Always check with your own provider: Snacks for Early Labor: Bananas - Easy to digest and rich in potassium. Whole-Grain Crackers with Nut Butter - Provides complex carbs and protein. Greek Yogurt - High in protein and probiotics. Fresh Fruit - Grapes, orange slices, or apple wedges for quick energy. Smoothies - Blend fruits, greens, and a protein source like yogurt or nut butter. Snacks for Active Labor: Energy Bites - Made with oats, honey, and seeds. Rice Cakes with Almond Butter - Light and nourishing. Trail Mix - A mix of nuts, seeds, and a few dried fruits (avoid too much sugar). Cucumber or Celery Sticks with Hummus - Hydrating and packed with fiber. Applesauce Pouches - Easy to consume and gentle on the stomach. Snacks for Quick Energy: Dates - Known to support labor and provide natural sugars. Honey Sticks - Quick and convenient energy boost. Granola Bars - Choose low-sugar options with whole grains. Electrolyte Popsicles - Great for hydration and energy. Coconut Water - Hydrating and replenishes electrolytes. Post-Labor Recovery Snacks: Hard-Boiled Eggs - High in protein and easy to prepare ahead. Cheese Sticks or Cubes - Portable protein option. Dark Chocolate Squares - For a mood and energy boost. Avocado Toast - Healthy fats and carbs for recovery. Bone Broth - Warm and soothing with plenty of minerals.
Omg this is bad advice. Meat n animal fat, n eggs. Are the way to go. Nothing bests animal consumption in active labor. Not to mention just how bad fibre is with your intestine pushed up. Eat what the body absorbs with NO waist so the toilet runs are less if not so frequent. Animal fat is the best thing for woman in labor. Meat for the protein is most certainly the top for woman to eat in labor and water. Nothing more needed!
I am an anesthesiologist: please eat and drink, I don't want a dehydrated patient with low glucose levels puking in my OR (because of HER wellbeing btw, it's not just for me - it sucks to feel like that when you meet your baby for the first time)
I BEGGED for food but was not allowed anything. I vomited and pooped every last drop of nutrient or calorie out while in labour. My last meal was at 6pm on 1 Jan. I laboured from 10pm to 8am on 2 Jan when I had a spinal block and then general anaesthesia. After the emergency c sec , I woke up and continued vomiting for another 48 hours as I received strong meds (spinal block, anaesthesia, morphine) all on a completely empty stomach. I was denied any food, I phoned family members and the cafeteria to bring me food but the nurses intercepted them. I had food after 62 hours of fasting, vomiting, pooping, labouring, major abdominal surgery with placental complications and bleeding and receiving strong meds. I was then shouted at for not producing breastmilk and starving my premature baby, after having no food for nearly 3 days. PS I made date balls to nourish and support me during labour, little did I know.....
Oh my goodness, that is abuse. Not “healthcare,” ABUSE! You should report those involved if you haven’t already, because that’s unacceptable. They starved you.
I am an RN with 30 years in labor and delivery, postpartum, & NICU. I ate during my labors & births because I chose providers who were informed enough to know that’s the best option to give a woman the energy to deliver a baby. I still work in a hospital in this field, and I encourage you to get approval in advance to eat during labor. Labor & Delivery nurses have been known to turn a blind eye to women eating snacks in labor 😘 How do you expect to have energy to run a marathon without fuel??! 🤰🏽🍔🌮👅💦
Yeah, I wasn't allowed to eat at all, and they never told me ANY of this information in the video..... nor did they follow my birth plan at all, which really stressed me out. I ended up being in labor for over 22 hours after my water broke! To add insult to injury: all the midwives went on a trip to Florida on the day I was giving birth. I was promised at least one midwife that I knew would be there, but not a single one was there, and that just served to stress me out more. If it wasn't for the people looking after me after delivery, it would have been the worst experience of my life (and it was my first baby, born Oct. 17th of this year). 😢
My hospital wouldnt allow food or drink for me while i was in labor. They had me drugged up and had such a sway over my support people 😢 they also had me on antibiotics and i was wretching and throwing up most of my labor because of the lack of food and the antibiotics combined. I'll never go to a hospital for a healthy birth again
Same. I was induced way too quickly and never really progressed with the medication infact my kids heart beat kept on dipping. Was not allowed to move around, had to lie down throughout the 24 hour period and eventually had to get a c sec.
