Your Guide to Eating & Drinking during Labor
Staying nourished and hydrated during labor seems like it should be straightforward.
Some researchers have made the comparison that laboring and giving birth take a similar amount of energy to running a marathon. Of course, we would never expect an athlete to perform such a feat without the nutrients their body needs!
But this isn’t a simple topic at all when it comes to birth.
We get a lot of questions from our clients about eating and drinking in labor, including:
“Am I allowed to eat or drink during labor in the hospital?”
“Why wouldn’t my doctor want me to eat anything during labor?”
“If I do want to eat during labor, what kinds of foods are best?”
It almost seems silly that something as fundamental as choosing what to eat or drink has become so confusing when it comes to birth, but it definitely has!
Hospitals often have policies against eating anything besides ice chips or clear liquids (often limited to juice, ginger ale, broth, popsicles, etc.) during labor. Evidence Based Birth has a fantastic article about this topic that includes a lot of history behind why hospitals have these kinds of policies - it’s definitely worth a read!
The important thing to know is that hospital policy is not legally enforceable the vast majority of the time. From Birth Monopoly’s Cristen Pascucci, a birth rights lawyer:
“In reality, care providers (with rare exceptions) do not have the legal authority to enforce policies on their patients.
“Pregnant people have the same rights as all U.S. citizens, including the right of informed consent… This includes, importantly, the right to say ‘No’ - a right strongly upheld by U.S. courts and ethical standards for obstetricians and other healthcare professionals. Traditionally, however, these rights have not always been fully recognized in perinatal care settings.”
So if you decide to eat/drink as you prefer during labor even though your hospital’s guidelines tell its doctors, midwives, or nurses they shouldn’t “let” you, please know that you are not breaking any laws - you are simply exercising your right to informed consent and refusal within a healthcare setting.
If you think you might find yourself in this situation, it’s a great idea to strategize with your doula or other support people ahead of time! We have some tried-and-true ways of handling these kinds of circumstances with our clients.
Eating and drinking regularly during labor can be challenging.
Some people deal with nausea/vomiting or diarrhea during labor. When this is the case, it can be very challenging to stay nourished and hydrated throughout the process. This is a situation where some assistance from IV fluids could be useful. (Evidence Based Birth has another great article about receiving IV fluids during labor we highly recommend.)
Even when not experiencing things like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, people sometimes just don’t feel much like eating or drinking during labor. Obviously we want to avoid physical fatigue and dehydration as much as possible though!
Your support people can help by encouraging you to take drinks frequently in between contractions, and offering you different beverage choices that may entice you to take a sip. If your team notices you are feeling run-down during labor and you haven’t eaten for a while, they may offer you a pick-me-up.
Figuring out the logistics
For people giving birth out of the hospital setting, this is usually a lot less challenging. Easier access to a kitchen, refrigerator, microwave, etc. make eating and drinking during labor much simpler.
If you’re planning to give birth in a hospital, we recommend that you bring a cooler with snacks, and/or ask a friend or family member to be on standby for help with meals. Loved ones can prepare and deliver food, or pick up food from your favorite local place (depending on the time of day) and bring it to you at the hospital. Delivery services like DoorDash and GrubHub are also an option during labor. (Don’t worry - they deliver to hospitals all the time and won’t think it’s weird!)
You can find out ahead of time if the hospital has a microwave you can use (most do). That opens up additional options like frozen meals or foods that you prefer to eat warm.
Remember - support people should plan to eat meals as they normally would! Even if the person in labor prefers grazing and isn’t feeling up to “real” meals, it’s important for other labor support people to take care of themselves and eat as needed. So make sure to take your whole team into account as you’re planning the logistics of food during labor!
A note on food sensitivities & hospitals: Unfortunately hospital kitchens are often unequipped to handle serious food allergies or sensitivities. If you or any of your support people have a special dietary need, it’s extra important to be prepared to provide your own food so you have something safe to eat.
A note about “heavy” vs “light” foods
If you’ve done much Googling on the subject of eating during labor, you’ve likely come across some articles that encourage “light meals” or “light foods.”
