Eating a light diet during labour

doi:10.1136/bmj.b732

Published 24 March 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b732
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b732

Editorials

Eating a light diet during labour

Does not seem to worsen obstetric outcomes

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The obstetric textbook Midwifery by Ten Teachers, publishedin 1931, states that "the patient should be encouraged to takelight food during the first stage of labour."¹ In 2000, theGuide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth noted, "thatfood and drink should be withheld once labour has commencedis almost universally accepted in hospital care."²

In the linked randomised controlled trial (doi:10.1136/bmj.b784),O’Sullivan and colleagues assess the effect of allowingwomen to eat a light diet during labour on the spontaneous vaginaldelivery rate.³ The authors provide evidence in their introductionthat professional attitudes and clinical practices in relationto eating during labour still vary greatly within and betweencountries. Some maternity units limit oral intake to ice chipsand drinks of water for all women in labour. This is to minimisethe risk of pulmonary aspiration (Mendelson’s syndrome)in women who may require an . . . [Full text of this article]

Soo Downe, director of ReaCH

¹ Research in Childbirth and Health Group (ReaCH), University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE

sdowne@uclan.ac.uk

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Effect of food intake during labour on obstetric outcome: randomised controlled trial: Geraldine O’Sullivan, Bing Liu, Darren Hart, Paul Seed, and Andrew Shennan
BMJ 2009 338: b784. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]