Keeping hydrated and keeping up your energy are really important in labour, as you need to remain focused and strong with your uterus and body working so hard to birth your baby. Strength and stamina are required, and taking positive steps to help your body by eating and drinking can have a positive psychological effect too. Being properly nourished and hydrated can prevent you from becoming exhausted. Exhaustion can prolong labour, leading to surges that are less effective and could mean that some assistance is required too.So snacks and drinks as really essential, and I always recommend to the couples on my that you take your own food and drinks with you (if you’re heading to a hospital or birth centre), or stock up the fridge at home (for a homebirth, and for early labour too), as you never know what you’ll find from their shop/vending machine/ canteen (if they are even open, labours often happen overnight).
Perhaps you have heard that it isn't good to eat much (or even at all) while in labor, and that advice probably seemed contradictory. After all, how are you supposed to do the hardest work of your life on an empty stomach? So that’s another of those old-skool rules and outdated thinking around birth (there is a lot of that around unfortunately). You’ll be very glad to hear that eating and drinking in labour is really important and encouraged - your midwife might even keep reminding you (and if she doesn’t your birth partner should. So make sure they know their multitude of roles, but that’s another blog post).
The guidelines from health professionals also agree:
“Without adequate nutrition, women’s bodies will begin to use fat as an energy source, increasing acidity of the blood in the mother and infant, potentially reducing uterine contractions andleading to longer labor and lower health scores in newborns. Additionally, the studies suggest that fasting can cause emotional stress, potentially moving blood away from the uterus and placenta, lengthening labor and contributing to distress of the fetus.” American Society of Anesthesiologists
So what kind of foods and drinks are good for labour? Well that’s exactly what this article is all about. Here’s some ideas so you can get your fridge and your birth bag stocked and ready. Read on for my top tips folks,and a great recipe too at the end ……
Drinks in labor
It’s really important to keep hydrated in pregnancy, and even more so in labour. So don’t forget the drinks. All of this is about personal preference of course, and what you like to drink. Don’t choose that you think you *should* or are expected to drink - go with what you like, that way you’ll drink more and keep hydrated. And that’s important for your body to function optimally. Also remember to pee often, get your birth partner to remind you to do this (as you mind will be else where!). As a full bladder can stop the movement of baby down into the pelvis.
The key message here is Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Here are some ideas:
~ Water
~ Lucozade or other isotonic drinks
~ Apple or other juice
~ Coconut water
~ Ice cubes to suck (or fruit juice cubes) can be amazing
~ Ice lollies - retro ones and fun and nostalgic. Amazing in summer
~ Avoid fizzy drinks which may give you heartburn or make you feel nauseous
Take your favourites with you if you are heading to a birth centre / hospital, and stock up your fridge for early labour at home too.
Top tops
A small cool bag can be helpful.
You can also take some frozen flannels to cool you in the same bag.
Taking a straw can be really useful to so you can sip easily, or a sports bottle that doesn’t spill easily.
Snacks and Food for Labor
In early labour you are are probably still at home, so you have a fridge and cupboards full of food (hopefully) available to you. So you can pick and choose as you please, what you fancy to eat. Think about what you might eat if you preparing for a big sports event (and if you’ve never personally run a marathon or similar - hands up here! then you probably still have an idea). Think foods that will release energy slowly, nutritionally dense and is easy to digest. Including complex carbohydrates, with some protein to stabilize blood sugar and energy. So things like pasta, oats, rice, wholemeal bread, toast, sandwiches, crackers all with various toppings and addtions. You’ll probably want to naturally avoid greasy or high fat foods which are less easy on your digestive system.
Small, nutrient dense meals are helpful, things you can nibble on rather than huge meal. Although excitement or nervousness may dampen your appetite, early labor is a great opportunity to eat deeply nourishing foods that will fuel you for several hours.But go with that you feel. Stay hydrated and nourished is the key.
It can also be a good distraction technique, preparing and eating food at this time.
In addition food can certainly elicit an emotional response, you know how you crave familiar and maybe childhood favourite food when you are unwell or upset. Well the same feelings of cosyness, love and security are also really important in labour - you know the oxytocin that I talk about SO much in my hypnobirthing & coomplete birth preparation courses. So stock up in familar, fun, reassuring foods that make you feel good for labour.
