Eating during labor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, it IS a silly thing for an OB to say. So, you vomit, so what?! Some women will vomit, some women won't. Vomiting food is better than vomiting stomach bile. Obviously no one is advocating a woman eat if she doesn't feel like it, but this conversation is more about women who WANT to, being told that it is forbidden. Why not simply allow us to make the choice ourselves? "You may eat, but you should realize there is a good chance it might come back up later in labor." Instead, they treat us like we are infants, starve us into oblivion, and then wonder why we can't push our babies out.

It's not silly for her sister the OB to give her an explanation of why that no-eating policy is in place in many hospitals. It's giving her factual information, which she then passed on to us. PP didn't say that her sister agreed with it, or was advocating for it. She was simply sharing the information with those of us here on the forum. Seriously, don't be in such a hurry to be so nasty.

I wasn't nasty. Where was I nasty? This is the only post I wrote, by the way - not the first one responding to the "OB" quote.

Anyway, I still think it is dumb for an OB to repeat the nonsense about potential vomiting. If they are saying that, they don't even know why the rule is in place! The rule is there to protect the anesthesiologist, as other PP's have pointed out. However, anesthesia can now safely administer anesthetic (including general) even if people have a full belly. So, the potential benefit is obsolete but OBs and hospitals still keep this rule, but now they say it is "to protect you from vomiting."

I think when you (whoever, next lady in labor) go to the hospital and they tell you not to eat, tell them that you don't care if you're going to puke and just eat anyway. See what they do. I agree with other PP's, this rule should go the way of the mandatory enema and shave. Actually, in many hospitals around the country it has been lifted, though not in conservative DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, it IS a silly thing for an OB to say. So, you vomit, so what?! Some women will vomit, some women won't. Vomiting food is better than vomiting stomach bile. Obviously no one is advocating a woman eat if she doesn't feel like it, but this conversation is more about women who WANT to, being told that it is forbidden. Why not simply allow us to make the choice ourselves? "You may eat, but you should realize there is a good chance it might come back up later in labor." Instead, they treat us like we are infants, starve us into oblivion, and then wonder why we can't push our babies out.

It's not silly for her sister the OB to give her an explanation of why that no-eating policy is in place in many hospitals. It's giving her factual information, which she then passed on to us. PP didn't say that her sister agreed with it, or was advocating for it. She was simply sharing the information with those of us here on the forum. Seriously, don't be in such a hurry to be so nasty.

Thank you. I am the PP who posted about my sister. I have to say some of the women here are quite nasty and so eager to bitch! I especially enjoyed the woman who put quotes around OB--like it's not a real thing....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, it IS a silly thing for an OB to say. So, you vomit, so what?! Some women will vomit, some women won't. Vomiting food is better than vomiting stomach bile. Obviously no one is advocating a woman eat if she doesn't feel like it, but this conversation is more about women who WANT to, being told that it is forbidden. Why not simply allow us to make the choice ourselves? "You may eat, but you should realize there is a good chance it might come back up later in labor." Instead, they treat us like we are infants, starve us into oblivion, and then wonder why we can't push our babies out.

It's not silly for her sister the OB to give her an explanation of why that no-eating policy is in place in many hospitals. It's giving her factual information, which she then passed on to us. PP didn't say that her sister agreed with it, or was advocating for it. She was simply sharing the information with those of us here on the forum. Seriously, don't be in such a hurry to be so nasty.

Thank you. I am the PP who posted about my sister. I have to say some of the women here are quite nasty and so eager to bitch! I especially enjoyed the woman who put quotes around OB--like it's not a real thing....

Oh--and one other thing--my sister, the "OB" says it is for both vomiting AND for c-section purposes. Now I'll go tell her she needs to refresh herself on the child birthing process after giving birth 4 times and delivering hundreds of babies each year. What does she know anyway?

[Anonymous]

It's not the vomiting so much as the aspirating. You vomit up your food while sedated, some of it goes out your mouth, some of it down your blowhole to your lungs. Hey! now we have aspiration pneumonia!

[Anonymous]

I really just have to ask...for those of you who are so against hospital policies and who make it seem like OBs are there to make your birthing process more difficult, WHY in the world are you giving birth in a hospital? Why not hire a midwife and give birth at home?

(By the way, I very recently gave birth at Fairfax and could not have been happier with my experience!!!!)

[Anonymous]

I agree with you PP about the obnoxious comments towards hospitals and healthcare policies. You all sound like a bunch of children - 'noone's gonna make me do somethin' i don't wanna do! so there!' yes, hospitals have to cover their a$$ or they risk lawsuit or a horrible patient outcome. be glad you don't have a true illness that lands you in a hospital.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not the vomiting so much as the aspirating. You vomit up your food while sedated, some of it goes out your mouth, some of it down your blowhole to your lungs. Hey! now we have aspiration pneumonia!

Yes. It seems no one understands this. Aspiration pneumonia is very dangerous. But god forbid a medical professional exercise medical judgment to try to keep patients safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really just have to ask...for those of you who are so against hospital policies and who make it seem like OBs are there to make your birthing process more difficult, WHY in the world are you giving birth in a hospital? Why not hire a midwife and give birth at home?

