Why just clear liquids during labor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And, who has a meal in the middle of a race

Seriously? Who tried to do a distance event without refueling? You might not sit down and dine, but people who are participating in endurance events *do* eat.

I actually thought about bringing in sport gels (like the GU gels or ClifShots), and just forgot to. It's a great idea, though, with the caveat that you may be throwing up a lot during labor, so it won't matter a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doctors who don't follow the standards of care are opening themselves up to lawsuits. Being informed about risks vs benefits does not eliminate their risk of a lawsuit.

And so the big question is -- why do we put up with sub-standard or potentially harmful care just to accommodate an OBs fear of a possible law suit? Ladies, these are OUR bodies and OUR babies. You have the right to informed consent - AND to informed refusal. I challenge all of you to simply say "thank you nurse/doctor for the information. You may write in my chart that I have declined. Thank you." and take a big bite of your snickers/pineapple/pasta/whatever you want.

The OB and the hospital's fear of lawsuits. People can talk all day about research and standards of care, but when someone gets hurt, patients are quick to sue. If you want to blame someone for antiquated standards and policies, you should blame the people more than willing to file suit as soon as there is a problem.

[Anonymous]

I birthed at home with a CNM and mid-labor, when things were in a slow time, she suggested I go down to the kitchen and see if any food appealed to me. (My labor lasted 22 hours.)
It seemed insane to me because I was in la-la labor land. But I went down and opened the fridge and stared at it. And ate some yoghurt.
Later I threw up. But I was glad I ate. In part it was because going downstairs and doing something as normal as opening the fridge was deeply reassuring and familiar at at time when things seemed a little crazy.
I had read the research and was totally convinced it was not harmful to eat during labor. I just wasn't much into food. I did drink some coke, through.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I have had some clients sneak food, if they were comfortable doing that. I also encourage clients who are giving birth in food/drink restrictive environments to make sure that the clear liquids they are drinking are as high as possible in nutrition and calories...but there's only so much you can do with clear liquids.

Do you have good recommendations for clear liquids that are high in calories or nutrition? I'm only thinking of Gatorade and white grape juice, so any other options would be great! Coconut water, maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, you're right. My husband trained at Johns Hopkins. I hear they are totally out-of-date at that fogey old institution. Why on earth would they recommend a medical precaution that a DCUM says is antiquated?

You're incredibly naive if you think that everything that gets done at hospitals is in your best interest. Hospitals make money. And, they need to cover their butts to avoid any lawsuits. Those are their biggest motivators.

I found this out after we had to take our infant DD to the ER, and they ordered all sorts of extra tests that ended up being totally unnecessary. I know for sure the tests are not necessary because we talked to two specialists after that were not affiliated with the hospital. The hospital wanted to make money and cover it's ass. I don't believe for a minute that any hospital only wants what is best for me. Yes, most doctors might, but they are bound by hospital policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have had some clients sneak food, if they were comfortable doing that. I also encourage clients who are giving birth in food/drink restrictive environments to make sure that the clear liquids they are drinking are as high as possible in nutrition and calories...but there's only so much you can do with clear liquids.

Do you have good recommendations for clear liquids that are high in calories or nutrition? I'm only thinking of Gatorade and white grape juice, so any other options would be great! Coconut water, maybe?

bone broth - one that you make yourself. It is savory, nutrient dense and even somewhat filling. You have to do some searching to find a great recipe, and it takes some time and effort to make, but it is extremely helpful in labor. Freeze some pint-size jars full of the broth ahead of time. Coconut water is also excellent. You could also use the emergen-c packets added to water or juice for a little boost. Oh, one more would be Miso soup. You can buy packets at a whole foods type store, and then mix with warm water during labor. It is completely "clear" and acceptable by most hospitals.

If you want to get fancy, you could make up some pure vegetable juices - or maybe have someone stop by whole foods or some other juice bar on the way to the hospital to see you in labor. Fresh made veggie juice is both clear and highly nutritious.

If you want to cheat, maybe a smoothie type drink, snuck into a sports bottle with a straw that you can't see through. They might just think it's juice or even water.

Of course, I advocate to eat whatever you want. To hell with them and their dangerous rules. Get brave, and tell them straight to their face that you are going to eat when you want, period. Allow them to write in your chart that while you understand their policy, you disagree with it and are declining to follow it. Do not debate and do not give in. As long as you have absolved them, the nurses will probably (secretly) be very proud of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
bone broth - one that you make yourself. It is savory, nutrient dense and even somewhat filling. You have to do some searching to find a great recipe, and it takes some time and effort to make, but it is extremely helpful in labor. Freeze some pint-size jars full of the broth ahead of time. Coconut water is also excellent. You could also use the emergen-c packets added to water or juice for a little boost. Oh, one more would be Miso soup. You can buy packets at a whole foods type store, and then mix with warm water during labor. It is completely "clear" and acceptable by most hospitals.

Thank you! Not sure about the idea of bone broth during labor, but I could see the Miso soup as a possibility!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doctors who don't follow the standards of care are opening themselves up to lawsuits. Being informed about risks vs benefits does not eliminate their risk of a lawsuit.

And so the big question is -- why do we put up with sub-standard or potentially harmful care just to accommodate an OBs fear of a possible law suit? Ladies, these are OUR bodies and OUR babies. You have the right to informed consent - AND to informed refusal. I challenge all of you to simply say "thank you nurse/doctor for the information. You may write in my chart that I have declined. Thank you." and take a big bite of your snickers/pineapple/pasta/whatever you want.