As you move into more active labour, you might find food more distracting and want to eat less, as well as your appetite naturally decreasing as you spiral more inward on the labour. So small bites of energy boosting and nutrient, easily digestable dense food more often can be really good, if you are able to - to help you to maintain your strength.Some women also feel nauseous and don’t want to eat much, or vomit and don’t keep food down (just so you know).
It can be a really good idea to have a few different options available, because you don’t know what might seem appealing at the time - or if you’ll have an aversion to certain tastes or smells. Try to have foods that are light and easy on your stomach, similar to the types of plainer food you may choose if you were recovering from feeling unwell.
Here are a few ideas of what to eat during labor:
Banana or apple with nut butter.
Avocado on toast
Whole grain toast with nut or seed butter.
Banana and honey on toast
Fruit – bananas, apples, melons, berries, satsumas, strawberries
Veg sticks - carrots, cucumber, celery
Nuts and seeds
Dried fruits – raisins, banana chips, dates, dried apple rings
Fruit and nut / trail mix
Flapjack or granola bars. Oats are great for slower release energy
Energy balls - see my recipe below, or of course there are lots you can buy too
Natural sugars from healthy sources to provide quick energy. A spoonful of raw honey, straight from the jar, for a boost of energy can be great
Crackers – if you want something plain and easy, crackers can be good.
Sandwiches, wholemeal or granary for slower energy release
Soups can be easy to digest
Ice lollies or ice cream if it makes you feel good, also cooling in hot weather
Yogurt . add chopped fruit too
Sweets – jelly beans, lollipops, gummy bears, haribo, cola bottles - fun nostalgia can be great for oxytocin release.
Top tops
Make sure you take snacks for your birth partner too (they can also get hungry!)
Birth partners - remind her to eat, and offer mum the snacks
Have plenty of options, they will always be eaten afterwards
And snacks for immediate after the birth
Congratulations! You did it! So replenishing your body by drinking some fluids (in your head you might have imagined Champagne, but most women can’t face that. A nice brew, or just a cold juice are perfect) You’ll probably get offered some toast if you are in hospital or birth centre, it will probably be the cheapest white bread and margarine - but it will be THE BEST toast you ever tasted in your life!
Basically got for it, eat whatever you choose. Enjoy whatever you please - just make sure someone else makes it for you!
Recipe - Energy Balls / Super Raw Brownies
As promised here’s my recipe for energy balls that are great as a snack in labour. These taste richly chocolately,but are so full of goodness and satisfy sugar cravings.The cocoa has lots of iron, and the dates release lots of energy slowly, and there's more energy from the honey. The nuts are of fulls of nutrients too. Adapt with what you have in the store cupboard (or what you like to eat best - eating good food releases oxytocin, so another reason these are great in labour). Women often like making a batch or two when their nesting instinct kicks in, ready for labour. Also amazing post-natally too as ease to grab food that satisfy your sugar and energy cravings.
Ingredients:
100g Almonds, with skins on if possible (or other nuts)
250g Pitted Dates, chopped (Medjool if you can get them. If not, just soak for 10 mins in hot water then drain before adding)
2 Tablespoons Set Honey (raw honey is good)
75g Cocoa Powder (again raw is good, but any unsweetened is fine)
1/2 tsp Salt flakes
50g Chopped Pecans (or other nuts)
To Make:Put the almonds in a food processor and whiz to a coarse powder. Add the chopped dates, honey, cocoa and salt - then whiz again for around 1 minute until it comes together into a dough like ball. If it seems to dry to do this add a splash of water. Turn the mixture out onto a board and gently kneed in the chopped pecans.
To make into ‘brownies’ ie squares - line a 20 cm square baking tray with parchment, turn the mixture into it and press down with your fingers or back of a tablespoon to get an even layer. Put into fridge to chill of at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares.
To make into ‘ebergy balls’ - take a teaspoon and roll in your hands (this is messier , be warned). You can then roll in dessicated cocounet or cocoa if you like. Put on a plate, then into the fridge to chill at set.
These will keep for up to a week....if you can manage to not eat them all before!!(if its hot outside keep in the fridge). Recipe by Anna Jones, in A Modern Way To Eat.
Variations:
You can adapt this in SO many ways. Use different nuts, or a mix of nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax seeds are all great). Use a mix of dried apricots (great for iron) and/or sultanas instead of all dates.You can also roll these into balls to make your own 'energy balls', and roll in some coconut, cocoa or flax seeds - much cheaper that shop bought ones.
I hope this has proved helpful. And let me know your top tips too
Susan x
Susan Bradley
