Eat, Drink, PUSH!

Should I eat close to delivery times? This can be a tough question to answer when you're in labor. For decades, standard hospital policies, medical professional recommendation and medical news have been recommending only tiny sips of water or ice chips for pregnant women, but new mothers are coming to find hospital attitudes have relaxed on the issue. Recent studies are finding that the stress on the issue is not that big a deal as long as the mother isn't planning to use anesthetics, and even then, the advancements in medical practices find that to not even be to large of a concern.



A new study has heightened discussion about what is in mothers best interests. The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research, is responsible for the latest study on the subject. Researchers began their work with the question: Is there any justification for restricting food and drink during labor? "If they are in early labor and things are going fine, there isn't any reason to withhold. And I encourage my patients to go ahead and eat meals," said Brenda Saling, a labor and delivery nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital. Evidence has shown no meaningful benefits or harms for limiting food intake during labor in women who do not need anesthesia. Very few women receive anesthesia these days and on to top is all off, changes in anesthesia practices have greatly reduced the risk of vomiting.

Of course, stay sober during child birth, and all through out pregnancy.

This last year (2009) the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists changed its recommendations for women. With uncomplicated labor, including women planning a c-section, that drinking fruit juice, soda, coffee, tea and sports drinks would be just fine. This of course doesn't ever tend to be too large of a concern for women, as the stress and anticipation tends to over ride most urges to eat. After birth, they are often more then ready to relax and eat some of there favorite meal.