About IV in labour inflating birth weight.

[Claire and Boys]

I've read this several times on here, but I have someone asking me where it comes from, she wants an actual study showing that this happens. Does anyone know where this comes from, is it just an observation or is there a medical basis, research I can give this person? How does it happen?

[PatioGardener]

At the moment it is anecdotal - I heard about it from family physicians who attend births and follow baby and mom postpartum. Nobody has done the study yet (although I know a research team who is thinking about it.)

A good way to measure this is to weigh diapers post-partum - all diapers. Baby should have one wet in the fisrt 24 hours, but often babies who are 'super hydrated' because mom was 'super hydrated' with IV fluids will pee up a storm in the first 24-48 hours after birth.

A good study would look at a cohort of birthing mothers and identify amount of IV fluids given (if any), and then measure weight of baby every 12 hours or so and weigh all diapers and see if there is some way to quantify 'extra fluid' weight in babies based on the amount of IV fluids mom got in labour.

[crunchy_mommy]

I've seen references to an article by Keppler (http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retri...26952399000471)

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

I've seen references to an article by Keppler (http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retri...26952399000471)

Lots of info about IV hydration in labour in that article, but nothing about inflating birth weight in newborns. None that I could glean from it anyway, although I do have pregnancy brain these days!

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener

Lots of info about IV hydration in labour in that article, but nothing about inflating birth weight in newborns. None that I could glean from it anyway, although I do have pregnancy brain these days!

Sorry, I'm not sure if that was the right article or not, did it say anything about shifting fluids from the mother to the baby?? Ahh I don't have time to find it but that is the one person (Keppler) I've heard referenced.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

Sorry, I'm not sure if that was the right article or not, did it say anything about shifting fluids from the mother to the baby?? Ahh I don't have time to find it but that is the one person (Keppler) I've heard referenced.

Nope - just talked about dangers of IV hydration with glucose only solution (or hypotonic saline solution) to mother and baby. I'm going to search for Keppler though and see what I can find - thanks for the info! (The 'shifting fluids' makes sense physiologically - I just wish someone would do a study to give us some sort of idea about how much IV fluid would give how much excess weight, so that babies who are just diuresing (spelling?) wouldn't get supplemented unnecessarily for excess weight loss.

ETA: Just realized (...pregnancy brain...) that the article you referenced doesn't have Keppler as an author. (Clinical decision-making regarding intravenous hydration in normal labor in a birth center setting
Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 114-121
P.Sommer, K.Norr, J.Roberts) We are probably reading different articles! If you have the Keppler citation I'd love to read it - thanks!