Women may be able to eat during labour, says study
Posted on: 10/Feb/2017 10:25:29 AM
Researchers from the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have said that women may be able to eat more than just ice chips during labor without risking complications.
Say the researchers, We really don’t know how much if anything people can eat or drink in labor. Whether women can have more than water or ice chips as they labor to give birth is a common discussion among healthcare providers. Concerns go back decades, to a 1940s study in which women who delivered under general anesthesia were at risk of inhaling their stomach contents and choking in it. The use of general anesthesia during delivery is far less common today, but guidelines still recommend against eating solid food during labor.
The researchers analyzed 10 trials that included 3,982 women in labor. All were only delivering one child - not twins or triplets - and were not at risk for cesarean delivery. The women with the less restrictive diets were not at increased risk for other complications, including vomiting or choking, during the use of general anesthesia. And women who were allowed to eat and drink more than the traditional ice chips and water had labors that were shorter, by an average of 16 minutes, compared to women with the more restrictive diets.
Speaking about this, the researchers said, If we’re well hydrated and have adequate carbohydrate in our body, our muscles work better. A woman`s uterus is largely made of muscle. The finding is reinforced by another of our studies, which found women who received more fluid than normal delivered faster than other women. It`s still common practice for women with uncomplicated births to be restricted to water or ice chips during labor. The evidence from well-done studies is they can have more than that.
