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 In fact, women who were allowed to eat before delivery had a
slightly shorter labor than those who were restricted to ice chips
or sips of water - although the study can't prove that eating caused
deliveries to happen sooner.
"We really don’t know how much if anything people can eat or drink
in labor," said senior author Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, of Thomas
Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Whether women can have more than water or ice chips as they labor to
give birth is a common discussion among healthcare providers, he
told Reuters Health.
Concerns go back decades, to a 1940s study in which women who
delivered under general anesthesia were at risk of inhaling their
stomach contents and choking in it, Berghella and colleagues write
in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The use of general anesthesia during delivery is far less common
today, but guidelines still recommend against eating solid food
during labor, they add.
For the new study, the researchers compiled data from randomized
controlled trials that compared the labor outcomes of women who were
allowed to eat only ice chips or water and those who were allowed to
eat or drink a bit more.
For example, one study allowed women to drink a honey and date
syrup. Another study allowed all types of food and drinks. A few
others allowed women to drink liquids with carbohydrates.
Overall, the researchers analyzed 10 trials that included 3,982
women in labor. All were only delivering one child - not twins or
triplets - and were not at risk for cesarean delivery.
The women with the less restrictive diets were not at increased risk
for other complications, including vomiting or choking, during the
use of general anesthesia.
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And women who were allowed to eat and drink more than the
traditional ice chips and water had labors that were shorter, by an
average of 16 minutes, compared to women with the more restrictive
diets.
"If we’re well hydrated and have adequate carbohydrate in our body,
our muscles work better," said Berghella. A woman's uterus is
largely made of muscle.
The finding is reinforced by another of his studies, which found
women who received more fluid than normal delivered faster than
other women.
Berghella said it's still common practice for women with
uncomplicated births to be restricted to water or ice chips during
labor.
"The evidence from well-done studies is they can have more than
that," he said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2lpis8p Obstetrics and Gynecology, online
February 6, 2017.
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