Food and drink during labor may be OK
Moms-to-be, say goodbye to the ice chips. A new review of existing studies has found that banning food or drink during labor has no benefit to for most healthy women in labor or their babies.
The old restriction, which was put in place during the 1940′s, was meant to protect women against Mendelson’s syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that can occur when the contents of the stomach are drawn into the lungs when a patient is under general anesthesia (treatment which was the norm for women giving birth during that time). Today, though, the use of general anesthesia during labor is extremely rare, with even Cesarian sections using only a local anesthetic.The outcome? Food and drink during labor no longer pose a threat.
Some hospitals are now allowing women to consume fluids during labor, however, the use of general anesthesia during emergency C-sections has caused obstetricians to err on the side of caution in giving food the OK.
-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer
1 comment
I was allowed to eat and drink whatever I wanted during labor. I didn’t have much, but it felt good to know that I could keep my strength up with nutrients.
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