I agree. Unless you get a planned C-section,women in labor should be allowed to eat light foods while in labor even with an epidural to keep their energy to push. If I ever have a baby, I'll be sure to take some snacks with me to eat while in labor and sneak eat if the nurse forbids me for no good reason. Women take that advice, if a nurse saids you can't eat,then sneak eat.😂
I didn't actually want to eat during my very intense labor, but I did eat a large slice of cheesecake before going to the hospital. When I threw up in the hospital some fruit from on top of the cheesecake came up, but the actual cake had all been absorbed. BTW they can't actually forbid you from eating and drinking in labor. It's not a prison and they don't have the legal authority to control you in that fashion.
I have so many snacks and yummy drinks packed and ready for labor! Idk what ill be able to stomach so i have a variety of easy to eat easy to digest snacks
Despite knowing this, I chickened out and decided not to eat during labor with my first because the hospital said they didn't allow it. I think it's one of the main reasons why my unmedicated labor stalled. I'm definitely going to be eating with my second, barring any complications that come up between now and then. Hospitals have a lot of life saving resources for labor but they are very slow to accept even helpful changes like this one.
I was induced and was going through labor for basically 24hrs and was allowed to eat until the end because the doctors thought they'd have to do a c-section because I just wasn't dilating. Right before they were gonna get me ready for the c-section, they measured me again and I had suddenly fully dilated so the last few hours of fasting were actually unnecessary as I didn't need to go through with the c-section after all.
I wish all moms knew they’re still allowed to eat in labor even if the hospital says it’s against policy. Against policy means the hospital can’t provide the food. They can’t take food out of your hands you bring yourself
I was not only allowed food and drink during labour, but implored by the midwives to eat. After labouring for a long time I got nauseus, but I was still told that I had to try to eat and drink something, in hopes that I would gain some energy. I had an unplanned c-section in a later pregnancy. That time I was served breakfast in the hospital as I came in during the night. Being a pregnant woman who had hardly eaten a proper meal in a week (the whole house had been sick), it was hard having my half eaten breakfast taken away. Of course, the baby had to come out and I was in no shape to labour, but I was hungry. The c-section fortunately fine with only local anesthesia, and I was in recovery in time for a late lunch.
I had induced labor for both of my pregnancies, the hospital brought me food to their schedule without taking into account where I was in my "labor journey" 😂 I could've been pushing and they would have brought the food! I was to my discretion to chose to eat or not.
I ate a big meal before I went to the hospital. I was right to do so. 24 hours in labor and they would only allow be ice. It it was a good thing. I ended up needing an emergency C-section to save my son. Surgery requires an empty stomach, so yeah.
This only applies when you CAN keep light foods down. My first labor was over 48 hours and second was 26. I couldn't eat ANYTHING both times because I puked it right back up
I stopped eating at 8 pm and the contraction started at 3 am on my first labour. I didn't feel like i was lack of energy during labour, just the opening wasn't that easy for the first labour. So the baby was out at 11 am. After labour i felt okay, just light headed in a few hours after labour. On my second labour, it was 2 weeks earlier from the estimated due date. I ate 3 spoons of fried rice and a small slice of pineapple at 10 pm. After that, i watched netflix, sleeping on my left side, and not so long i felt nausea in my lower tummy. I felt like i needed to do something, then i sat down for a while, right when i realize it wasn't a normal stomachache. When i stood up, i felt a strong kick inside my tummy and the adequate contraction happened. When i walked to prepare to go to the hospital, my water broke. On my way to the hospital, the baby found her way out on herself. And i felt as if nothing happenned after labour. Strong, healthy, and full of energy. Did it become too easy because of the 3 spoons of chinese fried rice? 😅
I was told to bring some snacks with me (at a hospital in the UK), but my labour ended up being so quick and relentless that the last thing on my mind was eating. 😅 From the moment my water broke, my contractions were 2 minutes apart (sometimes 1) and I was fully dilated so fast. I was exhausted and in dire need of energy/sugar right after, to the point of feeling nauseous, but there's no way I would have been able to eat.
