Labour Snacks - recommendations?

[Anonymousm]

As the title says, 35 weeks on Wednesday and mostly packed bags ready, just a few last things to put in ready! What snacks and drinks are good, what did you fancy? I’ve seen sports lucozade being mentioned a lot for hydration

I wasn't allowed to drink lucozade sport during labour but after was fine

I took lucozade sport and drank a bit of it but the sweetness started to make me feel a bit sick so I was glad I took a big bottle of water as well (would recommend a water bottle with a straw so that your birthing partner can hold the bottle for you whilst you take little sips). I didn’t eat anything during my labour but I was lucky it was fairly quick. Afterwards I was glad of what I’d packed (and so was DH) which was hula hoops, Jaffa cakes, haribo and cereal bars. We were given toast after DC was born but I know people who haven’t been offered anything so make sure you take some food that’s fairly substantial just in case. The best advice I got was to take food you like, rather than trying to be healthy, you deserve a treat after it all!

I had so many slices of jam on toast throughout labour.. provided by the lovely midwife. I took ginger biscuits with me because I had a full blown addiction when pregnant.

Definitely pack some snacks for after, the toast is good but I was starving! I took grapes, packet of haribo, packet of biscuits. My DH made oat flapjacks for labour for the slow release energy but I didn't want anything except water when it came to it. Scoffed them afterwards though 😁

isotonic drinks, water, flapjacks, jelly babies, anything that can give you a bit of an energy boost. I didn’t eat during labour, just drank water, but it was quick.

NOT digestives!
DP kept trying to feed them to me, but I was on gas & air, and they just tasted like sawdust 😣

It honestly doesn't matter
What do you like?

I had a macdonalds Big Mac meal during mine?

top tip: keep the lucozade sport in your freezer and grab it before you go to the hospital. I was so hot during labour the icy slush kept me cool and relaxed.
also snack wise I liked the chocolate hobnob snack bars you can get!

I found drinking coconut water very refreshing in Labour. Weirdly it’s not something I like all that much normally, but it’s great for hydration and (imo) less sickly than drinking lots of lucozade sport.

I found it hard to eat anything of substance in Labour but devoured jelly babies throughout

I only had water and was so sickly afterwards that DH ate the magic hospital toast. But I'd taken flapjack, crisps and lucozade - basically hangover food.

Apples and cheese for me! The hospital was great in terms of offering food but everything was a bit soft and stodgy after a while, and the wards are so hot! The crunch of an apple just hit the spot in my first labour so second time round I packed a multipack of Pink Ladies (v fancy!) and a couple of those M&S tiny cheddar sticks.
Best of luck with your birth!

I haven't wanted to eat during either of my labours and just wanted to drink water during.
But afterwards, both times, I was absolutely ravenous - I've never felt so hungry in my life! So I definitely recommend snacks (mix of sweet and savory/stodgy/salty) for afterwards.

Although to be honest I was that hungry that I was desperate for takeaway- we ate all my hospital snacks (shortbread, nutrigrain raisin bars, pringles, etc) and because I was in and out in a few hours, we then got a McDonald's breakfast on the way home 😂👌 and then I think we got a domino's later that night too. I usually eat fairly healthy!!

So my advice is take more than you think you would need, and just take your favourites.

One of those little concentrated squeezy squash things so you can flavour up the water.

• apples/ satsumas - something that can withstand being bumped around a bag
• cherry tomatoes/mini cucumbers
• cheese & crackers
• crisps/pretzels
• dried fruit
• sweets
• malt loaf
• cereal bars

I was in hospital from 8am wed to 8am Friday. During that time I was given 1 dinner, 1 lunch and straight after birth I got 2 slices of toast. Somehow I managed to miss pretty much every meal delivery having tests done or being actively in labour. A couple of hours after having DD I was so hungry I could have eaten my pillow, my snack bag was very appreciated. Make sure you have a mix of sweet and savoury, you might find one makes you feel nauseous.

Thanks everyone, some good shouts it sounds like I might be too sickly to want to eat by your stories but will want some grub after the big event 😆😂. I’ll deffo get a mix and I think I’ll stick to water throughout but take isotonic for afterwards!

I couldn't think of anything worse than eating during labour! All I wanted was water.

I drank loads of apple Ribena. I have never drunk apple Ribena before or since but it was beautifully cold from the hospital vending machine. Labour wards are roasting hot so my advice is to bring some ice packs to keep your drinks cold.