Q&A: Should You Avoid Eating During Labor

Pregnancy Podcast

Vanessa Merten

Newborn, Parent, Homebirth, Vbac, Kids & Family, Doula, Firsttimemom, Midwife, Pregnancy, Doctor, Parenting, Pregnant, Vanessamerten, Physician, Csection, Prenatalcare, Breastfeeding, Naturalbirth, Nursing, Birthcenter, Family, Baby, Hospitalbirth, Health, Obgyn, Research, Trimester, Expecting, Labor, Mom, Diet, Dad, Birth

4.5 • 948 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Eating during labor is a topic with conflicting advice. In this episode, we respond to a listener whose doctor advised against eating during labor, while her doula encouraged her to pack snacks in her hospital bag. Explore the reasoning behind restrictions on eating during labor and the official recommendations from medical organizations. Learn whether the evidence supports restricting food during labor and the latest research on how food can impact labor outcomes. If you decide to eat during labor, find out what foods are best and practical tips for staying fueled and hydrated.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to the pregnancy podcast with Vanessa Merton.
0:10.4	Hello, thank you for tuning into the pregnancy podcast. In today's Q&A episode, we're asking,
0:18.8	should you avoid eating during labor?
0:22.1	Unfortunately, eating during labor is a topic that has a lot of conflicting advice.
0:28.1	In this episode, I respond to a listener whose doctor advised her against eating during labor,
0:34.4	but her dula encouraged her to pack snacks in her hospital bag.
0:39.3	We will explore the reasoning behind restrictions on eating during labor and look at the
0:44.7	official recommendations from medical organizations like the American College of
0:49.5	Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. You'll learn whether the evidence supports restricting food during labor
0:55.9	and the latest research on how food can impact labor outcomes. And lastly, if you do decide to
1:03.7	eat during labor, find out what types of foods are best and get practical tips for staying
1:09.6	fueled and hydrated.
1:11.9	You can find the complete article and all of the resources for this episode at
1:17.9	Pregnancy Podcast.com slash eating during labor.
1:24.4	You are currently listening to the public feed of the podcast, which gives you access to the last year of episodes.
1:32.2	Become a pregnancy podcast premium member.
1:35.8	Get access to the private podcast feed.
1:38.6	You can listen to that in your favorite podcast app.
1:41.7	You'll get access to the entire back catalog. There are hundreds of
1:46.7	episodes exclusively available to premium members. Plus, all of the premium episodes are ad-free.
1:54.7	No matter what questions you have during your pregnancy or as you're planning for your birth,
1:59.5	there is an episode of the pregnancy podcast with the answers you're planning for your birth, there is an episode of the pregnancy
	...

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