This language is problematic for so many reasons. Our society loves to make moral judgments about food choices that include fatphobic and racist undertones, and we are not here for it.
People often feel more like eating meals in early labor and more like snacking or grazing in active labor. If that’s how you feel during labor, it’s totally normal. And if you feel like eating a more substantial meal during active labor, that’s also normal! It just doesn’t get as much publicity.
If the foods you think you’ll want during labor fall under the internet’s definition of “light snacks,” great. If they don’t, also great. Choose foods that feel right for YOU.
General guidelines for what to eat/drink during labor
Here are our recommended rules of thumb when considering what to plan for your meals and snacks during labor:
Stick with familiar foods. Labor isn’t the time to get adventurous. If there are things you’re curious about trying during labor, give them a trial run ahead of time to make sure they sit well with you.
Choose foods that give you energy. As the saying goes, they don’t call it “labor” for nothing. Focus on foods that feel nutritious and energizing FOR YOU.
Choose comforting foods. Food and drinks during labor aren’t just for energy and hydration, they’re also for comfort. Having some options that feel delicious for your soul as well as your body will serve you well. Don’t forget savory options!
Bring some one-handed snacks. While a bowl of food can be lovely, it’s great to have the option of grabbing something that can be easily eaten with one hand. (This carries over into life with a newborn too!)
Have a variety of options available. You might feel like a salty snack at one point, later want something cool and juicy, or have a hankering for something nice and filling. We encourage you to think about a variety of options that might be enticing for you at different points during your labor experience - consider tastes, textures, hot/cold foods, etc.
Avoid foods that would be extra-unpleasant to throw up. This is no fun to talk about, but it’s really important. Avoiding foods with high acidity like oranges or orange juice, and foods with a texture you wouldn’t want to vomit will serve you well in case you end up with some nausea.
What to Eat
Just some ideas to use as a starting point. We encourage you to make your own list of things you think will feel good for you to eat during labor!
Fruits: Super refreshing. Apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes, mango, watermelon, applesauce, etc.
Avocado
Nut butters: Peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, etc.
Yogurt: plain or with your favorite toppings: berries, granola, nuts, etc.
Oatmeal: plain or with your favorite toppings
Chia seed pudding. A couple of our favorite recipes:
Jello
Popsicles can be a great option if you’re running warm during labor, which is pretty common.
Hospitals sometimes have popsicles on hand, but if you have a preference for flavor, brand, ingredients, etc. you can bring your own.
Eggs cooked your favorite way
Toast topped with butter, avocado, nut butter, jam, etc.
Rice
Roasted vegetables: think roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
Your favorite snacks:
Crackers (Saltines anyone?)
Cheese
Your favorite kind of granola bars
Energy balls - again, try some recipes and see what you like BEFORE labor! A few recipes to get you started:
Honey sticks are a reliable doula stand-by: they taste great and offer a little burst of energy when you need it. (If you don’t enjoy opening honey sticks with your teeth, pack a pair of scissors in your birth bag.)
Your favorite broth or soup: miso broth, bone broth, pho, chicken noodle soup, etc.
Hospitals often have bouillon broth as an option (it’s pretty salty). Many of our clients choose to bring their own preferred broth/soup
More substantial foods in case you feel like it:
Traditional foods from your culture. Sometimes our clients or their loved ones prepare favorite traditional foods especially for labor - talk about comfort food!
Quiche or frittata
Enchiladas
Your favorite sandwich
What to Drink
Pro tip: Straws are SUPER helpful during labor!
Water! Sounds obvious, but staying hydrated is so important in labor. For an extra hydration boost, you can also consider adding electrolytes (LMNT or Liquid I.V. for example)
Coconut water (if you like it - we know this one is polarizing)
Watermelon water is a client favorite
Fruit juice: apple, peach, cranberry, etc.
Smoothies with your favorite fruits and/or veggies (protein powder optional)
Ginger ale can be especially helpful for nausea
Tea or coffee (caffeine level your choice)
Hot water: If you’re not much of a tea/coffee drinker, sipping on a mug of hot water can still be really comforting.
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