The importance of Eating and Drinking in labour

Hydration and nourishment are key to having enough energy to get through the intense physical work of labour. A woman should drink lots of water, diluted juice, labour-aide or ice chips throughout her entire labour. This will act as a preventative for loss of energy, dehydration which could lead to the woman needing an Intravenous drip.

Follow your instincts, eat and drink whenever you can, a granola bar or some toast will help if you are tired and low on energy. In early labour try to eat a small nourishing meal. This will carry you through a long labour. Some examples would be a light pasta meal with bread, or a big salad with chicken, seeds and nuts or cheese. Carbohydrate packing is used by athletes for stamina and energy. Birthing women need the same amount of energy- Labour is hard work!

Pack light, easily digested foods that you enjoy in your birth bag. And don’t forget to pack extra food for dad.

This is a great drink you can prepare in advance and have on hand to sip throughout labour. Use red raspberry Leaf Tea for extra beneficial nutrients. {You can bring Gatorade or any other power drink instead, but make sure you like the flavor before hand. LABOUR-AIDE
From the book Heart and hands by: Elisabeth Davis

Take about 1 Quart water or Red Raspberry leaf tea and mix it with:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
2 crushed Calcium or Calcium/Magnesium tablets
Shake and you are all set.

Another good idea is to freeze it into pop-cicles or ice cubes-yummy!