I’ve only been allowed ice chips and popsicles during all 4 of my labors. The trick I had would be to ask for ice chips and let it melt down so I could have a drink. Which is dystopian. But luckily my labors are quick, around 8 hours and my doctor always tells me to eat a decent meal before I come in. The worst was when I finished giving birth at 9pm and the cafeteria was closed. After not eating all day, the nurses pretty much told me I wouldn’t eat until the morning. My husband went out and found a Wendy’s that was open at 1am so I could eat.
I was told by mom, who was a nurse, not to eat anything heavy during labor because then your body will be tasked to digest the food and that will take energy away from birthing. And what if an emergency c section needs to be done? Would they have to pump your stomach before going to surgery? Anything can happen during a birth despite how well you plan.
Please, I was in labor and they didn't even know it. While I was in the hospital and pregnant with my second child, the nurses thought I was having gas pains the whole weekend during my contractions. They called it Braxton hicks. I got hungry during my contractions and ate my dinner while having these pains. They served me cheese burger with lettuce, and tomatoes, and a 7Up on the side for dinner during the gas pains and then the nurses gave me a shot so I can go to sleep. But I still felt the pains in my sleep. I was in pain for 5 days and felt something slide out of my vigina. I wipe myself with some tissue and in mild pain wabbling to the nurse as fast as I could, and asked her while the tissue was in her face. " What is this pink slim that slid out of my vigina?" She pulled my hand down so she can focus on what I was showing her on the pink stuff on the tissue. She looked at it and said, "OMG, your plug came out of your cervics!" Here it is Wednesday morning and the hospital was about to send me back home after being there since Saturday. Now the nurses came to a conclusion that I was in labor all along so they decided to keep me after all that time. The lady in the 1st bed had her baby at 10:45 pm the evening before. The next day, my baby was delivered by C-section at 10:45 am.
One lady came in with a beautiful breakfast platter for me while I was in labor. The doctors and nurses immediately told her that I wasn't allowed to eat and gave the platter to my husband. He looked so guilty eating while i was contracting. I had the baby just in time for lunch, so the hospital came back with more food for me.
I unfortunately didn't get a chance to have a snack. I went into labor too fast to get anything and I was too focused on pushing to try and eat. I wish I did have something because hubby and I where up over 24hrs dealing with labor.
My midwife told me the anesthesiologist wouldn’t let me eat after I got an epidural but I’d already labored for a day and I was getting that epidural. As soon as the anesthesiologist left the room, she looked at me and said, ‘can I get you a coffee? A little lunch?’ Yes, ma’am you can.
I was SO RELIEVED that I could eat during labor. The nurses encouraged me to eat, but did warn me that a greasy burger could come back up after the epidural 😂
I’m such a foodie I’ll be bloody ordering a t bone steak during labour. Nobody telling me not to eat they’ll have to meet my fists and farts otherwise.
Safer methods lol every woman I know has had a horror story about epidurals if it's not exactly perfect you'll have problems for the rest of your life or possibly be paralyzed.
Always check with your own provider:
Snacks for Early Labor:
Bananas - Easy to digest and rich in potassium.
Whole-Grain Crackers with Nut Butter - Provides complex carbs and protein.
Greek Yogurt - High in protein and probiotics.
Fresh Fruit - Grapes, orange slices, or apple wedges for quick energy.
Smoothies - Blend fruits, greens, and a protein source like yogurt or nut butter.
Snacks for Active Labor:
Energy Bites - Made with oats, honey, and seeds.
Rice Cakes with Almond Butter - Light and nourishing.
Trail Mix - A mix of nuts, seeds, and a few dried fruits (avoid too much sugar).
Cucumber or Celery Sticks with Hummus - Hydrating and packed with fiber.
Applesauce Pouches - Easy to consume and gentle on the stomach.
Snacks for Quick Energy:
Dates - Known to support labor and provide natural sugars.
Honey Sticks - Quick and convenient energy boost.
Granola Bars - Choose low-sugar options with whole grains.
Electrolyte Popsicles - Great for hydration and energy.