That's part of the reason I am having a home birth this time. 8)

Signed,
Poster who snuck snacks into Alexandria Hospital

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not the vomiting so much as the aspirating. You vomit up your food while sedated, some of it goes out your mouth, some of it down your blowhole to your lungs. Hey! now we have aspiration pneumonia!

Yes. It seems no one understands this. Aspiration pneumonia is very dangerous. But god forbid a medical professional exercise medical judgment to try to keep patients safe.

And god forbid medical professional exercise judgment about your individual case, and your individual risk of aspiration, rather than following a blanket policy based on risk management and liability assessments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I really just have to ask...for those of you who are so against hospital policies and who make it seem like OBs are there to make your birthing process more difficult, WHY in the world are you giving birth in a hospital? Why not hire a midwife and give birth at home?

(By the way, I very recently gave birth at Fairfax and could not have been happier with my experience!!!!)

new poster here, but i too am skeptical of these policies. i chose to spend more time educating myself about my pregnancy and my birth than i did picking out the nursery furniture and registering for gifts. think about that. i doubt very many women can say the same. they simply go with what their OB says, unless of course their OB says something like they've gained too much weight, or they are ok to travel at 32 weeks... then it's a whole different ball game and you see them on these boards looking for people to tell them -- you're not too fat or do you really want to deliver a baby in, gasp, mexico-- don't travel! it's quite funny actually to see which advice women just accept and which advice they reject.

so anyway, to the PP, because i did educate myself, i did not give birth in a hospital and i did chose midwives. so many of us do go an alternative route b/c for us, it's the wiser choice.

now you should go run along and worry about what color to paint your kid's room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not the vomiting so much as the aspirating. You vomit up your food while sedated, some of it goes out your mouth, some of it down your blowhole to your lungs. Hey! now we have aspiration pneumonia!

Yes. It seems no one understands this. Aspiration pneumonia is very dangerous. But god forbid a medical professional exercise medical judgment to try to keep patients safe.

This is so tiresome. Let me clue you in on a little secret: aspiration pneumonia which occurs as a result of general anesthetic can and does occur regardless of how much or how little you have eaten. Aspiration pneumonia can happen from pure stomach bile which is vomited and aspirated. That said, fewer than .01% of women get general anesthetic to deliver their babies. And, due to modern anesthesiology practices, the chance of aspirating under GA is extraordinarily small, about 1 in 300,000. I think we have a higher chance of a tornado hitting the hospital and destroying it while we are giving birth, then winding up with aspiration pneumonia. But hey, do you're free to do whatever you feel safe doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I really just have to ask...for those of you who are so against hospital policies and who make it seem like OBs are there to make your birthing process more difficult, WHY in the world are you giving birth in a hospital? Why not hire a midwife and give birth at home?

Because my husband and I are not comfortable enough with a home birth, and because there are no birth centers near us. I *want* to give birth in a hospital. But why wouldn't I question outdated and irrelevant rules? Some of these policies, like the no eating policy, are not based on any scientific evidence, simply "because that's how we've always done it." And in many cases, evidence shows that the risks inherent in these policies are greater than the benefits they provide, as the woman who pointed out the actual chance of aspiration pneumonia showed. If you do eat, you have the teeniest tiniest chance of getting aspiration pneumonia. But if you don't eat, you have a much greater chance of running out of energy for the very hard work that may lie ahead of you.

Labor and delivery of normal, low-risk pregnancies in a hospital should not be this difficult. But it will not get better unless we as women start standing up for medical evidence and our rights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

new poster here, but i too am skeptical of these policies. i chose to spend more time educating myself about my pregnancy and my birth than i did picking out the nursery furniture and registering for gifts. think about that. i doubt very many women can say the same. they simply go with what their OB says, unless of course their OB says something like they've gained too much weight, or they are ok to travel at 32 weeks... then it's a whole different ball game and you see them on these boards looking for people to tell them -- you're not too fat or do you really want to deliver a baby in, gasp, mexico-- don't travel! it's quite funny actually to see which advice women just accept and which advice they reject.

so anyway, to the PP, because i did educate myself, i did not give birth in a hospital and i did chose midwives. so many of us do go an alternative route b/c for us, it's the wiser choice.

now you should go run along and worry about what color to paint your kid's room.

Belittling any? Most of us actually spend a LOT more time educating ourselves about pregnancy and labor/delivery than nursery furniture, but some of us are smart enough to know that you can essentially find support for anything online and that it makes a hell of a lot more sense to listen to the experts (i.e., your OB). If you disagree with what your OB says, fine - consult with a second and third OB, but try not to be so condescending....

Yikes, you really are quite nasty...I'm hoping it is the pregnancy hormones and not just your personality...

[Anonymous]

I ate in early labor. Labor started around 11am and I didn't give birth until 3pm the following day. I wouldn't have been able to handle such an ordeal without some food. I asked for food in active labor, but never ate it. We left for the hospital when it was ready. I was super nauseous during transition and was happy that I didn't eat, but that was only an hour and a half later. I think it would be hard not to eat with a prolonged active labor.

[Anonymous]

"I spoke with my sister, who is an OB, about this just last night. Some women vomit during labor (about 7 cm is when this generally starts), so the no eating rule is for that purpose."

Many people are misreading the sister OB's concern. The ob/gyn is concerned about you vomiting for your comfort she is concerned that you will vomit on her! I have a friend who is an ob/gyn and never allows eating because someone threw up on her.