IV fluids are often a routine part of labor, but do you really need them? Let's talk about it.

Welcome to the All About Pregnancy and Birth Podcast. If you're having a baby in the hospital,

you are giving birth in a

system that too often takes away power from women over what happens in their own bodies. I'm Dr.

Nicole Calloway-Rankens, a practicing board certified OBGYN, who's had the privilege of helping

well over a thousand babies into this world. I've been a doctor for over 20 years, and I'm here to

help you take back your power, and I'm here to help you

take back your power, advocate for yourself, and have the beautiful pregnancy and birth that you

deserve. This podcast is for educational purposes only and it's not a substitute for medical advice.

Check out the full disclaimer at Dr. Nicole Rankins.com full forward slash disclaimer. Now let's get to it.

Hello there. Welcome to another episode of the podcast, whether this is your first time listening

or you've been here before. Thank you for spending some time with me today. So this is a shorty

episode. These shorty episodes are quick episodes that break down a topic,

share a story or maybe something that's on my mind. And in this episode, I want to chat about

IV fluids. IV fluids are extremely common and I would even say routine during labor,

but are they really necessary?

In this shorty episode, I'm going to break it down for you.

First, I'm going to explain what IV fluids are exactly, then why they're given during labor,

and then my recommendation for IV fluids during labor.

Now, I have another recommendation for you. That is childbirth education.

Childbirth education is so, so, so important. It's absolutely necessary when you are giving

birth in the U.S. maternal health care system in the hospital. It's a system that we know can too

...