Coconut Water - Hydrating and replenishes electrolytes.
Post-Labor Recovery Snacks:
Hard-Boiled Eggs - High in protein and easy to prepare ahead.
Cheese Sticks or Cubes - Portable protein option.
Dark Chocolate Squares - For a mood and energy boost.
Avocado Toast - Healthy fats and carbs for recovery.
Bone Broth - Warm and soothing with plenty of minerals.
Omg this is bad advice. Meat n animal fat, n eggs. Are the way to go. Nothing bests animal consumption in active labor. Not to mention just how bad fibre is with your intestine pushed up. Eat what the body absorbs with NO waist so the toilet runs are less if not so frequent. Animal fat is the best thing for woman in labor. Meat for the protein is most certainly the top for woman to eat in labor and water. Nothing more needed!
I am an anesthesiologist: please eat and drink, I don't want a dehydrated patient with low glucose levels puking in my OR (because of HER wellbeing btw, it's not just for me - it sucks to feel like that when you meet your baby for the first time)
Thank you for sharing!! 💞
How much do you make an hour?
@@ChiOfo I'm not American so I do not have a salary you'd expect I think - I make 72 euro per hour which is about the same in dollars.
I BEGGED for food but was not allowed anything. I vomited and pooped every last drop of nutrient or calorie out while in labour. My last meal was at 6pm on 1 Jan. I laboured from 10pm to 8am on 2 Jan when I had a spinal block and then general anaesthesia. After the emergency c sec , I woke up and continued vomiting for another 48 hours as I received strong meds (spinal block, anaesthesia, morphine) all on a completely empty stomach. I was denied any food, I phoned family members and the cafeteria to bring me food but the nurses intercepted them. I had food after 62 hours of fasting, vomiting, pooping, labouring, major abdominal surgery with placental complications and bleeding and receiving strong meds. I was then shouted at for not producing breastmilk and starving my premature baby, after having no food for nearly 3 days. PS I made date balls to nourish and support me during labour, little did I know.....
Oh my goodness, that is abuse. Not “healthcare,” ABUSE! You should report those involved if you haven’t already, because that’s unacceptable. They starved you.
I am an RN with 30 years in labor and delivery, postpartum, & NICU. I ate during my labors & births because I chose providers who were informed enough to know that’s the best option to give a woman the energy to deliver a baby. I still work in a hospital in this field, and I encourage you to get approval in advance to eat during labor. Labor & Delivery nurses have been known to turn a blind eye to women eating snacks in labor 😘 How do you expect to have energy to run a marathon without fuel??! 🤰🏽🍔🌮👅💦
Yeah, I wasn't allowed to eat at all, and they never told me ANY of this information in the video..... nor did they follow my birth plan at all, which really stressed me out. I ended up being in labor for over 22 hours after my water broke! To add insult to injury: all the midwives went on a trip to Florida on the day I was giving birth. I was promised at least one midwife that I knew would be there, but not a single one was there, and that just served to stress me out more. If it wasn't for the people looking after me after delivery, it would have been the worst experience of my life (and it was my first baby, born Oct. 17th of this year). 😢
My hospital wouldnt allow food or drink for me while i was in labor. They had me drugged up and had such a sway over my support people 😢 they also had me on antibiotics and i was wretching and throwing up most of my labor because of the lack of food and the antibiotics combined. I'll never go to a hospital for a healthy birth again
Same. I was induced way too quickly and never really progressed with the medication infact my kids heart beat kept on dipping. Was not allowed to move around, had to lie down throughout the 24 hour period and eventually had to get a c sec.
I agree. Unless you get a planned C-section,women in labor should be allowed to eat light foods while in labor even with an epidural to keep their energy to push. If I ever have a baby, I'll be sure to take some snacks with me to eat while in labor and sneak eat if the nurse forbids me for no good reason. Women take that advice, if a nurse saids you can't eat,then sneak eat.😂
This is one of the many reasons why I’m doing a planned home birth 🤗
Rock on! I've had 5 successful homebirths. It's amazing ❤
I didn't actually want to eat during my very intense labor, but I did eat a large slice of cheesecake before going to the hospital. When I threw up in the hospital some fruit from on top of the cheesecake came up, but the actual cake had all been absorbed.
