Women can consume anything other than water or ice cubes during labor without risking complications, according to a recent review of an older study.
For the recent study, cited by Agerpres, scientists compiled data from several types of research carried out in a controlled, randomized environment, which compared the conditions of labor and its consequences in the case of women who were allowed to consume only pieces of ice and water and those who were allowed to eat and drink a little more, from honey and date syrup to regular solid foods. The scientists analyzed ten such studies involving a total of 3,982 women. in labor who gave birth to a single child, only naturally, not by cesarean section.
A restrictive diet shortens labor
Women who had the least restrictive diets also had the lowest risk of complications, including vomiting or drowning during general anesthesia. Also, they had relatively shorter labor, by 16 minutes, on average, compared to those whose diet was restricted.
According to one of those who coordinated the study, if we are well hydrated and there is an adequate amount of carbohydrates in the body, our muscles work better, given that the uterus is made up mostly of muscles.
The scientists’ discovery underscores the findings of another earlier study by the same team, according to which women who receive more fluids than normal during labor give birth faster.
How do you recognize labor?
Labor begins with the onset of uterine contractions. They are intermittent and are felt in the lower abdomen and back.
At first, they happen every 15-20 minutes and last a few seconds, then they become more frequent, longer, and harder to bear. When the pregnant woman approaches the moment of birth, the contractions occur at an interval of 2-3 minutes and last between a minute and a minute and a half.
The beginning of labor is announced by a clear, colorless vaginal discharge when it is said that “the water has broken”.
