Eating During Labour

Labour is hard work requiring vast amounts of energy. The energy used in labor is

equivalent to strenuous athletic activity with most women requiring between 700 and

1100 calories/hour. However, many hospitals have a policy of no eating, and

sometimes no drinking except water or ice chips, during labour. For many women this won’t

be a problem if they are having strong contractions since they are unlikely to want to eat. If

you are having labour started artificially (induction) though, or your labour is progressing

slowly this restriction can be unpleasant and may cause problems.

The womb is a muscle and, like any other, needs energy and oxygen to work efficiently. It

will contract during labour to help your cervix open and your baby to be born. Without energy

it can quickly become exhausted and contractions can slow down or stop. If you are not

drinking enough fluid you can also become dehydrated. This causes the levels of potassium

in your cells to rise, which can prevent the mechanism for muscle action to work. The

consequences of this can be an exhausted mother with contractions that space further apart or

may stop altogether. If you were in hospital it might be managed by inserting an epidural so

you could rest. You may also have drugs (oxytocic drugs such as pitocin) to

make contractions stronger. An alternative approach at this point could be to eat and drink if

you want to and relax as much as possible.