BTW they can't actually forbid you from eating and drinking in labor. It's not a prison and they don't have the legal authority to control you in that fashion.
I have so many snacks and yummy drinks packed and ready for labor! Idk what ill be able to stomach so i have a variety of easy to eat easy to digest snacks
Despite knowing this, I chickened out and decided not to eat during labor with my first because the hospital said they didn't allow it. I think it's one of the main reasons why my unmedicated labor stalled. I'm definitely going to be eating with my second, barring any complications that come up between now and then. Hospitals have a lot of life saving resources for labor but they are very slow to accept even helpful changes like this one.
This, so much this. This is just one of the reasons why birthing in a hospital can be so horrendous. Know that you have options and choices!!!
Yes, I wish more mothers knew their options and choices!💞
Isn’t it baffling when they’re supposed to be on top of the recent studies and science finds?
@tamraya23 most of the recommendations for maternity, post partum, and labor+delivery are stuck anywhere from 150 to 30 years ago.
I was induced and was going through labor for basically 24hrs and was allowed to eat until the end because the doctors thought they'd have to do a c-section because I just wasn't dilating. Right before they were gonna get me ready for the c-section, they measured me again and I had suddenly fully dilated so the last few hours of fasting were actually unnecessary as I didn't need to go through with the c-section after all.
I wish all moms knew they’re still allowed to eat in labor even if the hospital says it’s against policy. Against policy means the hospital can’t provide the food. They can’t take food out of your hands you bring yourself
Sugar Water helped me maintain my strength. My wonderful husband gave it to me.
I was not only allowed food and drink during labour, but implored by the midwives to eat. After labouring for a long time I got nauseus, but I was still told that I had to try to eat and drink something, in hopes that I would gain some energy.
I had an unplanned c-section in a later pregnancy. That time I was served breakfast in the hospital as I came in during the night. Being a pregnant woman who had hardly eaten a proper meal in a week (the whole house had been sick), it was hard having my half eaten breakfast taken away. Of course, the baby had to come out and I was in no shape to labour, but I was hungry.
The c-section fortunately fine with only local anesthesia, and I was in recovery in time for a late lunch.
I had induced labor for both of my pregnancies, the hospital brought me food to their schedule without taking into account where I was in my "labor journey" 😂 I could've been pushing and they would have brought the food! I was to my discretion to chose to eat or not.
What country were you in?
Québec, Canada 🙈
I ate a big meal before I went to the hospital. I was right to do so. 24 hours in labor and they would only allow be ice. It it was a good thing. I ended up needing an emergency C-section to save my son. Surgery requires an empty stomach, so yeah.
This only applies when you CAN keep light foods down. My first labor was over 48 hours and second was 26. I couldn't eat ANYTHING both times because I puked it right back up
I stopped eating at 8 pm and the contraction started at 3 am on my first labour. I didn't feel like i was lack of energy during labour, just the opening wasn't that easy for the first labour. So the baby was out at 11 am. After labour i felt okay, just light headed in a few hours after labour.
On my second labour, it was 2 weeks earlier from the estimated due date. I ate 3 spoons of fried rice and a small slice of pineapple at 10 pm. After that, i watched netflix, sleeping on my left side, and not so long i felt nausea in my lower tummy. I felt like i needed to do something, then i sat down for a while, right when i realize it wasn't a normal stomachache. When i stood up, i felt a strong kick inside my tummy and the adequate contraction happened. When i walked to prepare to go to the hospital, my water broke. On my way to the hospital, the baby found her way out on herself. And i felt as if nothing happenned after labour. Strong, healthy, and full of energy. Did it become too easy because of the 3 spoons of chinese fried rice? 😅
I was told to bring some snacks with me (at a hospital in the UK), but my labour ended up being so quick and relentless that the last thing on my mind was eating. 😅 From the moment my water broke, my contractions were 2 minutes apart (sometimes 1) and I was fully dilated so fast. I was exhausted and in dire need of energy/sugar right after, to the point of feeling nauseous, but there's no way I would have been able to eat.
