Best/easiest snacks for keeping up energy during delivery

[Whywontthiswork]

Just that really. Most things I can think of are either a faff or a bit rubbish to eat (think high energy nutty protein snack things). Currently packing my hospital bag (39 + 4) and have got stuck pondering on this issue.
Any suggestions or advice?

[WottyMcWottFace]

Food was the last thing on my mind when I was in delivery although as soon as DD was born I had a cup of tea with sugar .... It was the best brew ever! If you think you may need food what about flap jacks as they offer slow release energy?

[HarlettOScara]

I had packed some plain nuts (not salted) and a couple of cerea bars but I wasn't allowed anything to eat. I had no appetite anyway but I had a few complications that made me more at risk for a C Section so was nil by mouth just in case. I didn't need one in the end and by the time baby was born, I'd had nothing to eat for 48 hours. That tea and toast back on the ward was the best meal ever.

[Wolfiefan]

We took sandwiches to hospital. And then brought them home uneaten. Baby born 2 1/2 hours after I went in!
Cereal bar or flapjack?

[foxessocks]

I didn't eat a thing in labour not for about 24 hours in total. All I wanted was cold water. Had tea and toast afterwards but then didn't eat again for ages after that! Did weird things to my appetite for a day or two if I remember correctly. This time I think I'm going to make sure dh has some money on him at least so he can go to a vending machine if need be!

[glorious]

I took some dried prunes and apricots to help with the first post labour poo (sorry!).

Also jelly babies are great for a sugar hit.

I don't normally eat either of those things btw

[LisaMumsnet]

There are actually some amazing cereal/nutty bars out there - have you tried 9bars? They are utterly delicious and virtuous at the same time. You may also enjoy dates, or a handful of raisins. If you don't feel like eating, a sports drink might be worth considering - just read the label as some contain too many additives/sweeteners etc. Wishing you a wonderful birth!

[Cheerybigbottom]

I didn't eat a thing during labour. Husband had liberal amounts of tea and toast from nurses though so perhaps you'd like to ask yours what he wants, in case he ends up eating it

[Cacofonix]

Anything I ate I vomited back up so gave up trying and didn't bother with food second time around.

[Whywontthiswork]

Thanks everyone. My mum had 2 Epically long labours and I want to be prepared, just in case . Particularly like the dried fruit idea. Yum!

[Whywontthiswork]

Glorious - you sound eminently sensible!

[Maya15]

I had no appetite during labour but drank lots of water. I was super hungry afterwards and had very low energy levels. I had packed energy drinks (lucozade) that i needed during stitches (my legs were shacking) and afterwards.
So my recommendation would be nuts, cereal bars and energy drinks.

[TheCaptainsCat]

Definitely Haribo.

[TheCaptainsCat]

Might be junk, and I'm usually a health freak, but they were all I could eat and I'd pack them in bag next time too.

[untinctured]

I found a really good post about this on the Mother Rising blog:

www.motherrisingbirth.com/2015/12/snacksforlabor.html

I didn't eat or drink enough during my labour and will do things differently next time around. On the blog post there is a long list of drinks and then snacks are broken down into early transition, labour and postpartum.

[untinctured]

Oops, my post meant to say early labour, active labour, transition and postpartum.

[Gardencentregroupie]

I had a 2 day labour. I loved cold apple juice (but would have settled for tepid apple juice at a push), chocolate chip Tracker bars, and one round of tea and toast the midwife made me after the epidural took effect. The apple juice was the little tesco cartons or apple Ribena.

[CointreauVersial]

Eating during labour? Not a chance. I was lavishly sick, though.

[Mrscog]

Nothing dry! The gas and air and adrenaline makes your mouth dry! I stupidly took pretzels - I ate one and it just stuck to my mouth! I'd focus on some nice drinks for labour then high energy stuff for afterwards - I was starving afterwards both times.

[Squaffle]

DD was born quickly so I didn't eat or drink during labour; however we had packed loads of drinks and snacks and I was so grateful for them afterwards: bear in mind that if your baby is born in the middle of the night, you won't be offered food until breakfast (our hospital stopped doing post-birth toast because of toaster health & safety: I'm still disappointed...). We took chocolate digestives, cereal bars, jelly babies, and an assortment of drinks like lucozade, squash etc. A sugar hit was definitely needed! Good luck x

[navylily]

Cartons of fruit juice. Apple juice is good. Keeps your blood sugar up even if you have no appetite.

[NoCapes]

people eat when they're in labour?!

[Dixiechick17]

I took big bottles of still lucozade, was really helpful when the Midwife threatened me with a drip during labour unless I drank something, due to vomiting so much

The snacks we took were cereal bars and sweets which were great on the post natal ward, particularly the first night when I was trying to stay awake when feeding.

Also would recommend a cup with a lid and straw that goes down to the bottom, again it made drinking during labour much easier.

[hazeyjane]

I made Delia Smith energy bars here for each birth. They are lovely and I had enough left for hospital stay afterwards.

With dd1, the only bit of info from antenatal classes that do took in was to make jam sandwiches (he may have imagined this in a fevered panic). When I started having contractions he made an entire loaf of bread into sandwiches.

It was a 3 day event, so actually we ate the entire loaf!

[Runningbutnotscared]

I had a long-ish labour and threw up everything.

The toast they offer you at the end is amazing!

[FedUpBetsy]

In my bag I have some rich tea biscuits, Jaffa cakes, jelly babies, flapjacks, cookies and raisins, and will be getting a couple of bits of fruit when the day comes. I figure that I may not want to eat but it would be awful if i did and didn't have anything. Also my dh and dm will be with me for the duration so they will need snacks too so it def won't go to waste! Also packing some cartons of drink and iced water