Can you eat during labour?

[bob1985]

Been reflecting on DDs birth recently. It was a hard 24hrs of 'active' labour. Fairly early on the midwife said I couldn't eat, which meant by the end of the birth I basically had nothing for 48hrs (waters had broken had been a bit too nervous/distracted to each much).

I thought this was pretty standard but on speaking to a friend she said she was eating right up until she started to really push.

I do think my lack of energy prolonged the labour as I was so tired. A bit of sugar definitely would have helped

Does anyone know why i wasn't allowed to eat? DD was born at 33+6 so I'm wondering if this was the reason.

I would think your gestation made an EMCS more likely and that’s why you were told no food.

Did you have the same midwife throughout or did you just follow her advice without checking if it had changed at all? I wonder whether at the time she said it a EMCS was looking likely but as you progressed you could have gone on to have something.

I couldn’t eat for 29 hrs before DC4 and it was purely due to having a c section (I kept being pushed back). Although I was given IV fluids to help me.

@modgepodge epidural doesn't increase the chance of CS but does increase the chance of other interventions like instrumental delivery, so safer to avoid eating.

@brightbird thanks, I'll have a look through. I am an anaesthetist but still in the late stages of training (currently on mat leave) so have to follow departmental guidelines rather than doing my own thing, but it will be interesting to see if anything changes with that review.

Not everyone is as food-averse in labour as I am, I've seen quite a few mums snacking on bits and pieces (jelly babies are popular!) but just as you wouldn't eat loads in the middle of a big gym session, labour does tend to put the brakes on appetite till it's all over! I do recommend the isotonic drinks though, having some glucose from those did really help me.

I wasn't meant to (epidural and induced) but when it started to drag on a bit, and I got ill, I was allowed squash, and glucose tablets. Didn't want anything else tbh but I inhaled my tea and toast after!!

With my 3 spontaneous labours I was eating when I wanted to although I found I didn't want to in active labour. With my induction I was only allowed water from when I went into hospital at 10am. They didn't start the induction until 9pm so I was starving hungry all day before they even did anything.