I don't understand why this isn't more acceptable. Not even just in labor, but overall. Unnecessary CT scans, excessive dental X-rays. Why can't the docs just write in the chart that I (the patient) deferred this test. And, have me sign it. Wouldn't that waive their liability? They could even have forms made up that say 'These are the risks of eating during labor. I understand them and am going against my doctor's advice by eating'. Seems as if that would be a decent solution.

[Anonymous]

You ladies crack me up.

The thought of eating anything, or oh god - drinking salty BONE BROTH - during labor grosses me out so much. I was very tired, but the last thing I wanted in the world was food or heavy drinks. Admittedly I had an induction and it was just 6 hours, so perhaps a longer labor would have pushed me to smuggle in a slurpee. But I'm confident I would not have wanted a burger or chocolate. Or bone broth.

I'm betting 75% of those of you who haven't given birth yet won't even care about food. Before you head to the hospital eat a banana, a granola/cereal/power bar, and some juice, and you'll be ok.

Oh, and you'll probably poop. It happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You ladies crack me up.

The thought of eating anything, or oh god - drinking salty BONE BROTH - during labor grosses me out so much. I was very tired, but the last thing I wanted in the world was food or heavy drinks. Admittedly I had an induction and it was just 6 hours, so perhaps a longer labor would have pushed me to smuggle in a slurpee. But I'm confident I would not have wanted a burger or chocolate. Or bone broth.

I'm betting 75% of those of you who haven't given birth yet won't even care about food. Before you head to the hospital eat a banana, a granola/cereal/power bar, and some juice, and you'll be ok.

Oh, and you'll probably poop. It happens.

Well, my first labor was 32 hours. I labored for the first 14 or so hours at home and ate somewhat regular meals. Labor was erratic so headed to the birth center so the midwives could check me out. Spent a few hours there but my BP was high and I risked out of the birth center. At the hospital, my midwife had no problem with my eating even though it was against hospital policy. That is, she had no problem until there was fetal distress that had the potential to lead to a c-section. This was about 24 hours into the labor. I wanted yogurt and she cut me off, saying, if you end up with a c-section, the anesthesiologist will kill me. That's when I opted for an epidural because there was no way I could make it much longer without food.

My second labor was an 8-hour induction without pain meds. Even though I ate right before heading to the hospital, I still got hungry during labor. I felt funny about sneaking food, even though I think the midwife would have looked the other way, so ended up just having apple juice, which was on the hospital's OK list. It gave me quick energy, but part of me wishes I'd have had something more.

[Anonymous]

Just want to point out, as many have point out countless times before that no two pregnancies are identical and neither are any two labors. So, just because you had no interest in food or vomited or whatever during your labor, EVERY OTHER PREGNANT WOMAN IS NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT SAME FEELING/EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAD. So, please stop claiming you are an expert in what others will want.

Now, for those of you who want ideas of things that you may find palatable when food isn't sounding too good, I drank Odwalla protein shakes throughout my labor. It was a very long labor that wasn't by any means easy and I had very little interest in real food, but the protein shakes really kept me going, especially since I was able to drink them super cold through a straw.

I was at a birth center, so was encouraged to eat and drink as much as I desired. I also didn't vomit any of it back up, either. Not that that matters, because even if I did vomit, I still needed the energy I got from it to help me last through delivery.

Whomever posted that they were considering getting sports gels also had a great idea. I'm no marathon runner, but I do think that labor is a little like running a marathon and sources of energy that are gentle on your digestive system and easily converted to fuel seem like exactly what one might need in this situations....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to point out, as many have point out countless times before that no two pregnancies are identical and neither are any two labors. So, just because you had no interest in food or vomited or whatever during your labor, EVERY OTHER PREGNANT WOMAN IS NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT SAME FEELING/EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAD. So, please stop claiming you are an expert in what others will want.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
bone broth - one that you make yourself. It is savory, nutrient dense and even somewhat filling. You have to do some searching to find a great recipe, and it takes some time and effort to make, but it is extremely helpful in labor. Freeze some pint-size jars full of the broth ahead of time. Coconut water is also excellent. You could also use the emergen-c packets added to water or juice for a little boost. Oh, one more would be Miso soup. You can buy packets at a whole foods type store, and then mix with warm water during labor. It is completely "clear" and acceptable by most hospitals.

Thank you! Not sure about the idea of bone broth during labor, but I could see the Miso soup as a possibility!

Well, don't let that intimidate you. Basically I mean stock -- like chicken soup minus the chicken or pasta. Only when you make it yourself, you can simmer any chicken bones or veggies or spices you want to make it taste okay. Just taking some regular chicken, beef, or veggie stock from the grocery store would work okay too. The point is that you need salt and minerals -- something that your juices are going to lack. Also, you might find that you don't want to keep drinking sweet stuff that leaves a bad taste in your mouth and/or spikes your sugar levels (if you're sensitive to that kind of thing).

Oh - I almost forgot - one thing that I have often used for laboring women is honey. When you are feeling really exhausted (like, while you are pushing) and can't tolerate the idea of eating anything at all, try eating a spoonful of honey. It can often provide just the burst of energy you need, and I even the most "conservative" OBs I've worked with have been okay with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Oh - I almost forgot - one thing that I have often used for laboring women is honey. When you are feeling really exhausted (like, while you are pushing) and can't tolerate the idea of eating anything at all, try eating a spoonful of honey. It can often provide just the burst of energy you need, and I even the most "conservative" OBs I've worked with have been okay with it.

Honey sounds like a great idea! Actually, my family is from an East Asian country and kids are fed honey for 'energy' all the time. Not sure why I didn't think of it!

[Anonymous]

I was only allowed ice chips. I was dying for water but once the ice melted, they took the cup away and gave me more ice chips. I was on magnesium sulfate for pre-eclampsia though and one of the side effects is feeling like you have the highest fever ever.