When we go into labor, the recommendation is not to eat or even drink water during the labor process. As in almost everything, we don't usually question this type of restrictions, but a new study that has come to light makes us think if fasting is really necessary during childbirth.
The research, published by The British Medial Journal, which studies the effects of eating food during labor has concluded that eating during childbirth does not imply any risk and compare the results of women who had eaten moderately small amounts with those who had only drunk water.
"Nothing by mouth" was justified in the forties when general anesthesia began to be used due to the risk of aspiration of gastric contents. However, being epidural anesthesia and given the progress of obstetric analgesia, experts see the need to rethink the situation because the effects of not eating for so many hours can even be detrimental to the evolution of labor.
Let's go back to the study in question. 2,426 healthy women who gave birth for the first time were divided into 2 groups. One group was allowed to eat small amounts of food such as fruit, bread, yogurt while the other only water.
In both groups the percentage of natural births was the same, 44%, the duration of labor around 10 hours in both groups and the cesarean section rate 29% among women who ate and 30% among women who only hydrated
There was also no difference between the status of babies at birth and in both groups 1 in 3 women vomited during childbirth. That is, having eaten or not, has nothing to do with vomiting in childbirth.
As a conclusion of the study, there are no compelling reasons to prohibit women from eating during childbirth, even some see it as something negative. It makes anyone in a bad mood not to eat for 10 hours.
Experts agree that the prohibition of eating during childbirth can be detrimental to the mother and the baby's condition, as well as that it can be understood as an authoritative measure by increasing the feeling of fear and apprehension during childbirth.
Nobody talks about having a big meal during childbirth, but they can eat small amounts of food. After all, if it does not pose a risk to the mother or the baby, it is another step towards the humanization of childbirth.