I’ve only been allowed ice chips and popsicles during all 4 of my labors. The trick I had would be to ask for ice chips and let it melt down so I could have a drink. Which is dystopian. But luckily my labors are quick, around 8 hours and my doctor always tells me to eat a decent meal before I come in. The worst was when I finished giving birth at 9pm and the cafeteria was closed. After not eating all day, the nurses pretty much told me I wouldn’t eat until the morning. My husband went out and found a Wendy’s that was open at 1am so I could eat.
I was told by mom, who was a nurse, not to eat anything heavy during labor because then your body will be tasked to digest the food and that will take energy away from birthing. And what if an emergency c section needs to be done? Would they have to pump your stomach before going to surgery? Anything can happen during a birth despite how well you plan.
let us eat if we want ❤❤❤ I ate before I went in because they wouldn't allow it
Screw the healthy food! I ate fun-sized chocolate bars during my labour and it was AMAZING!
Please, I was in labor and they didn't even know it. While I was in the hospital and pregnant with my second child, the nurses thought I was having gas pains the whole weekend during my contractions. They called it Braxton hicks. I got hungry during my contractions and ate my dinner while having these pains. They served me cheese burger with lettuce, and tomatoes, and a 7Up on the side for dinner during the gas pains and then the nurses gave me a shot so I can go to sleep. But I still felt the pains in my sleep. I was in pain for 5 days and felt something slide out of my vigina. I wipe myself with some tissue and in mild pain wabbling to the nurse as fast as I could, and asked her while the tissue was in her face. " What is this pink slim that slid out of my vigina?" She pulled my hand down so she can focus on what I was showing her on the pink stuff on the tissue. She looked at it and said, "OMG, your plug came out of your cervics!" Here it is Wednesday morning and the hospital was about to send me back home after being there since Saturday. Now the nurses came to a conclusion that I was in labor all along so they decided to keep me after all that time. The lady in the 1st bed had her baby at 10:45 pm the evening before. The next day, my baby was delivered by C-section at 10:45 am.
One lady came in with a beautiful breakfast platter for me while I was in labor. The doctors and nurses immediately told her that I wasn't allowed to eat and gave the platter to my husband. He looked so guilty eating while i was contracting. I had the baby just in time for lunch, so the hospital came back with more food for me.
That’s why u sneak snacks in
I am never going to a hospital. I have heard one good "I'm glad I went to the hospital" story. And that's one in probably 150 stories. Not good odds
I unfortunately didn't get a chance to have a snack. I went into labor too fast to get anything and I was too focused on pushing to try and eat. I wish I did have something because hubby and I where up over 24hrs dealing with labor.
No one gonna stop my big back from eating
My babies were born in the 80s. We were not allowed to eat anything. A 14 hour labor was rough. We didnt get food until breakfast.
My midwife told me the anesthesiologist wouldn’t let me eat after I got an epidural but I’d already labored for a day and I was getting that epidural. As soon as the anesthesiologist left the room, she looked at me and said, ‘can I get you a coffee? A little lunch?’ Yes, ma’am you can.
I was SO RELIEVED that I could eat during labor. The nurses encouraged me to eat, but did warn me that a greasy burger could come back up after the epidural 😂
I’m such a foodie I’ll be bloody ordering a t bone steak during labour. Nobody telling me not to eat they’ll have to meet my fists and farts otherwise.
I wasn't allowed to eat just in case of c section. Plus I get sick right before I have to push and I didn't want to eat a bunch then get sick.
Not surprised
I had chicken broth the whole time I was in labor and I had enough energy to push through.
I was not allowed to drink or eat. I had a looooog labor, almost 48 hours. I was sevely dehydrated and weak. Not fun.
I was allowed to eat... but I threw it all up because of the pain....
Oh no… that must have been terrible 😣 I’m sorry you had that experience 💞
I was allowed to eat but, i couldn't eat. had no appetite not even a little and i was soooo weak...
It was so you wouldn't shit on the baby while pushing
I hate shots cause it’s blood not me going to the hospital me staying home nan na I rather stay home then going to the hospital
Safer methods lol every woman I know has had a horror story about epidurals if it's not exactly perfect you'll have problems for the rest of your life or possibly be paralyzed.
This is not true. Complications are very rare.