a midwife, told me to drink because otherwise the labour would slow down. To keep everything progressing, it's important to have something, even if you don't feel like it.
Tiff (my support) also told me that sucking on a lolly tricks your body into thinking you have nourishment because the sugar is so quickly absorbed, so they are a good option if you don't feel like eating. Peppermint lollies were good for nausea, which I felt throughout my labour. HTH and all the best for your birthing experience!

I had ARM at 8am, missed brekky at the hospital (had only a coffee that morning), and ate lunch around 5cm..

However, i only ate the veggies and mashed potatoes from mine and my husbands tray, couldn't stomach steak at that time... I had a lot of snacks etc - great idea, but i found soft food and soft lollies a lot better than hard things... I guess i found chewing with contractions harder...

Next time i'm going to eat a lot more than that - i migth order 3 meals and just eat the veggies... I think let your body guide you - if you are hungry eat! But the end (i delievered at 10.40pm) i didn't eat dinner as i felt too sick, but was starving after i delievered (and they got rid of my tray..grr...).

I agree on the mint lollies - ate them all throughout my pregnancy.

I went into labour just after dinner on sunday night.... so at lunch time the next day I was starving!!
I kept vomitting and I was begging for something to eat as I know my body and they only reason I kept feeling sick and vomitting nothing was because I was hungry!!!
They wouldnt bring me anything!!!!!!!
They said I would probably just vomit it back up and I was like I DONT CARE!! I was just sooo hungry and you know your own body so you know when you need food or not!!

So if you feel like it... eat it!! you may vomit it back up but at least you gave your body what it needs! :)

Good luck and hopefully its all to quick for you to think about food :) :) you can ony hope

xo

I am sitting here racking my brain trying to remember if i ate anything with my first in labour. Contractions started 10.30 Friday night, so i'd had dinner. Don't recall breakfast Saturday morning. Think I had some lunch, but then didn't eat til she was born I don't think.

What I DO remember though, is when we finally got to hospital - there I am on all fours in labour, sucking on the gas and I turn around to see DH scoffing a plate of oysters and sandwiches and a glass of wine, sneaking the occasional glance at the footy!

You can imagine my response. To which the midwife replied - "well someone might as well eat it!" LOL at the memory....he was a brilliant support through it all though, but always thinking of his stomach!

Glad I wasdn't too far off. Will be taking myself some little snack like foods and drinks.

I was induced at 8.30am and my fantastic midwife asked if I would like some toast before she went on her morning tea break, she even made a cup of tea for me!! I had that and then couldnt eat anything else as my daughter arrived at 2.15pm that afternoon! I was glad I had the toast when I did but glad I didnt touch the fruit etc I had in my bag because during contractions you feel like you need to go to the loo at times :redface:

Then after they had finished with bubs they asked if I would like lunch and bought in a full tray of food, it wasnt until they mentioned food that I realised how hungry I was and scoffed it down!! Having a baby takes a LOT out of you and I found the food AFTERWARDS is more important than the food before hand, so make sure they have something waiting for you when all has calmed down.

Thats from my experience of course;)

Oh the afterwards thing is soooo true!!! I cant eat hospital food unless I have just had a baby! Definitl have some goodies stashed away to tide you for between the meals the hospital provides!

Thanks everyone! I guess I will find out for myself sometime in the next week if this baby ever decides to come out! ;)

powerades etc def the way to go... and have water as well caz sometimes they can be too sweet when u are feeling a bit queasy... we took lollies and muesli bars and zooper doopers... anything thats easy to munch without taking ur full attention i found...