What should I take to eat / drink during childbirth? What did you have?

[HelloMama]

Just getting some last minute things ready to take to the hospital and I've been wondering what we should take to eat during labour? We have got some boxed fruit juices and I was thinking of getting some things like dried apricots and yoghurt covered raisins, fruit and maybe some museli bars?

I would really appreciate knowing what everyone else took or what you wished you could have had if you had thought of it. Or maybe when push comes to shove (!) you just weren't hungry...? Please let me know!

Just thought I would warn you that 40% of women vomit during labour especially after pethedin!!

I drank Purdeys and Ribena and ate nothing although could have murdered for a chip butty!!

Oooohhhhh forgot to say Hellomama - take loads for DH/DP and at least some sandwiches for you for after - you will be ravenous and that crappy tea and toast won't fill you up - I could have eaten a whole roast and think it was the first time I actually have felt truely hungry to the point of destraction in my life!!

I drunk water only for about 24 hours, I felt sick before having any drugs! believe me food is the last thing on your mind! You could take them anyway for your birth partner - my dh rushed off to the hospital canteen and ate fish and chips at midnight!

Little cool bag for your drinks. Chill some and freeze a couple so you have a good supply of cool drinks.

What you have on the food front sounds fine, I'm sure others will give you some more ideas - just keep it nibbly and light.

I know I couldn't face food, but dh ate through the supplies. I really appreciated the supply of cool drinks from the cool bag though, particularly cold, still mineral water.

I'm the world's worst gannet but even I didn't feel like eating much during labour except some jelly babies (good for quick energy release). Agree that drink was much more important - I was so so thirsty, especially after sucking in the gas and air for dear life (for what good it did) I couldn't stop drinking.

But straight away afterwards I could have eaten for England (as it was they gave me some toast and I instantly vomited it up - sorry if tmi!).

Good luck with the birth!

HelloMama, couldn't have eaten anything in labour. And was very sick in transition (I had drunk water with Rescue Remedy in it). Bleurgh. Have heard honey is good for early labour to keep energy up....

chilled ready made chocolate milkshakes
had them in fridge for weeks beforehand, DH kept eyeing them up and actually asked me if he could have one! Er, NO.

Best of luck to you

Thanks twinkie! They don't do pethidine at my hospital, but i still heard you can vomit during labour anyway so I will watch out for that. However I love my grub and don't want to be unprepared, although am sure I will have other things on my mind other than food, but that is quite rare for me... Will make sure DH packs himself a feast!

Forgot to mention that we also have a bottle of Champagne for after!

I couldn't have eaten a thing, and some hospitals won't allow u to eat during labour. I think it in case of an emergency situation.

I was starving afterwards, and first time all I was given was a couple of bits of toast cos it was breakfast time. I packed a feast for the second time!!

i took some plain crackers, snickers, water, lucozade, boiled sweets....couldn't look at any of it during labour. Also was encouraged not to eat as labour progressed in case you need emergency section, surgery has to be done on emprty stomach(i think).

DH drank loads of purdys, bars, and water.

Water bottles with the sportsy top that you lift with your teeth. It meant I didnt have to worry about spills of lids.

the stuff i took in for labour was very useful during the rest of the week in hospital...was starving as hospital food was yuck and last meal was at 5pm!!!
Also took in bottled water as hopsital water tasted horrible

I didnt eat anything and just drank water, like twinkie says most women vomit, I did just take what you like to eat/drink just in case but our hospital did bring us meals at the correct times, dont know if this is normal or not?

I never vomitted during labour or after. Didn't have pethidine, but did use gas and air.

First time around I didn't want to eat anything, just drank lots and lots of water, preferably cool but not icey. Second time around I couldn't stop eating - anything and everything! And drank loads and loads of water.

Personally I wouldn't care for your selection HM, (but that is how I would feel for myself, not a disapproval) because I think those things are a) sticky and therefore inconvenient and b) sticky and would therefore make me thirstier and c) sticky and would drive me potty when bits stuck to my teeth and gums. I think you get the message: I don't care for sticky things when I'm in labour!

Carbohydrate snacks are my choice - biscuits, sandwiches, crackers, bananas (chip butty YEAH! ). Plenty for the birth partner too!

And loads for afterwards. Firstly something celebratory - we had a box of liqueur truffles, but I know several who packed a half-bottle of champagne. I was so utterly famished after each labour. For the second, I had made some quiches and custard pies in deep foil takeaway containers and frozen them. When we left for the hospital I popped a few, still frozen, in my labour bag, and by the time I was ready to eat them they were perfectly defrosted. Ideal.

I took small cartons of fruit juice and glucose tablets (like sweets made by lucozade I think). I was sick but only after it was all over (the first time I had been vomitted in 19 years!).

Didn;t eat during but my labour was very quick!

After though i was STARVING and got dp to bring me some sandwiches at midnight

Half way through labour I arranged for toast and coffee - for Dh!!

you might also like to pack snacks/drinks for DH so he doesn't have to go hunting at any crucial stage... my DH is useless when he's hungry and he steadily made his way through the several kitkats we had stashed away.

Like others, I don't remember eating or wanting to eat at all, which was as well as had to have C-S in the end.

Good luck!

I packed 6 bars of cadburys but then was told I wasnt allowd to eat!!!

not allowed cuppy? Bloody midwives! Only someone who is suicidal would argue with a woman in labour.

Has any1 else found g+air to be extemely dehydrating?

no time to eat....stuffed down several plates of toast and sugered (yuck) tea afterwards....

The not eating thing isn't because of the potential surgery (as far as I know) but in case you need general anaesthesia, which requires an empty stomach. Vast majority of c/sections these days done using spinal tap or even epidural, I've heard, so you don't need to avoid food. Hospitals are moving away from the 'no eating' policy; labour makes massive demands on your body and if you feel hungry, eating is a good idea. (St Thomas's in London were doing a trial on this last year, not sure what the results were though).
Having said all that, I took plenty of food and drink in and all I wanted was gallons of water. Nice to have energy snacks afterwards though, hospital food bleurgghhhh.

Zebra, yes, that's probably why I was constantly draining the water jug.